Budget watchdog slams Harris’ ‘clean slate’ policy agenda: It’s a ‘truly tragic’ situation

A top U.S. budget watchdog is taking a closer look at the economic programs of 2024 presidential candidates, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, as they prepare to confront a “dire” situation.

“The fiscal situation that anyone who becomes president is going to face is truly dire,” Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said on “Mornings with Maria” Thursday.

“Vice President Harris, we have no idea (about). Now we have a clean slate. And this is the time when we need to talk about specific policies,” she continued.

MacGuineas oversees one of the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations dedicated to educating policymakers and consumers on budgets and other fiscal issues. On Thursday, she pointed out that Trump has outlined economic plans that could worsen the economy but raise revenues, while Harris allegedly has no detailed policy outline.

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On the official Harris-Walz campaign website, visitors can read biographies of both candidates, make donations, learn about rally events and purchase merchandise.

“One of the really difficult things about this issue, fiscal responsibility, is that if the president doesn’t create a mandate for the importance of addressing this issue and telling voters the truth, we’re going to have to make some tough decisions,” MacGuineas said.

“The next president can’t run away from this issue. And it can’t really be a campaign without politics,” she added. “Otherwise, we’re going to inherit a dangerous fiscal situation with no sign of where leaders are going to go from here. That’s what worries me now.”

The Harris-Walz campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment or clarification on their economic plan.

Yet it was just a year ago that Harris gave Bidenomics her full backing, saying in August 2023 that “anything called Bidenomics … is a term we’re really proud of, I have to tell you, because … Bidenomics works. It works.” And on the campaign trail Wednesday, Harris said her “day one priority” would be to lower everyday prices.

Last week, the U.S. national debt topped $35 trillion for the first time in the country’s history, and the federal government continues to increase borrowing at a record pace.

This milestone comes just months after the United States crossed the $34 trillion threshold in early January 2024, while the $33 trillion threshold was reached in September 2023. By comparison, the national debt hovered around $907 billion just four decades ago.

“The problem is that we have politicians who are always pointing out waste, fraud and abuse. Yes, let’s get that out in the open. Let’s clean up the way government works,” MacGuineas said. “But that doesn’t get around the real issue, which is that we have to make some policy choices to make our budget actually add up.”

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“You can’t just promise easy things… If we’re talking about cutting taxes that seniors pay on Social Security,” as Trump has, she also said, “that will make Social Security insolvent even faster.”

“Let’s be honest with seniors and voters. We need to strengthen Social Security, and promising not to do that makes people who depend on it that much more vulnerable. And politicians on both sides are making those promises, and they’re not smart.”

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Eric Revell of FOX Business assisted in preparing this report.