Holding Biden Accountable
By Stephanie Pierson, Contributing Writer
After a grueling election cycle and numerous attempts to challenge the legitimacy of the American electoral process, Joe Biden is in office, to the excitement of many of the 81 million people who voted for him. Others, however, are skeptical of how much progress an establishment Democrat can facilitate given how Biden has filled his cabinet with top-ranking officials from a presidential administration from over a decade ago.
The passage of a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package along with numerous executive orders regarding immigration, the environment, and the pandemic response has made many Democrats and Biden supporters optimistic for the next three years of his term. However, it is important to remember the bold policy goals that the Biden-Harris ticket promoted, such as Medicare expansion, climate action, and racial equity. It is primarily voters’ responsibility to hold the Biden administration accountable for enacting these policies, even beyond the first 100 days of his term.
The 100 days of a president’s term in office are often referred to as a “honeymoon period,” but when a president is entering office during one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression, there is not much time to relax. Even though Biden wasted no time signing executive orders and working with his Democrat-controlled Congress, there were many questions about whether he was doing enough to deliver on the promises that he made during his campaign. For example, although Democrats control both chambers of Congress, the American Rescue Plan Act does not include a $15 federal minimum wage, which was a major campaign point for both the president and Congressional members who were seeking election or reelection in 2020. A $15 minimum wage would help facilitate a living wage that matches the inflation of the past decade. Additionally, given that people of color are overrepresented in the minimum wage workforce, raising the minimum wage would be one step towards closing the racial wealth gap and promoting racial equity.
Many progressive Democrats and even some people who identify as leftists and socialists have forced Biden to consider more liberal policies. This was seen even before Biden took office, as he was pressured by progressives to strengthen his climate policy and take a stance against fracking.
Furthermore, one of his earliest executive orders, signed on his first day in office, halted the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Actions like these show us the power of continuously holding our elected leaders accountable instead of blindly supporting politicians for which we voted. Although we are seeing initial steps towards reform and progress right now, it is our responsibility to ensure that these efforts continue even after Biden and prominent Congressional members have faded from the media spotlight.
Democracy does not end on Election Day. Instead, it is a constant process of fighting for your future and the people you want to make the future attainable.
Stephanie Pierson hails from Macon, Georgia, in the Sixth Episcopal District. She is a first-year student in the Honors Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she is currently studying History. In the past, Stephanie has served as a poll worker interned for a congressional campaign in North Carolina. Additionally, Stephanie has been a contributor to the Women’s Missionary Society Programs for Study in Christian Mission for the past seven years.
