Harris says she'll lower college education requirements for some federal jobs

Jeff Mason and Kanishka Singh
| Reuters

WILKES BARRE, Penn. − Vice President Kamala Harris has said she would lower college-degree requirements for some federal jobs if she is elected as the Democratic presidential nominee and her Republican rival tries to woo veterans with economic promises.

Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump are locked in a neck-and-neck race ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. election. Harris has previously said she wants to cut middle-class taxes, while Trump has advocated cutting overtime taxes. Both candidates have supported eliminating the tip tax.

“As president, I will eliminate unnecessary college requirements for federal jobs to create more jobs for people without four-year degrees,” Harris said in her speech Friday in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in early 2023, more than 62% of Americans age 25 or older did not have a bachelor’s degree. Americans without a college degree made up three out of five voters in 2020.

More: Inside Trump and Harris’ starkly different views on the economy

The Democratic presidential candidate said Friday that the US must recognize the value of paths to success that go beyond a college degree, such as apprenticeships and technical programs.

A degree doesn’t necessarily say anything about someone’s skills, Harris said. She added: “And I will challenge the private sector to do the same.”

A Gallup and Lumina Foundation survey released earlier this year found that many Americans are skeptical about the value and cost of college. More than half of U.S. adults who have never or ever enrolled said the cost of education was a “very important” reason for not enrolling in or returning to college.

More: Is College Worth It? The answer for half of Americans is striking.

Harris tells Gaza protesters: ‘I speak’

Harris was interrupted in his speech by protesters opposing US support for Israel’s war in Gaza, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and created a humanitarian crisis.

For months, protesters have been demanding an end to the war and restrictions on arms transfers to Israel.

Harris reiterated her support for a ceasefire and a hostage rescue deal. “Now is the time for a hostage deal and a ceasefire,” Harris said when interrupted. “I respect your voice, but right now I’m speaking,” she added.

Harris has pledged his support for Israel. Observers have said that if pro-Palestinian Americans, including activists, Muslims and Arabs who voted overwhelmingly for the Democrats in the last presidential election, were to hold back, it could hurt Harris’ chances. While those groups are unlikely to swing to Trump, some activists have pledged their support to third-party candidates.

More: These Democrats are challenging state lawmakers who rejected the 2020 election results

The latest massacre in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict occurred on October 7 last year, when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli counts.

According to the local Health Ministry, Israel’s subsequent assault on the Hamas-controlled enclave has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, caused a famine, and brought charges of genocide before the International Court of Justice, which Israel denies.

Harris tells Gaza protesters: ‘I speak’

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