Last Saturday, various news outlets reported President-elect Joe Biden's projected victory over Donald Trump, and Biden soon thereafter released his 100-day plan documenting various initiatives he would complete within 100 days of taking office. Today, the final states of Georgia and North Carolina were called; Biden flipped Georgia narrowly with a lead of around 14,000 votes and Trump won North Carolina. Despite this relieving victory, it's important to ensure that individuals continue to hold the Biden administration accountable and will not become complacent just because Trump will be removed from office––something that begins with understanding Biden's 100-day plan.
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will officially enter the office on Jan. 20, 2021. On the first day of his presidency, Biden's plan includes him declaring an action plan to combat the pandemic. Recently, he announced the creation of an advisory board that will aid him in developing and implementing a COVID-19 plan. The team is led by Dr. David Kessler, Vivek Murthy, and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith. He will additionally allocate $25 billion to producing and distributing a vaccine that will be accessible to the American public.
Additionally, on the first day of his presidency, Biden will ensure that the U.S. rejoins the World Health Organization, a bond that Trump terminated during his presidency. While Trump generally invalidated science and implied he would fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden claims he will retain Fauci's position. Biden further explained that he would also reenter the U.S. into the Paris accord, which Trump severed the connection with during his presidency.
With regard to the economy, Biden has explained that he would raise corporate income taxes to 28%, a contrast to the previous administration's 21%. He will thus eliminate the tax cuts imposed by the Trump administration in 2017.
Most notably, Biden has declared that on day one he would retain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and enforce its permanence, which is something the Trump administration has attempted to rescind. His immigration plan will additionally create an opportunity for 11 million individuals living in the U.S. illegally to obtain citizenship. He will terminate the previous administration's practice of intentionally separating immigrant families and forcing the children to remain in cages. He will ensure this by creating a task force strictly targeted towards reuniting these families. Furthermore, Trump will terminate legislation that has prevented individuals from Muslim-majority countries from immigrating to the U.S.
Biden additionally pledges that he will reform the asylum system and reduce funding for Trump's border wall. He also plans to push Congress to pass the SAFE Justice Act, which will reduce the mandatory minimum sentencing of many nonviolent crimes.
While there are various other components of Biden's comprehensive 100-day plan, these are some of the most notable parts. It's incredibly important to hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable and to not abandon hopes for reform simply because Trump will no longer be in office. Politicians should not be idolized––they should be held accountable by their constituents.
