2020 was an interesting year. Not only were there social protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a new president was elected, putting an end to Donald Trump’s laid-back coronavirus response. On Jan. 21, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States. Along with him, Kamala Devi Harris was inaugurated as the first-ever female Vice President. President Biden promised that in his first 100 days of office, he would overturn Trump’s policies on immigration and climate change and help the U.S fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s take a look at some important issues that President Biden has faced since he entered the White House.
First, the President introduced his $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill to Congress on Feb. 21, 2021. Three weeks after the bill was introduced, both houses of Congress passed it. The bill has multiple provisions that help Americans fight the pandemic, such as the $1,400 stimulus check. Individuals earning less than $75,000 and couples earning less than $150,000 are eligible for the full check, and individuals earning more than $80,000 and couples earning more than $160,000 are not eligible for any check. By reducing the income bracket of people who are eligible, the government is giving money to the people who actually need it. The bill also allows college students and adults with disabilities to be eligible, unlike the first two rounds of checks.
Furthermore, the bill allocates $20 billion for vaccine research, $3 billion for a stockpile of vaccines, $8.75 billion to public health agencies for distributing and administering vaccinations, and $25 billion for testing and reimbursing hospitals. It also allocates $113 billion in funds to schools to help decrease class size and improve ventilation so that students can slowly return to in-person learning. I believe this bill will help us transition to our pre-pandemic normal life. Unlike Donald Trump, who was against wearing masks, President Biden signed an executive order stating that masks must be worn in federal buildings and on federal land. He launched a challenge —‘100 Days Masking Challenge’— to motivate people to wear a mask for 100 days.
The second issue that President Biden has prioritized is climate change. On June 1, 2017, former President Donald Trump announced that he wanted to pull the U.S out of the 2015 Paris Agreement. He reasoned that it put the U.S at a disadvantage since countries like India and China can use fossil fuels, while the U.S would have to curb its carbon emissions, according to Helen Briggs of BBC News. The goal of the Paris Climate Agreement is to fight climate change by keeping the growth of global temperatures under two degrees Celsius, having each country set its own emission-reduction targets, and having developed countries help underdeveloped countries switch to renewable energy sources.
President Biden has been a strong advocate of reducing climate change. To this end, he reentered the US into the Paris Agreement to help fight climate change. Furthermore, he revoked the permit to build the Keystone XL Pipeline. For years, environmentalists and Native Americans have protested against the pipeline because it poses a threat to drinking water and the climate. Donald Trump stated that climate change is a hoax when in reality, it is a serious issue that is getting worse every minute. Unlike our previous president, our current president is taking this issue seriously and is signing executive orders that will help mitigate climate change.
The third issue that President Biden has helped with is student loans and rent assistance. Not only has COVID-19 caused the death of 500,000 Americans, but it has also increased the unemployment rate to an all-time high of 13.3%. To reduce stress for people with student loans, President Biden paused loan payments until Sept. 30 with 0% percent interest rates. Furthermore, he extended the eviction moratorium until March 19. The $1.9 trillion COVID relief package also allocates $25 billion for rental assistance for low-income households who are currently unemployed. The bill also allocates $5 billion towards helping the homeless find housing.
Lastly, President Biden has helped fight hate crimes against Asian Americans and created fairer opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace. On Feb. 2, President Biden signed a presidential memorandum called ‘Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.’ The memorandum discusses discrimination experienced by Asian Americans and how the government played a role in it. Our previous president referred to the virus as the “The China Virus,” which likely contributed to hate crimes against Asian Americans. Furthermore, President Biden helped crack down on workplace discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. He repealed a law the Trump Administration passed which banned transgender Americans from joining the military. He also signed an executive order stating that employers cannot discriminate against workers on the basis of gender identity.
President Biden has signed over 50 executive orders since he was inaugurated as President, 22 of which reversed Trump’s policies. According to Elizabeth Crisp, a writer for Newsweek, he also plans on discarding “more than 100 ‘harmful’ environmental proclamations, memoranda or permits signed by the Trump administration.” Moreover, he plans on rejoining the World Health Organization and creating the position of COVID-19 Response Coordinator. The person appointed as the COVID-19 Response Coordinator will report directly to the President and will be responsible for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. In conclusion, I believe that President Biden has done a great job over the first three months of his presidency, and I hope he brings an end to this pandemic and continues to fight climate change.