Biden’s policy changes
Changes may include gun control, health care
A closer look at the new president’s priorities and shifts in U.S. politics.
WASHINGTON – For the first time in a decade, Democrats will control both chambers of Congress, as well as the White House.
President-elect Joe Biden, who will be sworn into office Wednesday, has made clear his top priorities will be to not only reverse some of the policies implemented by President Donald Trump’s administration but also to push aggressive relief toward COVID-19 and several areas of progressive legislation.
Any of Biden’s legislative priorities will have to pass through the Senate, which is narrowly Democratic-controlled but still requires at least 10 Republican votes to advance legislation and break a filibuster. Biden’s proposals are likely to pass the Democraticcontrolled House.
America is likely to experience a tidal wave in policy shifts. Here’s what some of those policies changes may include, how they may be achieved and what that means to your life:
COVID-19
Biden has made clear that one big change between his administration and Trump’s will be the seriousness with which he approaches the coronavirus pandemic. While Trump has at times embraced conspiracy and downplayed the seriousness of the virus, Biden has said he would impress upon Americans the severity of the pandemic and urge precautions.
Biden says getting control of the COVID-19 pandemic will be a top priority as soon as he takes office, along
with supporting Americans financially during the economic challenges that have come from the pandemic.
He has said he will urge Americans to wear masks consistently through the first 100 days of his administration and will order mask-wearing where possible, such as for federal employees.
He also introduced a $1.9 trillion spending package to speed the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines and provide economic relief. The package proposal includes investing $20 billion in a national vaccination program, $1,400 stimulus checks and expanding unemployment insurance supplements to $400 a week. Some Republicans in Congress have said Biden’s plan is too expensive and misguided.
Biden’s goal is to provide 100 million vaccinations during the first 100 days of his administration starting Wednesday. The pace so far has been slower than that.
“I know what I just described does not come cheaply,” Biden said upon announcing his package. “But failure to do so will cost us dearly.”
Housing
Millions of Americans face uncertainty over their housing security as massive job losses driven by the pandemic have crippled citizens.
Biden will call on Congress to pass sweeping protections and financial relief for those at risk of losing their homes.
In addition to the $25 billion in aid approved in the most recent $900 billion stimulus package, Biden plans to ask lawmakers to approve $30 billion in rental assistance to stop a wave of evictions, according to CNBC. He will also ask Congress to extend eviction and foreclosure bans until Sept. 30.
Millions are on the verge of being evicted with the federal eviction moratorium set to expire at the end of January.
Additionally, Biden plans to provide a refundable tax credit of up to $15,000 that will help Americans pull together a down payment to purchase a home, shore up rental aid provided by the federal government, and dedicate $10 billion toward expanding a tax credit that spurs the building or revamping of rental housing for low-wage earners.
Biden also has proposed several steps to root out the systemic racism that has hindered the ability for people of color, particularly African Americans, to buy or hold on to property – from onerous interest rates that leave them vulnerable to falling behind on payments, ending up in foreclosure, to biases that undervalue homes simply because they are owned by Black people.
This would be a reversal from the Trump administration, whose Department of Housing and Urban Development and secretary, Ben Carson, suspended the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule.
The 2015 provision required communities receiving federal development money to submit plans to “overcome historic patterns of segregation, promote fair housing choice, and foster inclusive communities that are free from discrimination.”
Environment
Trump made it no secret that he was a skeptic on all things climate change.
As a result, nearly 100 environmental rollbacks occurred under the Trump administration over the past four years to loosen regulations on everything from air and water quality to wildlife.
Biden, who has called climate change “an existential threat to the health of our planet and to our very survival,” has made it a focal point of his incoming administration. He has vowed to reverse some of the Trump administration’s policies as well as enact more of his own to combat climate change.
He is likely to undo most of Trump’s environmental rollbacks with his executive powers.
Additionally, after Trump formally withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the global pact forged five years ago among hundreds of nations to halt the devastating impacts of climate change, Biden has said the U.S. would rejoin the accord as soon as possible.
As a result of Trump’s withdrawal, the U.S. was the only internationally recognized country in the world not participating in the Paris Agreement.
Biden has pledged to rejoin the agreement immediately after being sworn into office.
