Published on October 3, 2024, 12:27 am

With the election only 34 days away, Vice President Kamala Harris is making every effort to secure votes. She’s been visiting border regions, revealing never before heard accents and spreading fears that former President Donald Trump intends to increase taxes on imported alcohol. These strategies form part of her campaign designed to steer voters away from Trump.

Earlier this month, in a social media push titled “Trump’s Tequila Tax,” the Harris camp attempted to convince voters that Trump plans to raise prices of imported alcohol through his tariff proposals. The claim? As articulated by a campaign surrogate on TikTok: “He wants to tax your tequila, your Coronas, your Modelos, your Hennessy – all of it.”

This spirited political effort could be interpreted as projection on Harris’ part. Should she win the election and enter the White House come November, there may indeed be no domestic tequila for taxation due to potential changes in national alcohol consumption guidelines.

Under Harris and President Joe Biden, an anonymous bureaucratic committee has reportedly been working on these new guidelines that may suggest Americans abstain from drinking entirely. Although such rules won’t enforce an outright ban on alcohol consumption, they could potentially spur negative press coverage and instigate lawsuits against alcohol companies – dealing serious blows to an already struggling industry.

Impacting everyday life in the name of “public health” wouldn’t be seen as uncharacteristic for the Biden-Harris administration. Policies proposing bans on menthol cigarettes and gas stoves were pitched earlier during their tenure with variable success but received significant public and media attention nonetheless.

However, unlike those attempts, efforts to revise the alcohol consumption guidelines have largely flown under public scrutiny due to covert operations. The departments responsible for updating federal dietary guidelines every five years are thought to have delegated this sensitive task regarding alcohol consumption to a little-known body within Health & Human Services known as the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD).

As it stands, the federal government defines “moderate drinking” as two daily drinks or less for men and one for women. But according to trusted sources, ICCPUD may be gearing up to align with the World Health Organization’s declaration that “No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.”

Despite this controversial stance potentially clashing with traditional federal recommendations, it comes as no shock when considering the fact that three members of the six-person committee are Canadian residents – all of whom have played key roles in similar national guidance changes in their home nation.

The possibly impending policy change has already sparked bipartisan opposition. Lawmakers have written letters expressing concern over the opaque revision process which appears to be violating federal law and asking for further clarification on ICCPUD’s decisions.

At present, it remains uncertain if a potential Harris presidency would let this new unofficial policy materialize – but indications suggest she might. There seems to be congruence between her earlier stances supporting regulations on menthols and gas stoves along with an affinity towards modeling American healthcare after Canada’s system.

Final word? The irony lies thick in her warning about Trump’s tariff plan, while being implicated in secret plans to upend American dietary habits without public engagement or acknowledgement. One cannot help but noticing the paradox of her asserting that “Trump’s coming for your tequila,” when such policies may very well lead to there being no tequila left.