Biden’s Campaign Promises: Fulfilled Or Empty?

Depending on your view of President Joe Biden, it may seem like he has just started his presidential term, or that he’s resided in office for an eternity. Nevertheless, Biden’s campaign was filled with promises in order to entice the public to vote for him. Even though it is incredibly early in his term, let’s take a look at how effective Joe Biden has been at following through on his promises so far. 

Biden has signed a total of 37 Executive Orders throughout his time in office, with four of his campaign promises being fulfilled through those orders. On his first day in office, President Biden signed an order that ended Trump’s travel ban. 

The ban, which was issued against mostly Muslim countries, was seen as “morally wrong” by Biden. 

Biden also signed Executive Orders to reverse the transgender military ban, to end the seperation of families at the Mexican border, and to restore the White House directorate for global health security. These Executive Orders were also issued to reverse Trump’s policies. 

Another promise that he fulfilled on his first day was having the United States rejoin the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Biden sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, where he says that the U.S. “intends to remain a member of the World Health Organization.” Biden condemned Trump for leaving the WHO, especially since he left during the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Biden scored a major victory with the passing of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The bill was created to assist small businesses who were struggling because of the Coronavirus. 

The American Rescue Plan supported Biden’s promises by helping local and state governments prevent budget shortfalls, and it gave small businesses a “restart package” for reopening during the pandemic. 

Biden famously guaranteed that in his first 100 days in office, there would be at least 100 million Covid vaccines ready to be used in the United States. 100 million vaccines became a reality in his first 58 days in office. 

While President Biden has not broken any of his promises just yet, he has had to deal with some hiccups. 

He has promised a $15 minimum wage for all workers in the United States. This proposal was originally included in the American Rescue Plan, yet that part of the bill had to be scrapped in order to be passed in the Senate. 

Also, the Biden administration has been criticized for still separating kids from the adults that accompanied them when crossing the border. The Biden administration says they do this to ensure that the adults the children are coming with are related to them. However, that confirmation process can take up to weeks, or even months. 

President Biden still has a lot of time left in his term, and there is a lot left that he intends to do. Many Presidents have been criticized for not following through on their promises, but Biden wants to ensure that he will not be like those other Presidents. 

Article by Jay Motiwala of Quince Orchard High School

Photo Courtesy of BusinessInsider.com