Joe Biden wants to complete his goals on civil rights, taxes and social services if he is re-elected
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden He has a simple re-election pitch to voters: Let him “finish the job.”
So what does that mean? What is left for you to do?
Unlike donald trumpThe front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination who has been releasing videos and statements detailing his agenda, Biden has not formally released his plans as part of his campaign.
But his ambitions are no secret, and his goals on child care, community colleges and prescription drugs have been laid out in detail during the Democrat’s first term. He also has broken promises on civil rights, such as protecting access to the ballot box, preventing police misconduct, and restoring abortion rights nationwide. Banning firearms known as assault rifles also remains a priority.
The result is a second-term agenda that could look a lot like Biden’s first-term agenda, with some of the same policy challenges. Almost none of this can be accomplished without the cooperation of Congress, and many of these goals have already been blocked or scaled back due to opposition on Capitol Hill.
Biden has achieved bipartisan victories on infrastructure projects and public financing for the domestic computer chip industry. But Democrats would need to win large majorities in both the House and Senate to clear the way for the rest of their plans.
“We’re going to finish as much of the work as we can over the next year,” said Bruce Reed, Biden’s deputy chief of staff. “And finish the rest after that.”
Biden’s campaign expressed confidence that the president’s agenda would compare well with that of Republicans in next year’s elections. Kevin Muñoz, a spokesman, described the election as “a choice between fighting for the middle class or shilling for the special interests of the wealthy” and said “it’s a contrast we’re more than happy to make.”
Another difference between Biden and Trump doesn’t fit neatly into policy white papers, but it is critical to their political base. Biden has made defending American democracy a cornerstone of his administration, while Trump attempted to reverse his 2020 election loss.
The outcome of the 2024 campaign could reshape not only government policy but also the future of the country’s core institutions.
TAXES
Biden’s plans are expensive and he doesn’t want to increase the deficit, which means he’s looking to raise taxes on the rich.
It has already managed to implement a minimum tax of 15% on companies with annual revenues exceeding one billion dollars.
Biden has proposed raising the top tax rate to 39.6%, the corporate tax rate to 28% and the stock buyback tax to 4%.
He wants a 25% minimum tax on the wealthiest Americans, a tax that would apply not only to income but also to unrealized capital gains. The idea, which Biden called the “minimum income tax for billionaires” could prove difficult to implement, not to mention extremely difficult to pass in Congress, given Republican opposition to higher taxes.
SOCIAL SERVICES AND HEALTH CARE
Biden’s original signed plan was known as Build back bettera cornucopia of proposals that would have dramatically changed the role of the federal government in the lives of Americans.
It was reduced due to Senator Joe Manchin’s resistance, a West Virginia Democrat who is a key vote in the closely divided Senate and announced last week that he will not seek re-election. The result was the Inflation Reduction Lawwhich included financial incentives for clean energy and limits on prescription drug costs, but not many other programs.
Biden will want to recover the ideas that were left on the cutting room floor. That includes making two years of community college tuition free, offering universal preschool and capping the cost of child care at 7% of income for most families.
He also wants to resurrect the expanded child tax credit. The American Rescue Plan, the pandemic-era relief legislation, increased the credit to $3,000 for children over six and $3,600 for children under six. Expansion expired after a year, return the credit to $2,000 per child, when their original package stalled.
More work remains in the prescription drug space. The monthly cost of insulin was limited to $35 for Medicare beneficiaries. Biden wants the same limit for all patients.
ARMED VIOLENCE
The White House recently announced a new office dedicated to prevent gun violence. Biden too signed legislation Its goal is to help officials keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and other dangerous people.
But Biden’s biggest goal, a ban on so-called assault weapons, remains out of reach due to Republican opposition. This ban was in effect from 1994 to 2004, but was not extended after it expired. Although the proposal has not been spelled out in detail, it would likely affect popular high-powered weapons like the AR-15, which can fire dozens of rounds at a rapid rate.
Another item on the wish list is universal background checks, which increase scrutiny of sales made through gun shows or other unlicensed avenues.
CIVIL RIGHTS
Biden took office at a time of national unrest over the role of racism in policing and the future of democracy. George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, was killed by a white police officer, and Trump attempted to overturn Biden’s election victory, leading to the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol.
Biden promised to address both issues through landmark legislation, but fell short of his goals.
On policing, bipartisan negotiations on Capitol Hill failed to reach an agreement, particularly when it came to making it easier to file lawsuits over allegations of misconduct. So Biden instead drafted an executive order with contributions from activists and police. The final version changes the rules for federal law enforcement, but does little to alter the way local departments do their jobs.
He also issued an executive order on voting rights which aims to expand registration efforts. But Democratic legislation aimed at solidifying access to the ballot box failed to advance when some party members refused to bypass Senate filibuster rules to pass it.
Biden’s presidency was upended by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed access to abortion throughout the country. It has proven to be a potential campaign issue for Democrats, but they have had less success in Congress. Biden said that if his party wins more seats, he will push for legislation codifying the right to abortion.
IMMIGRATION
On Biden’s first day in office, he sent Congress his proposal to overhaul the country’s immigration system. The idea went nowhere.
But the president would like to give another twist to the issue in a second term. It will be an especially pressing issue as migrants continue to cross the U.S.-Mexico border and the country looks for the next generation of workers to achieve its economic goals.
Biden wants to allow people who are in the United States illegally to apply for legal status and, eventually, citizenship. She also wants a smoother and expanded visa process, particularly for foreign graduates of American universities. These measures would be accompanied by additional resources for border surveillance.
UKRAINE AND ISRAEL
Biden faces two wars on two continents, and the consequences of each conflict will shape a second term even if the fighting ends before then.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been going on for almost two years, and Israel and Hamas began their latest confrontation about a month ago. Biden wants to send military support to Ukraine and Israel, something that calls it “vital” to the national security interests of the United States.
“History has taught us that when terrorists do not pay a price for their terror, when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos, death and more destruction,” he said in a recent speech in the Oval Office.
Their plans will require challenging negotiations in Congress. Some Republicans are resisting more aid for Ukraine after Congress already approved $113 billion in security, economic and humanitarian relief.
Both conflicts are likely to require years of American involvement. For example, Biden is seeking a new opportunity to push for a two-state solution in the Middle East, creating an independent Palestinian country alongside Israel.
CLIMATE
Fighting global warming is one of the areas where Biden has had the greatest success. The Inflation Reduction Act includes nearly $375 billion for climate change, much of which goes toward financial incentives for electric cars, clean energy and other initiatives. Biden is also pushing for stricter regulations on vehicles and Energy plants.
But the United States is not yet on track to meet Biden’s ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to independent analysts. And there is much work ahead to ensure that new programs reach your potential.
An obstacle is bureaucracy for energy projects. The White House argues that it is too difficult to build infrastructure like transmission lines, but legislation to address the issue would likely require compromises with Republicans, who see an opportunity to grease the skids for more fossil fuel development.
