Biden's long road ahead
TAKUYA AMAGAI: I remember how it felt watching President Biden getting sworn in on January 20th. Firstly it was a sense of relief. Relief that the man who was grossly incompetent and lacked empathy was no longer in charge of the US government. Relief that the United States was able to turn back the wave of authoritarianism that violently materialized on January 6th. The second feeling I had was a sense of hope mixed with a dash of concern. While it was definitely great news to have a change of leadership across the Executive Branch, I understood the daunting tasks ahead. The United States was still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with a slow roll out of vaccinations. Democrats held Congress with the narrowest of margins, meaning that often a single vote could derail a nominee or a bill. Both inside the US and outside, authoritarianism was on the rise, threatening democratic norms and civil liberties. The Biden Administration had so many pressing matters but it was not clear how much they could get done.
After over a 100 days, we have some answers. Firstly, the Biden Administration was able to successfully roll out the COVID-19 vaccines across the United States. As of May 9th, 46% of the US population has received at least one vaccine shot. The rapid deployment of vaccines reduced the number of COVID-19 cases across the country and likely saved thousands of lives. Secondly, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan (ARP) sending out much needed financial assistance to individuals, businesses, schools, and local governments. We are already starting to see some tangible effects of the American Rescue Plan.
The percentage of adults who struggled with hunger is at its lowest point since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April, 470,000 people signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, after the new subsidies included in the ARP went into effect.
Unemployment claims have fallen to its lowest levels since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
While it is clear that the United States still has a long way to go to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unmistakable that the Biden Administration’s policies helped put America on a path towards recovery.
The Biden Administration has also been successful at pulling America away from its America First isolationist policies and started repairing its international relations. A recent poll of adults in 14 countries illustrates that America’s image has improved since the start of the Biden Administration, with the sole exception of China where America’s image has declined. The United States has chosen to re-engage itself in global initiatives such as the Paris Climate Accord, the COVAX vaccine program, and Christchurch Call to Action. The United States has also stepped up in helping countries in need of assistance such as India, which is seeing a surge of coronavirus cases. While it has only been months into the Biden Presidency, it is promising to see the United States engage with its international partners in a constructive manner to solve global problems and lend a helping hand to those who need it.
While the accomplishments of the Biden Administration in the first 100 days have been promising, they still face significant challenges. The Biden Administration faces a Republican Party that is intent on creating voting restrictions and fanning claims of election fraud in the 2020 election. The vast majority of Republican legislators have apparently decided that they rather abandon democratic principles than have the guts to tell the former President and his fans that President Biden has won the 2020 election fair and square. The Democratic Party’s hold of Congress remains tenuous, which makes it harder to respond to foreign and domestic crises. Despite these obstacles, the Biden Administration should stay the course and ensure that the U.S. government fights for the betterment of people both within and outside of the United States. Democrats do have unified control of government, however narrow it may be, and now may be the only time to address them.
Takuya Amagai is an MPP Student in Class 2022. He is originally from Tokyo, Japan, and is a cat and dog person.