By: Daniel Kyte-Zable
Chronicling Joe Biden’s Days in Office.
April 29th marked the 100th day of Joseph R. Biden’s presidency. The ascension of Biden, an establishment Democrat with a considerable tenure, marks a departure from former president Donald Trump, an anti-establishment Republican. Though Biden was not many Democratic voters’ first choice, the contrast between his and Trump’s politics won much of the public over. While Mr. Trump was infamous for his disregard of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Biden promised to centralize the pandemic response and institute a national testing program. Trump’s kinship with fossil-fuel companies and preference for deregulation stands in stark contrast to Biden’s progressive attitudes on the environment and halting climate change. Mr. Biden has promised racial justice in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, while Trump decried pro-BLM protests and appealed to alt-right factions. However, to deem politicians as positive influences on this country, it is necessary to examine their deeds, not just their pledges; to put it simply, they must “walk the walk.” In this regard, Mr. Biden holds up somewhat; his work on the pandemic and climate change has been sufficient, though his efforts to solve immigration have been lacking.
Biden has made significant progress in impeding the COVID-19 pandemic. During his first few days in office, he imposed a national mask mandate on federal property and public transportation as a part of centralizing the pandemic response. Additionally, he has signed a number of orders alleviating the economic fallout from the pandemic: the White House froze federal student loan repayments, expanded food assistance programs, strengthened programs to assist veterans with debt and guaranteed unemployment insurance. All in all, these efforts show a clear commitment to stopping the spread of literal and economic disease.
Mr. Biden has demonstrated commitment to stopping climate change, though his decisive action may come too late. On his first day in office, he signed an executive order rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement. That same day, he halted the construction of a notable oil pipeline, Keystone XL, and began an initiative to refocus on climate. Biden sufficiently acted on climate change in his first few months of office, but he must take more action in the future.
Rational approval of the White Houses’ undertakings finishes there. Biden’s attempts to solve the immigration crisis facing the country have been muddled and confusing. Recent attempts to cap the number of immigrants entering the country have been scrutinized by other members of his Democratic coalition, not to mention that such a measure seems ineffective in mitigating the issue due to its failure to solve the problem when applied by previous administrations. Additionally, Biden’s administration has yet to take effective measures against the use of child detention centers. Migrant ‘overflow facilities’ have replaced Trump’s cages and have brought further misery to undocumented immigrants. On this issue, Biden seems to struggle; he has yet to effectively abate the swell on the southern border, and has contradicted his campaign promises regarding the matter. By taking measures to undo Trump’s xenophobic immigration policies and making committimed efforts to solving immigration, Biden can solve the country’s crisis on the southern border.
To pass a final verdict on this government’s first few months: Joe Biden has shown himself to be a competent administrator regarding COVID-19 and climate change. However, his failure to deal with the country’s long standing immigration crisis taints his image and accomplishments.
Biden’s administration has been criticized for their policy at the border
President Biden