Biden’s climate goals include 100% clean energy by 2035, vastly expanding wind and solar to get the nation to netzero emissions by 2050, upgrading millions of buildings and homes to be more energy-efficient, plugging abandoned oil and gas wells, reclaiming mines and making environmental justice a key consideration.
Biden also said he will shift the federal fleet of vehicles from gas to electric, which will support 1 million jobs at carmakers and their supply chains. He has proposed the government would provide grants to retool factories, build 500,000 charging stations for electric vehicles along highways, and expand high-speed and light rail.
Biden’s proposal to spend $2 trillion over four years to spur the development of more energy without increasing greenhouse gas emissions requires Congress to go along.
Though Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the tie-breaker for simple majority votes in the Senate, passing aggressive climate bills soon may be unlikely unless more Republican lawmakers jump on board than in years past.
Immigration
Tougher immigration laws and promises of a border wall were cornerstones of Trump’s 2016 election campaign. Many of his rallies were filled with chants of “Build that wall!”
The National Foundation for American Policy projected in July that Trump’s immigration policies could reduce legal immigration by 49% by 2021.
Biden has vowed to reverse most of those restrictionist policies. The process of overturning many of the policies will be straightforward – he can sign executive orders and his agency heads can issue memos or directives overriding Trump policies – but some changes could take much longer to unwind.
Within the first 100 days of his presidency, Biden said, he would send Congress a comprehensive immigration reform plan, including a “pathway to citizenship” for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
One of the main points of contention immediately facing the Biden administration will be the state of the border.
While it is true the controversial migrant holding facilities were built in President Barack Obama’s administration, their intended purpose was to hold migrant children for 72 hours before releasing them to federal agencies for placement.
Under Trump, family separations became a blanket policy applied to all undocumented immigrants crossing the border. All adults would be charged with criminal immigration violations, leading to separation from their children.
Biden can do some things to more quickly reverse the long-lasting effects, such as granting legal status to families that were separated, allowing parents who were deported to return, among other things he has teased.
Another border issue will be “the wall.” Biden told NPR that he would not tear down any of the border barriers already built, but “there will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration.”
Some border construction projects may still get built after Biden takes office because contracts may have already been signed.
Additionally, the new administration will need to address the status of refugees.
Biden will face intense pressure to grant entry to the tens of thousands of people who have been blocked from entering the U.S. by dozens of changes made by Trump.
Trump has blocked legal residents, relatives of U.S. citizens, refugees, asylum seekers, foreign workers and others for a variety of reasons, including national security and public health.
Trump has established record lows every year he has been in office. The refugee cap, which dictates how many refugees may be admitted to the U.S., has fallen from 110,000 in Obama’s final year in office to 15,000, announced by Trump in October, the lowest since the program was created in 1980.
Biden has pledged to set the annual refugee admissions cap at 125,000 and could immediately raise the cap through an executive order. But, transition officials have cautioned implementation might take time, given the amount of hiring needed to interview refugees, and structural issues.
Economic relief, reversing tax cuts
As the pandemic wreaks havoc on the economy in the United States, many are looking to the president-elect for relief and support.
The unemployment rate in the U.S. was 6.7% in December, which remained the same from the month before, and employers cut about 140,000 jobs, the Department of Labor announced last week. Women, though, took the brunt of job losses in December – accounting for 100% of the jobs lost that month.
While Biden’s proposed relief plan aims to address vaccine distribution and issues exacerbated by the pandemic, the proposal also provides a framework to stimulate the economy further. In addition to the $1,400 direct stimulus payments, Biden is calling for the increase of hourly minimum wage to $15.
On top of coronavirus-related economic relief, Biden has also pledged to reverse Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which passed in 2017. It was the largest overhaul of tax codes in about three decades, and corporate tax rate changed from a tiered tax rate of 15%39% to a flat rate of 21%. Many of the tax benefits that were set up to aid individuals and families expire in 2025.
Biden’s tax plan, on the other hand, takes a widely different approach – pushing higher taxes on corporations and individuals making more than $400,000 a year. Biden has also promised not to increase taxes for those making less than $400,000 and provide new and revised tax benefits for low- and middle-income families.
Gun control
During Trump’s term, he had a mixed take when it came to gun control. While his administration tightened some restrictions, it also weakened others.
