Biden’s Agenda: Lacking Real Change
By: Arhon Strauss
President Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration has lured anyone unsatisfied with former President DonaldTrump into a sense of security now that he is out of office. However, we must recognize that Trump’s removal will not erase the damage created by the previous administration. Trump’s executive orders may be reversed, but his budgetary decisions, laws and political influence will take years to resolve. His cabinet may have been replaced, but the efficacy of the new cabinet is not guaranteed. His rhetoric may have been torn down, but the division he created shall remain. Complacency and soothing speeches will not end the torment that the trump administration caused, action and legislation will.
Biden’s inauguration has not suddenly erased Trump’s actions as president. His inauguration has merely stopped Trump’s progress. The reversal of the Keystone XL Pipeline and America’s reentry into the Paris Climate accords are progressive actions. However, they are surface-level and meant only to please the masses. They do not accomplish anything radical—they return the United States back to zero. This has been a general theme of Biden’s campaign—minimal action to revert the United States to Obama-era policy—and will continue to be the theme of his presidency. Even now, he is only reversing orders and laws made by Trump instead of creating or passing new laws. Biden has revealed no plan other than to “unify” the United States. He has taken no real action to stamp out misinformation, limit hate groups and condemn polarizing politicians, all of which are the root causes of our country’s division.
So should America settle? Should we, as a country, settle for empty rhetoric, for moderate change, for stagnation? We cannot. The racist and misogynistic politicians, from the moment they received federal power, enacted radical change for the worse. They acted decisively and without hesitation in reversing Obama’s legislation. The same situation confronts the Biden administration. Unity cannot be their primary concern, for as long as it is, our nation shall make no substantial progress. The only way to undo the extreme actions of the Trump presidency is to take our own extreme actions. Biden has control of the House, the Senate and the White House. Now is our chance to create change instead of straddling the line between right and left in a desperate attempt to balance the two.
Biden’s administration is marching towards the White House’s trademark political corruption and bureaucracy. His cabinet, while diverse, is filled by officials who are grossly underqualified or stand in stark contradiction to the position they hold. Pete Butigieg, for example, has been nominated Secretary of Transportation. Although well-educated and knowledgeable in many fields, Butigieg holds no experience in transport. Butigieg is also being considered to be an ambassador to China, a nation of which he does not know the national language nor has had any traceable relations with. Beyond lack of experience, his corporate past with McKinsey, a consulting firm notorious for working with corrupt regimes, characterizes his political career as tainted. Butigieg is not the only ignorant cabinet decision. Neera Tanden, known as the liberal’s “Twitter troll,” was announced as the budget director. Unlike Butigieg, there is nothing suspicious about her nomination. Rather, many predict future tense relations between her and Bernie Sanders, the chair of the budget committee. Tanden has already politically attacked Sanders multiple times. Her nomination as budget director could only be out of a lack of coordination, or of spite for Sanders. Biden has not chosen an effective cabinet. He has not chosen one that is qualified, or one that will likely work well together. He has merely pandered to the public, for his own political gain.
Under ordinary circumstances Biden’s administrative plan would have no real issues. However, given the current circumstances, political pandering is no longer acceptable. The damage done to America and its people requires immediate change. Nice words are pointless, and even detrimental. They distract us from creating tangible change. In this light, the Biden administration's actions are beyond unsatisfactory. Biden has been focused on appearances and political favors, as opposed to tangible change. Biden has furthered his political agenda, instead of furthering the nation. For a more prosperous America, the administration must overhaul the cabinet, develop unique legislation and push a progressive agenda.