As Biden takes office in the coming week, we can expect plenty of action from the White House that aims to set the tone for his first 100 days and signal that the country is moving past outgoing president Trump. Moving past Trump is “an immensely complex challenge, requiring him to balance demands for accountability after Trump incited the riot against those who worry about further dividing the country”1. To me, it seems that Biden will focus on trying to unite the country rather than focusing on accountability, choosing to leave that to Congress and state AGs. In his words, “when Kamala (Harris) and I are sworn in, we’re going to be introducing, immediately, significant pieces of legislation that will deal with the virus, deal with the economy, and deal with economic growth”1. “Many Democrats say the best way for Biden to unify the nation and restore faith in government is to achieve tangible results on issues that matter to all Americans, including the coronavirus pandemic and the economy”1. Along with those issues just mentioned, climate change is another challenge that Biden plans to focus on from day one in office.
Action on climate change from the Biden administration will include both rolling back Trump’s environmental policies, many of which were aimed at rolling back Obama-era policies, as well as instituting new climate policies. Due to fundamental disagreements between congressional Republicans and the incoming Biden administration on how to best address climate change, we will likely see many executive orders. John Holdren, a former Obama science adviser who worked closely with the Biden campaign, has said that “one of Mr. Biden’s earliest executive orders would revive an Obama-era mandate that every agency in the government incorporate climate change into its policies “2.
Whereas Trump faced many legal challenges to his early executive orders, the Biden administration does not foresee those same issues. Ron Klain, the incoming chief of staff stated that "the legal theory behind them is well-founded and represents a restoration of an appropriate, constitutional role for the President"3. While Biden likely won’t face immediate legal pushback on his executive orders, I think it’s safe to expect that further on in his term we will see challenges to the actions he plans to take on things like citizenship for undocumented immigrants and climate-related legislation. Inauguration day is this Wednesday, so we won’t have to wait long to see how the Biden administration's first days play out.
2 comments:
As we near the inauguration and the Biden Administration announces more of their immediate plans for policy once Biden is inaugurated, I am left wondering how President Trump's impeachment will restrict Biden's plan for speedy legislative efforts. When Speaker Pelosi sends the Article of Impeachment to the Senate, I don't believe it is unreasonable to expect that a Senate trial and decision could certainly slow down the passage of legislation pushed by the Biden Administration. However, does the fact that the most recent Article of Impeachment was introduced and passed in the House in only a couple of days foreshadow a faster Senate trial, as the 2019 Articles of Impeachment took several months of inquiry and discussion before they were passed?
Ultimately, I believe the condemnation of an impeachment is a necessary action that must be taken against President Trump, however, how much time can the Senate trial take up before it hinders Biden's ability to get things done while he has a Congressional majority in his favor?
The first 100 days of the presidency are essential in setting the agenda and the symbolic significance of accomplishing many items within the time frame continues to set high expectations for the Biden presidency.
Biden has made it clear that the administration will focus on substantial COVID-19 relief efforts and the economy through stimulus checks and raising the minimum wage. Additionally, he plans on largely reversing the restrictive immigration policies set under the Trump administration, which is no easy task at hand. Still, I am optimistic that through his power of executive orders, he can enact a federal task force aimed to unite families divided at the U.S.-Mexico border. Also promising to cut funding for the border wall and improving the conditions for migrants at the border, many will be watching closely to see Biden's ambitious plans carried out.
With climate change posing irreversible threats, Biden plans on rejoining the Paris Accords, a necessary effort in expressing their global effort in reducing carbon emissions. Intending to produce zero-emissions vehicles and cut down on pollution, it is clear that the Biden administration will be wasting no time in implementing effective and sturdy legislation targeting global warming, hopefully before it is too late.
Exacerbated by the events of the Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020, Biden has also vouched to address race relations in the U.S. through improving the criminal justice system with an oversight committee. Hopefully, such a group will serve as a watchdog, elongating the hiring process, ensuring transparency and reform efforts in handling crime, and effective de-escalation plans.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/18/covid-economy-joe-bidens-policies-his-first-100-days/6643346002/
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