More notably, Trump killed an Obama-era regulation in 2017 that would have forced stricter background checks during gun sales. The reversal specifically addressed the rule that required the Social Security Administration to submit records of mentally disabled people to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
About a year later, 14 students and staff were slain during a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This sparked the widely recognized and student-led March for Our Lives movement, which called on the different levels of the U.S. government to tighten gun control, reduce access to lethal warlike weapons and implement stricter background checks.
Biden has outlined over 10 initiatives related to gun safety on his website, with some of the top priorities revolving around banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, implementing a buyback program and requiring background checks for sales of all guns.
Although it’s not clear when such policies may be implemented, Biden has an extensive history challenging the National Rifle Association. And as vice president, Biden developed legislative proposals and executive actions related to gun control, some of which addressed legal loopholes and expanding funding for mental health resources.
Still, gun control remains a widely debated topic among lawmakers in both chambers, on both sides of the aisle.
“I know what I just described does not come cheaply.” President-elect Joe Biden Speaking of his plan to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and provide economic relief
Health care
In his time in office, Trump has made attempt after attempt to gut the Affordable Care Act, which was passed while Biden was vice president. But now that Democrats control the Senate and the House, the path to expanding the ACA could get a little easier.
Congress could reasonably pass a series of expansions to the ACA, including measures to make insurance more affordable to more Americans. Biden has said he will strengthen the ACA when he takes office.
Biden has said he would raise the subsidies people can use to help them buy coverage through ACA marketplaces. He says no family will have to spend more than 8.5% of their earnings on health coverage because of refundable tax credits for their premiums.
And Americans could further cut down on their out-of-pocket costs because a Biden administration says it will lower the price of prescriptions by negotiating drug prices.
Biden, who has long said he is not a supporter of the single-payer policies favored by his progressive counterparts, has also expressed support for a public option that would be available to all Americans.
He is also likely to reverse Trump administration policies that excluded protections for transgender Americans and would likely prioritize expanding access to contraceptives and reproductive health care, including abortion.
ALABAMA Montgomery: Thousands of people showed up at sites from the coast to the Tennessee Valley as Alabama began vaccinating senior citizens against COVID-19. People spent the night in cars waiting for shots in Baldwin County, where health workers began immunizations Tuesday.
ALASKA Anchorage: The state’s coronavirus contact tracing effort is rebounding after several months of hiring and weeks of decreased daily cases, officials said. Tim Struna, chief of Public Health Nursing for the Alaska Division of Public Health, said contact tracers can now investigate reports within a day of notice.
ARIZONA Yuma: Exhausted nurses in this rural area regularly send COVID-19 patients on a long helicopter ride to Phoenix if they’re short on staff. But support is coming from military nurses and a new wave of free tests for farmworkers and the elderly in Yuma County, the hardest-hit county in one of the hardest-hit states.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: A lawmaker tested positive for the coronavirus, a state House spokeswoman said, making Rep. Keith Slape the second to be infected since the Legislature began its session last week.
CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: The South Coast Air Quality Management District suspended some pollution-control limits on the number of cremations for at least 10 days Sunday in order to deal with a backlog of bodies at hospitals and funeral homes. “The current rate of death is more than double that of pre-pandemic years,” the agency said.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: Hundreds of schoolteachers were able to sign up for vaccine appointments before they were actually eligible, due to confusion over the rollout rules, The Hartford Courant reports.
DELAWARE Dover: Democrats John Carney and Bethany Hall-Long took the oaths of office for their second terms as governor and lieutenant governor Tuesday in a livestreamed ceremony at Legislative Hall, closed to the public amid the pandemic.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: As local data shows disparities between COVID-19 case concentrations and vaccine administration, the United Medical Center nurse who vaccinated Vice President-elect Kamala Harris hopes to encourage her patients to get the vaccine, WUSA-TV reports. UMC nurse manager and Walden Masters of Nursing student Patricia Cummings said to have Harris choose to get vaccinated at UMC sent her patients a clear message.
FLORIDA Jupiter: Some 700,000 senior citizens have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday. He said all 67 Publix pharmacies in Palm Beach County will be offering vaccine appointments for anyone 65 or older.
