Humanitarian Issues under the Biden-Harris Administration

Last Saturday, major news networks projected that Joe Biden will be elected as the 46th President of the United States, following news that Georgia and Pennsylvania narrowly turned blue. Kamala Harris was elected as the first woman, South Asian, and Black vice president.

This election hinged on crucial humanitarian issues, from the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic to racial injustice brought to the forefront following the police killing of George Floyd. Here’s where the incoming Biden-Harris administration stands on the most pressing humanitarian issues. 

Climate Policy

Throughout his campaign, Biden has faced strong criticism from both the political left and right for his climate policy. Between Democratic primary debates and the first presidential debate, he appeared to flip his views on fracking, a deeply destructive oil extraction technique condemned by many climate scientists. Whether or not Biden bans existing fracking or only new fracking, he has promised to enact an ambitious climate plan in his first term in office, starting with rejoining the Paris Climate agreement. The Biden plan builds upon the framework of the Green New Deal, but offers more incremental policy proposals that can hopefully generate support from across the aisle. Learn more about the Green New Deal. 

From the left, progressive politicians such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders are pushing Biden to adopt a more urgent tone about the climate crisis. From the right, conservatives claim that the GND and other climate policies are too radical and would harm American jobs. In his platform, Biden promises to enact executive orders to put America on track to have a clean energy economy and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. It seems likely that this executive privilege will be necessary to use due to a lack of consensus about how to address this especially vital issue in legislation. 

Responding to COVID-19

President-elect Biden campaigned on his seven-point plan for a more unified and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, this is the number one priority of the transition into office. On Monday, Biden announced his COVID-19 task force, which includes physicians and public health experts. Notably, one of the three co-chairs is Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, associate dean for health equity research at the Yale School of Medicine. Nunez-Smith’s expertise could be especially valuable in confronting a virus that disproportionately harms people of color. The other two co-chairs, both of whom served in previous administrations, have been briefing Biden on the pandemic for several months. 

Biden has pledged to roll out a national testing apparatus, which will include doubling the number of drive-through testing sites. He also plans to expand personal protective equipment (PPE) production, to provide clearer guidance and more resources to schools and businesses, and to restore the United States’ relationship with the World Health Organization. Overall, President-Elect Biden takes a more active approach to the global COVID-19 pandemic. A strong reliance on public health officials is central to the Biden-Harris COVID-19 plan, and this will likely benefit the nation as it attempts to beat the pandemic. 

Commitments to Racial Justice

The police killing of George Floyd in May was a turning point in the conversation about racial justice in America. It also changed the trajectory of the presidential race, raising questions about the role of police in America and how Black people are treated by police. Amid calls to defund the police, which former vice president Biden has said he did not support, there were protests throughout the country. 

Racial equity is one of the Biden-Harris administration’s top four priorities, as stated on their transition website. Their plans are significant, but perhaps underwhelming given the scale and immediacy of the problem. Biden and Harris pledge to work with Congress to pass police reform legislation, such as a nationwide ban on chokeholds. With a potentially divided Congress, singular reforms seem not only ineffective, but unlikely to make it through the legislature. 

Vice president-elect Harris faced criticism for her record as an Attorney General of California, a state that incarcerates a disproportionate number of people of color. The incoming administration promises to decrease the prison population in the US while reducing crime, but their plans thus far to do so are underdeveloped at best. For example, they plan to reach these goals by “preventing crime and providing opportunities for all” and by “offering second chances” — not exactly a policy ready to take to Congress. Activists should press the administration on their policies to advance racial justice in the US. 

Healthcare

While addressing the COVID-19 pandemic is the immediate priority of the Biden administration, the president-elect also promises to reform American healthcare more broadly. The Affordable Care Act, implemented under President Obama in 2010, helped insure millions more Americans and increased overall access to healthcare. Republican-led attempts to repeal the law due to its high cost have been unsuccessful, so Biden’s platform seeks to strengthen the law in response to these efforts.

The Biden-Harris platform attempts to strengthen American healthcare by offering a public insurance option and increasing access to healthcare for low-income families. For proponents of Medicare for All, this plan may not go far enough to protect the healthcare of Americans and weaken the immense power of insurance and pharmaceutical companies; however, the proposals in Biden’s healthcare platform are still likely to benefit Americans by making healthcare more affordable and accessible. Biden and Harris have also committed to expanding healthcare coverage in communities of color and overcoming disparities in the existing healthcare system that disadvantage these communities. 

Immigration

In a marked shift from his predecessor’s tone, Biden promises to take a more open stance toward immigration. Some of his first priorities on this front include reversing parental separation policies at the U.S.-Mexico border, reinstating the DACA program, and rescinding both travel and refugee bans. Learn more about DACA here. Another policy promised in the Biden-Harris platform is the development of a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the United States. This policy is a departure from the policies that Biden helped implement as Vice President. While in office, President Obama deported more individuals than any other president in history.

Proposed immigration policy under president-elect Biden reflects shifts in U.S. public opinion toward immigrants. Nearly three-quarters of Americans think undocumented children brought to the U.S. should receive permanent legal status. According to Gallup, 77 percent of Americans think immigration is good for the country, a record-setting highpoint for this measure. While immigration was President Trump’s signature campaign issue, Biden has been more quiet about these policies during the campaign in his attempt to win over moderate conservatives who were on the fence about supporting President Trump’s reelection bid.

Economic Recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic made inequalities in the U.S. and around the world more evident than any other time in recent memory. In response, the Biden-Harris ticket campaigned on their plan to “Build Back Better,” pledging to create a more inclusive and equitable economy.  They suggest investment in small businesses founded by minorities and affordable housing to generate greater economic equity.

President-elect Biden has pledged to extend crisis unemployment insurance and to pass a relief package for small businesses. Expect another large stimulus package to be passed in the first 100 days of the administration. Perhaps most unique is the plan to form a “Public Health Jobs Corps” to create jobs by enlisting people to help fight the pandemic. Overall, the Biden-Harris administration’s economic plans dovetail with their other policy plans — incorporating clean energy into economic recovery and highlighting the importance of racial equity to create a more inclusive and ultimately stronger economy. 

President-elect Biden’s economic policies are bold — it’s difficult to imagine a $15 per hour minimum wage passing without Democratic control of Congress. But these policies can contribute to sustainable and equitable change if realized. 

This article was written by Alexa and Grace!