We aren’t here to judge or tell you how to vote. But let’s be honest. Much of President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign policy was how he ISN’T Donald Trump. And now that he is marked to be the next United States president, you might want to actually know where he stands on various political issues. Here’s some of his key policies that should help use gauge what to expect from him over the next four years.
Healthcare
It comes as little surprise to hear that Biden intends to expand on the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. He was Vice President when the act was first initialized, after all. Biden plans on expanding on the ACA system so that an estimated 97% of all Americans will have access to affordable healthcare options.
While a popular left-wing idea, Biden does NOT intend to go as far as to implement universal health care.
Climate Change
Biden has spoken before about the dangers of unchecked climate change. He intends to rejoin the United States with the Paris Climate Accord, which Trump withdrew from during his presidency. This will limit emission levels that the country can produce.
He does not go as far to embrace the Green New Deal, a popular left-wing package that puts a heavy investment on fighting climate change and developing greener technology.
COVID-19 Response
Biden has an immediate plan for tackling the ongoing pandemic. His goal is to provide free and immediate testing for all Americans and to hire a team of 100,000 people to form a contact tracing program that will help track where the virus is going. He will also look to increase tasting centers around America, aiming for 10 centers in every state.
The most controversial part of his plan is to increase the national guidance at the advice of federal experts. This will likely mean firmer mask mandates and social shutdowns in areas continuing to struggle with infection numbers.
Jobs and Economy
Biden’s policies focus a lot on helping people in financial need during the pandemic. This includes extending loans to small businesses, increasing social security payments, rescinding previously given tax cuts for major corporations, and offering student loan debt forgiveness up to $10,000.
His more general economic policies, dubbed the Build Back Better plan, will focus on younger Americans and blue collar workers. This includes raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, investing $2 trillion dollars in creating green energy jobs, and investing $400 billion in purchasing American made goods.
Racial Issues
This has been a big topic lately, especially following the BLM protests and various police brutality reports. Biden believes that racism in America can be dealt with through social and economic programs that support minorities. This includes a $30 billion investment for minority-run businesses.
To reduce incarceration levels. Biden wants to invest $20 billion in police grants that will incentivise state police agencies to reduce the rate of incacerations, reduce minimum sentences, end the death penalty, degriminalize marijuana, and expunge past cannabis convictions.
Biden has confirmed that he is NOT in support of defunding police programs, however. He agrees with the general defund idea of investing in social programs, but also believes that the police need to use their resources to improve their communities instead of having said resources taken away from them.
Foreign Policy
Biden has stated that his focus is on the nation first. So while we shouldn’t expect much in terms of international affairs, we can expect him to follow the previously democratic mindset on being on good terms with other nations. He has also mentioned that China should be held accountable for unfair trade environment and practices.
Immigration
Biden’s immigration policy is essentially to quickly undo the changes made by Trump previously. This includes keeping immigrant children from being separated by their parents, increasing the application limit, and ending travel bans established with Muslim-centric contries.
Education
Biden wants to expand the government provided education options while also assisting existing students. This includes forming a universal preschool system, increasing the number of tuition free colleges, and implementing student loan forgiveness plans. Funding numbers were not clear, but Biden has claimed that the money will come from ending Trump-established tax cuts on major corporations.
And that’s more or less everything. A lot can happen in four years (eight if he is reelected), so expect to see at least some of these plans grow to fruition.