GEORGIA Atlanta: After a slow start to its vaccine rollout, Georgia is reporting progress in getting people injected. The state, meanwhile, may be past the current peak of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
HAWAII Honolulu: An increase in the number of anglers plying the state’s shores has provided much-needed food and recreation while helping keep shops afloat. Fishing supply store personnel said noncommercial fishing in Hawaii has boomed since COVID-19 hit the islands, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports.
IDAHO Boise: A state Senate committee on Tuesday approved legislation seeking to end Republican Gov. Brad Little’s coronavirus emergency declaration and restrictions, despite being told Idaho could lose millions of dollars in federal aid.
ILLINOIS Springfield: State public health officials reported 3,385 fresh cases of coronavirus Monday and 50 more deaths. Daily diagnoses remain well below the totals counted in November, the worst month for infections since the virus picked up speed in Illinois in February.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Health officials reported fewer new coronavirus cases and related hospitalizations Tuesday as the state’s downward trend that began late last year continued into 2021.
IOWA Des Moines: The state’s three regents universities will extend the cancellation of study-abroad programs at least through Aug. 1 as a consequence of the pandemic.
KANSAS Topeka: Mayor Michelle De La Isla was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week and will be out of the office while she recovers from her illness, her office said Tuesday.
KENTUCKY Louisville: Mayor Greg Fischer pleaded for patience Tuesday as health officials try to adjust to supplies of COVID-19 vaccine that vary from week to week. After Louisville’s three hospitals began offering vaccine appointments to people over 70 on Friday, they were overwhelmed with requests and had to stop accepting new ones until more vaccine doses arrive.
LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: The state’s chief public health officer warned hospitals, pharmacies and clinics Tuesday that they should not be steering their COVID-19 vaccine doses solely to their own patients, saying the state has received reports of such favoritism.
MAINE Augusta: State parks shattered attendance records last year as people sought outside adventures amid the pandemic, topping 3 million users for the first time. MARYLAND Annapolis: State Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore, announced Monday that he is forming an oversight panel to monitor the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, criticizing “unacceptable” levels of confusion about vaccine access, administration and distribution.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: Organizers of the Boston Marathon – postponed indefinitely because of the pandemic – have launched a virtual Athletes’ Village to reproduce at least some of the camaraderie of the real thing. The Boston Athletic Association says it’s an attempt to keep runners connected as the group works out a date for the 125th running of the planet’s most storied footrace.
MICHIGAN Detroit: The city has received 6,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses this week – far short of what was expected – due to shortfalls from the federal government, Mayor Mike Duggan said. “The day the Biden administration tells us we can count on 10,000 (doses) a week, we are going to bring the age down to 65,” he said Tuesday.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Many schools – including in the Anoka-Hennepin district, the state’s largest – welcomed back some of their youngest students for in-person instruction Tuesday.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: Over 100,000 residents have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and officials are taking steps to administer the supply of shots more efficiently, Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday.
MISSOURI Jefferson City: State Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins, D-St. Louis, said she tested positive for the coronavirus. The House called off the rest of this week’s session.
MONTANA Billings: Tribes participated in a national moment of unity and memorial for COVID-19 victims Tuesday by illuminating a tepee on Sacrifice Cliff as part of the Biden inaugural festivities. Native Americans have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in Montana.
NEBRASKA Omaha: Teachers and meatpacking workers worry it will take longer for essential workers like them to get the COVID-19 vaccine now that the next group of people to be vaccinated has been expanded to include everyone 65 and older in the state.
NEVADA Carson City: The economic consequences of the pandemic have hit Nevada particularly hard, complicating budget planning in a place that levies no income tax on residents and relies on tourism and hospitality industry revenue. Gov. Steve Sisolak released a budget Monday that includes no new taxes and $187 million less in state spending than it proposed in 2019.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: The state Department of Health and Human Services has updated its instructions to health care providers about registering medically vulnerable patients for the COVID-19 vaccine. Residents 65 and older should register at one of the state’s clinics by visiting vaccines.nh.gov or calling 2-1-1. Those with underlying medical conditions can register through their health providers.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: The state has the infrastructure set up to start vaccinating more people but doesn’t have the supply of shots to meet demand, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday. Murphy, a Democrat, said the number of doses coming in each week is just over 100,000. That’s short of the 470,000 needed to meet demand, according to Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: Lawmakers confronted daunting challenges as they began a 60-day session Tuesday amid an unrelenting pandemic. Proposals aimed at reviving the economy and rebooting classroom learning are at the top of the agenda in the Democratic-led Legislature.
