How Biden used his first 50 days in office

By: Cael Baumgarten

Despite all of the demands of a recount, the conspiracies rampant across Twitter, the unrelenting opposition from the former President, and despite the insurrection less than two weeks before Inauguration Day, President Joe Biden took the office in January and has already made his mission clear; he will reverse everything Donald Trump did as though DJT never had power in the first place, which is reminiscent of Trump’s game plan we saw only four years ago, when Obama’s entire legacy seemed dead after a few short months. Biden enacted more executive orders in his first 50 days than any of the three Presidents that preceded him, and it’s not close. Among innumerable other goals and various executive orders mandating various things, many of which made the frontpage, the current POTUS’s efforts emphasize a few obvious priorities: Covid-19 relief, climate change, and equity and unity. The current administration aims to revitalize the economy, open up schools, and roll out the vaccines as quickly and safely as possible. With a democratically controlled Congress, Biden has been pushing to pass a $1.9 trillion Covid relief package since his inauguration, and the stimulus should pass within this month at $1,400 per person after weeks of discussion and disagreement. So far, his efforts to reopen schools have been met with resistance from both teachers and parents that demand higher social distancing requirements and more resources to allow for a safer school environment. Most public schools throughout the country are hesitant to fully open up until teachers are vaccinated. The President aims to have all Americans vaccinated by the end of summer. Approximately 15% of the US population has received the vaccine, and the pace is picking up every day. High contact critical workers, educators, and those aged 65 and above are set to receive the vaccine next. Teenagers without severe health risks should expect to be vaccinated some time in June. Biden’s goals for the climate are even more eager, hoping to do away with planet-warming carbon emissions completely by 2035, and has outlined a $2 trillion plan to get us there. But Senators representing fossil-fuel states are keeping him from passing effective legislation; his executive actions could all be easily overturned. With the previous administration’s efforts to require as much damage control as possible, as well as a relatively split Senate, Biden is not in a position to create significant change to the environment. Perhaps he will find a way in the coming years to turn the situation around to keep the existential threat of climate change at bay. With the most diverse cabinet in American history, President Biden immediately demonstrated his devotion to restoring equity and unity in the United States. Mind that there is a difference between “equity” and “equality,” the latter of which has been largely absent in his executive orders. Upon taking office, Biden disbanded Trump’s 1776 Commission that would teach a reframed understanding of slavery in public schools, and undid the transgender military ban. He also signed an executive order formally acknowledging the rise in xenophobia towards Asian Americans since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and advising the Department of Health and Human Services to work to amend the increasing resentment in the country. Another order ensures that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits “workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,” alongside a handful of others that push for racial equity in the areas of housing, incarceration, and tribal sovereignty.

Like any president, Biden has been facing controversy on a handful of issues. Democrats are angry with the POTUS for opening up another facility for migrant children at the border. Officials claim that more facilities are required to reduce populations in each facility to promote COVID safety, though more and more unaccompanied children have been crossing the border as time goes on. Before his inauguration, Biden teased students with the promise of at least $10k in student loan forgiveness. But at a town hall meeting in February, he backtracked, mentioning that he didn’t have the authority and that there are better uses for that money. His administration still claims to support debt relief, but the nation is skeptical.

The 46th President of the United States has been handed power at a particularly troubling time in American history. While Joe Biden has quickly snapped to action on most of what he promised back in October, it will take a miracle if he aims to right all the wrongs in our country in just four years.

Photo by Matt Slocum