Beyond the first 100 days
On April 28, President Joe Biden will deliver his first nationwide address to both houses of the US Congress. We can expect him to provide an update on the management of the pandemic, the current economic recovery, the actions he has taken since his inauguration and his priorities for the next year. This address coincides with the end of the first 100 days of his presidency.
This speech to the nation comes as the United States has recorded more than 570,000 deaths from the pandemic and an unemployment rate of over 6%. Racial tensions remain high and gun violence continues to dominate the news.
Despite everything, President Biden has to his credit a very impressive record in managing the health crisis. So far, more than 200 million Americans have been vaccinated. This is far beyond his electoral commitment.
He also succeeded in the feat of getting Congress to adopt his ambitious $ 1900 billion stimulus plan, which will help, among other things, gradually reduce child poverty by nearly 40%.
Despite the lack of Republican support in Congress, his program won favor with all Americans. Including Republican voters!
That said, Joe Biden also stood out from his predecessor Donald Trump on foreign affairs. Upon his inauguration, he announced his country's return to the Paris Agreement on the Environment and the World Health Organization.
His administration has also opted for the return of multilateralism in diplomatic matters, while important summits on democracy and climate change are now on the agenda.
The Biden-Harris duo also took concrete action by imposing heavy sanctions on Russia for its interference in the US electoral process and US cybersecurity. This is without counting his warning to China for its behavior towards Hong Kong, Taiwan and what he calls genocide against the Uyghur minority.
In short, a remarkable record for the first 100 days. President Biden has succeeded in imposing his style of governance and his popularity is close to 55% with the population.
The end of the honeymoon
Despite this promising start, America remains highly polarized politically and the Republican Party remains under the influence of Donald Trump. Given the slim Democratic majority in Congress, the Trump factor is shaping up to be important heading into the 2022 midterm election.
For their part, the Democrats also experience tensions within their formation. Democrats are divided over the filibuster issue (a concept of obstruction of the Senate that requires the support of 60 out of 100 senators to pass important legislation).
The progressive wing wants its abolition to be able to impose its agenda with 50 senators and the support of Vice-President Kamala Harris (also President of the Senate), and this, before the elections of 2022. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, of the West Virginia, strongly opposes it. Since the Senate is divided 50-50, the support of Manchin becomes essential to eliminate the filibuster.
That same Senator Manchin is also reluctant to support the ambitious $ 2 trillion infrastructure program that the Biden-Harris administration seeks to pass in this session.
As he wants the support of Republicans in the adoption process, Manchin is ready to make some compromises. This is not unanimous with colleagues in his party. Without Manchin's support, this plan will be difficult to get on track.
Other issues are dominating the headlines these days. The illegal immigration and migration problems on the border with Mexico, the attempts by several Republican governors to make it more difficult for voters normally identified with the Democratic Party to vote, and the possible reform of the Supreme Court come to complicate the deal on the political spectrum.
Finally, cases of gun violence continue to hit the headlines regularly. Recently, President Biden had to act by executive order to impose controls on access to certain weapons. However, this was considered insufficient to resolve what he himself describes as "national disgrace".
Towards a transformative presidency?
Following this first address to the Nation, the Biden administration will face daunting challenges. If the president succeeds in getting his infrastructure plan adopted (which includes structuring environmental and health measures) in addition to his recently approved economic stimulus program, America could well be radically transformed. economically, socially and environmentally, for generations to come.
Some observers are already comparing Joe Biden to President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1931-1945), who was notable during the Great Depression, and his establishment of a social security system still in effect today.
Others compare him to President Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1968) who, following the assassination of President John F Kennedy, succeeded in pushing through transformative measures in terms of civil rights and the fight against poverty, as well as health insurance programs (Medicaid and Medicare) that Americans still enjoy to this day.
Of course, it is far too early to take stock of Joe Biden's history, but he is far from acting like he is a transitional president. From the moment he took office, he took the immense problems of his country head-on and seems determined to leave his mark to make it a transformative presidency. And this, well beyond the first 100 days.