NEW YORK New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Tuesday that his state will pursue legal action if Congress doesn’t send $15 billion in unrestricted emergency pandemic aid. Meanwhile, New York City will run out of first doses of COVID-19 vaccines sometime Thursday without fresh supplies, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: Two state legislators who announced this week that they had tested positive for the coronavirus participated in the same duck-hunting trip with other elected officials last week.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: State Sen. Terry Wanzek said he has contracted the contravirus. The Republican said he doesn’t believe he has any close contacts in the Legislature and has been wearing his mask.
OHIO Columbus: Nearly all school districts have told the state they plan to return to in-person learning in some form as of March 1, meaning efforts to vaccinate thousands of school employees will begin Feb. 1, Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The state on Tuesday surpassed 3,000 total deaths due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began, adding 43 to the tally.
OREGON Salem: The state is expecting to receive federal stimulus money this week to help pay for its COVID-19 vaccination program. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the state’s share is $38.1 million, although only part of that is expected to come this week.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: The state is expanding eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine in the initial phase of the rollout to include people age 65 and over as well as younger people with serious health conditions that put them at higher risk, state health officials announced Tuesday.
RHODE ISLAND Newport: Organizers of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade are looking at postponing this year’s event until September because it looks increasingly unlikely it can go on in March. Last year’s parade was supposed to be the 64th annual before it was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
SOUTH CAROLINA Myrtle Beach: A former mayor has died of complications from COVID-19, the city reported. The city’s website says John Rhodes, who served as mayor from 2006 to 2017, died Saturday night.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: The state’s daily COVID-19 update Tuesday showed no new deaths, a day after data compiled by Johns Hopkins University researchers listed South Dakota’s fatality count as the fifth-highest per capita in the nation.
TENNESSEE Nashville: Gov. Bill Lee and the General Assembly have a narrow focus this week: quickly passing bills aimed at helping schools navigate the pandemic and allowing them to prepare for the next academic year after 10 months of significant learning disruptions. Lee on Tuesday opened a special legislative session with an address to House and Senate members seeking to convey the longterm consequences of students falling behind – and subtly rebuking the state’s two largest districts that have remained largely closed since March.
TEXAS Dallas: The state reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases Monday and 46 more deaths from COVID-19. Coronavirus hospitalizations remain near their record high, and intensive care units in several regions are at or near capacity, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
UTAH Salt Lake City: The Legislature’s 2021 session opened Tuesday with words of hope and heightened security measures against a backdrop of possibly violent protests and the pandemic. Social distancing, masks and a handshake ban were enforced throughout the Capitol, and lawmakers in the House were separated by plexiglass barricades.
VERMONT Rutland: The Rutland Regional Medical Center is developing a plan to allow COVID-19 patients to recover at home, rather than in the hospital, if they are willing and have support systems in place.
VIRGINIA Richmond: The state Department of Health has launched a dashboard that includes confirmed outbreaks reported to the agency among public and private colleges and universities since Aug. 1.
WASHINGTON Olympia: Gov. Jay Inslee announced a plan Monday to set up sites statewide with help from the National Guard and others as part of an overall goal to vaccinate 45,000 people a day once the supply from the federal government increases.
WEST VIRGINIA Pickens: A maple syrup festival has been nixed for the second straight year because of the pandemic. Organizers of the West Virginia Maple Syrup Festival announced the cancellation Monday.
WISCONSIN Port Washington: Prosecutors have charged a pharmacist accused of intentionally spoiling about 500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine with misdemeanor property damage. Online court records indicate Steven Brandenburg was charged Tuesday. WYOMING Gillette: Roughly 70 members of the Campbell County School District transportation department spread across more than 40 buses and vehicles paraded past Vicki Wood’s house on a recent morning to tell her they love her. Wood, a longtime employee who retired in 2018, had gotten home the day before after 54 days in a hospital with COVID-19, the Gillette News Record reports.