It started at full speed and ran into Congress. In his first month in power, United States President Joe Biden signed an act of decrees and restored peace in Washington, but he has also had to assume that it will not be easy to realize his most ambitious plans.
Biden is celebrating a month at the White House this Saturday with a record under his arm: he is the president who has issued the most executive orders in the modern history of the United States, with at least 31, one more than those signed by the president he considers his great political reference: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945).
Most of these decrees, to which have been added another twenty unilateral measures, were concentrated in the first ten days of Biden’s mandate, who wanted to act brilliantly to stop the many priorities of his predecessor, Donald Trump, and change the course of the administration. to turn. towards a more progressive policy.
“He issued a series of executive orders to undo all damage caused by the Trump administration, but he knows it is important to move forward,” said a White House spokeswoman, who asked for anonymity. Efe.
THE HARD PART: WORKING WITH CONVENTION
His most ambitious plans, such as his $ 1.9 trillion proposal to save the economy from the effects of the pandemic and his immigration reform, depend on the cooperation of a Congress where Democrats have such a narrow majority that it is nearly impossible. will be to succeed. laws without the cooperation of Republicans.
Before Biden came to power on January 20, advisers to Biden studied Roosevelt’s first 100 days as a role model, but there is a big difference between the Washington of today and the Washington that welcomed that president in the 1930s. Who signed 15 laws in its first three months to get the country out of the Great Depression.
“Roosevelt ruled with massive Democratic majorities in Congress, and even some support among the Republican minority. Biden has the smallest possible majorities, and it is unlikely that almost any Republican will vote for his policy,” said a presidential historian at the University. from Albany. Bruce Miroff.
That implies that Biden will have better prospects of approving the items on his agenda that lead to consensus in the country, such as the economic bailout package, than those perceived as more ‘progressive’, such as immigration reform and other social issues, Miroff said. .
THREE GREAT PRIORITIES
While the polarization in Congress has forced the Biden administration to accept that many changes will not come as quickly as they would like, the White House insists it has not diminished its sense of urgency, especially with regard to the vaccination campaign against the covid-19 and the rescue of the economy.
There is already a deadline on that last point: The White House wants Congress to approve it by March 14, when major unemployment benefits expire, and all indications are that Democrats will resort to a legal maneuver to get the package in the Senate. even if they don’t have Republican backing.
Biden also needs the help of Congress, as well as the teachers’ unions, for the second major priority of his first 100 days, ending April 30: the reopening of most schools that teach under the age of 18. 14 years old, now closed due to the pandemic.
Regarding the vaccination campaign, Biden is on track to deliver on his promise to administer at least 100 million doses in his first 100 days in power, and has an average of 1.5 million vaccines a day in the country, according to the White House administered.
“The government is making great strides in vaccine distribution, considering how ill-prepared everything was when they came to power,” Alasdair Roberts, professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts, told EFE.
THE GREAT DISTRACTION: THE POLITICAL TRUMP OF TRUMP
It’s also frustrating to Biden that the charge of the Capitol storm, which ended a week ago with Trump’s acquittal, took up nearly all of the Senate’s and Washington’s attention for part of the first month.
“That has delayed confirmation from some of his cabinet’s nominees,” Karen Hult, an expert on the US presidency at Virginia Tech, noted to Efe.
So far, the Senate has confirmed only 7 of the 23 nominees for Biden’s cabinet, with as notable absences as the candidates for Minister of Health or Justice; compared to the 11 ratified during both Trump’s first month and Barack Obama’s first month (2009-2017).
FROM CHAOS TO CALM
At the international level, Biden has already taken important steps, such as the United States’ return to the Paris climate accord, and has assured allies most concerned about Trump’s isolationism that his administration is ready to get back on the scene. be involved. including fighting the pandemic.
The chaos that characterized Trump’s first month in power was notable for his absence from the same time frame as Biden, although his White House has faced a minor scandal triggered by a spokesman forced to resign after threatening a journalist with information. about her love life.
And behind that were the tweets with groundbreaking announcements that defined the Trump presidency: Biden’s account on Twitter, @POTUS, only broadcasts careful messages with views already expressed by his administration. The biggest surprise is a performance by his dogs, Champ and Major, or a video about the new president’s morning routine.