Once the public is aware of the goals and promises candidates have set in their campaign platforms, it can be a measure to keep them accountable once they are elected into office. These promises and ideas are the reasons why we may or may not vote for one candidate over the other.
Some of Biden’s plans published in his platform included taking control of the pandemic, investing in green energy, changing laws and reversing previous executive orders related to immigration, and setting new standards for the economy through job growth, community investments, and stimulus checks for individuals and families.
At this point, it can be said that Biden’s most important plan is his plan for Covid-19. What Biden is going to do that is different from what Trump was doing for the country during this time will hopefully change the trajectory of illness, disability and death in the United States. He will need new mandates and laws passed in order to stop the spread of the virus by supporting states economically, with vaccine distribution, proving PPE for essential workers including teachers and schools and providing improved reporting, contact tracing and data collection.
According to an NPR article, as of February 3rd, Biden had signed a total of 28 executive orders. On January 25, Biden signed an executive order that created a travel restriction limiting travel to countries such as the United Kingdom and South Africa, where new more contagious variants of Covid-19 are rampant. Additionally, Biden signed an executive order on January 21, making masks mandatory to be worn while in the airport, as well as in public transportation and on all federal property. Travel restrictions and mandates will ensure travel safety for those are still required to travel. Still, non-essential travel should be prohibited and not recommended.
Biden also signed some executive orders which will lay the foundation to more quickly raise the federal minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour. The current federal minimum wage is only $7.25/hour, which translates to only $15,080 per year even working 40 hours per week. The federal poverty line ranges from, for one person in a household, from around twelve thousand to fifteen thousand dollars a year. The proposed federal minimum wage would double the yearly income of low wage workers to $31,200 per year.
Furthermore, at debates, Biden also spoke of the changes that he would make when it came to the environment. Biden spoke of green energy and changes he would make to put the United States at a better advantage when it came to the country’s environmental status.
On January 20, Biden rejoined the United States into the Paris Climate Accord. However, completion of this process took 30 days to become official, and it will take years of coordinated multinational effort to see positive results related to the existential climate crisis.
Looking to the future, it’s important to still keep Biden accountable for the promises that he made during his campaign in order to better our country. We, as the people, must continue to use our rights to speak out about what we believe in in a safe and constitutional way. We should all hope for a new wave of positivity and change with a new president in office. What happened at the capitol building in January should not be anything that we should have to relive ever again. It was a terrifying act of violence against our nation and there is still so much change and consequences that should come from that day of terror. Something like that should never have happened in the first place and should never occur again. There is still much work to be done, and much to look forward to.
https://nypost.com/2021/01/26/biden-signs-record-number-of-executive-actions-in-first-week/
https://nypost.com/2021/01/26/biden-signs-record-number-of-executive-actions-in-first-week/
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