Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 10, 2024. (Christopher Dilts/Harris for President)
For generations, people of Filipino heritage have come to America in search of hope and opportunity. The earliest Filipinos arrived at Morro Bay, California, in the 16th century. Today, more than four million Filipino Americans call this country home, and your values of hard work, family, and faith make America stronger.
This October, as we honor Filipino American History Month, I join you in celebrating this incredible community. From the manongs and manangs who organized to improve labor conditions in the Delano Grape Strike, to the Filipino and Filipino American soldiers who fought against tyranny in World War II, to frontline health care workers during the pandemic, you have been a part of our greatest triumphs and struggles. I was proud to welcome the return of in-person Filipino American History Month celebrations at the White House, and I am inspired by your stories and aspirations for a better future.
My mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California with an unshakable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer. She worked tirelessly to raise our family and taught me to never complain about injustice, but do something about it. At a young age, I decided I wanted to do the work of fighting for people, and that has been the story of my entire career. As a courtroom prosecutor, I stood up for women and children against predators. As Attorney General of California, I took on the big banks and delivered $20 billion for families who faced foreclosure. As Vice President, I have stood up for workers and seniors. Now, I am running for president—because I believe Americans want and deserve a leader who will fight for all the American people.
This election is about two very different visions for our nation: one focused on the future, the other on the past. I represent a new, optimistic generation of leadership and will chart a New Way Forward—one that ensures you can not just get by, but get ahead.
“During Filipino American History Month, we honor the ways Filipinos and Filipino Americans have helped bring our nation closer to fulfilling the promise of America. In a democracy, while we can hold on to it, our vote is the power that each of us as an individual has. It is an extraordinary power, and we will not give it away.”
I grew up in a middle class household, and I remember my mother’s sacrifices and the long hours she spent to make things work for our family. As president, I will build an Opportunity Economy where every American has the opportunity to own a home, to build wealth, to start a business. I will cut taxes for 100 million Americans, hold companies accountable for price gouging on food and groceries, and work to lower the costs of essentials.
I will build three million affordable homes and provide up to $25,000 in down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers. I know what homeownership means to the American people, not to mention what it meant to my mother. We were renters growing up, and she saved up for years to buy our first home. She was so excited when that day came, and I want all Americans with dreams of achieving homeownership to feel that same excitement.
Small businesses and Filipino American entrepreneurs are the engines of our economy, and I will support these essential businesses by boosting access to capital and increasing the startup expense deduction 10-fold, from $5,000 to $50,000.
Filipino Americans are also at the heart of our healthcare system. I will protect the Affordable Care Act, which has reduced the uninsured rate among Asian Americans to record lows. President Biden and I worked to lower the price of prescription drugs and cap the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors, and I will go further to reduce costs for all Americans. My plan will also strengthen Medicare to cover home care for seniors, easing the financial and emotional burden many Filipino Americans face when caring for their elders. I took care of my mother when she was sick with cancer—I know that caregiving is about dignity.
I have spent my career fighting crime, and as Vice President, I have helped to secure $15 billion for law enforcement and public safety and enact landmark legislation to combat anti-Asian hate crimes. While Donald Trump’s failures during the pandemic put Filipino American health care workers at risk and fueled anti-Asian violence, I will work to keep you safe, including from gun violence. Our safety is also dependent on fixing our broken immigration system. I will sign the bipartisan border security bill that Trump sabotaged, and I reject the false choice between securing our border and creating a system of immigration that is orderly and humane. We can and must do both.
Finally, I will work to strengthen America’s global leadership. While Trump cozied up to dictators and tyrants, I have traveled to 21 countries, met with more than 150 world leaders to advance our interests, and deepened our ties with the Philippines. In my visits to Manila and Palawan, I strengthened our economic and investment ties, reaffirmed our mutual defense commitments, and reiterated our commitment to upholding international rules and norms in the South China Sea and around the world.
This election, the stakes could not be higher. Donald Trump intends to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act, strip away health care protections from millions, and raise drug prices. His policies would cause inflation to skyrocket, lead to a recession by mid-2025, and increase costs for families by nearly $4,000 a year. He and his allies would devastate the middle class and cut Social Security and Medicare.
Donald Trump is an unserious man, but the consequences of him ever getting back into the White House are brutally serious. Trump has vowed to be a dictator on “day one,” and speaks openly about using the military against Americans. His own national security officials warn he is unhinged and unstable, and out for unchecked power. Consider what he intends to do if we give him power again, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled he would be immune from criminal prosecution. He would wield the powers of the presidency not to improve your life, not to strengthen our nation, but to serve himself.
It is time to turn the page on the chaos and divisiveness of Trump. America is ready to chart a new way forward.
During Filipino American History Month, we honor the ways Filipinos and Filipino Americans have helped bring our nation closer to fulfilling the promise of America. In a democracy, while we can hold on to it, our vote is the power that each of us as an individual has. It is an extraordinary power, and we will not give it away.
I will always fight for the American people. And together, we will build a brighter future for our nation.
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Kamala D. Harris is the Vice President of the United States.
