Kamala Harris calls for regulating Facebook, health care for those in US illegally
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Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris pushed for executive action to enact stricter gun control, regulating Facebook, and health care for those in the United States illegally during a wide-ranging conversation that aired Sunday morning.
When asked if she supports an idea floated by fellow candidate Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., to institute federal gun licenses, Harris expressed favor for it, then went further.
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"I like the idea," Harris said on CNN's "State of the Union," but stated there is no "loss for good ideas" when it comes to gun control. She claimed that the problem is that there is a need "for people in Congress to have the courage to do something."
If she becomes president, however, she won't wait for Congress to take action. She'll do it herself, if she has to, she said.
"I'm proposing, she said, "that if by my 100th day in office when elected president of the United States, the United States Congress fails to put a bill on my desk to sign -- with all of the good ideas or any of the good ideas -- then I'm prepared to take executive action because that's what's needed."
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Specifically, Harris said that such action would include requiring background checks of customers to be performed by "anyone who sells more than five guns a year." Should sellers violate this rule, Harris said she would have the government "remove and take away the licenses away from gun dealers who fail to follow the law."
The California senator also addressed concerns about Facebook's growth, and said government action was necessary to keep the social media giant in check.
"I think Facebook has experienced massive growth and has prioritized its growth over the best interest of its consumers, especially on the issue of privacy," Harris said. "There is no question in my mind that there needs to be serious regulation. That has not been happening. There needs to be more oversight. That has not been happening."
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Harris said that Facebook's role in modern life makes the company "essentially a utility that has gone unregulated."
Health care was another subject that Harris touched on, particularly her support for Bernie Sanders' "Medicare-for-all proposal." That bill would provide universal health care for anyone residing in the United States.
When asked if she is in favor of free health care for people illegally in the United States, Harris said, "I'm opposed to any policy that would deny any human being from access to public safety, public education, or public health. Period."
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Host Jake Tapper also asked Harris about one of the favorites in the Democratic primary race, Joe Biden. Anita Hill recently claimed that if it wasn't for Biden and the Senate committee he led when she revealed sexual harassment allegations against Clarence Thomas, the MeToo movement could have started decades ago.
Harris agreed that Biden and his colleagues did not take proper action. "There is no question that that committee did not do right by Anita Hill," she said.