In the first 100 days, the new presidents try to turn the campaign promises into quick legislative victories, disable persistent crises, differentiate themselves from their predecessor, and establish a leadership tone over the next four years, while avoiding the mistakes they might make. destroy your momentum.
So how is President Joe Biden approaching this mark?
Not bad, experts say, given the magnitude of the crisis it faces and the political opposition it has in Congress.
“I think there are three achievements that stand out so far: the accelerated distribution of the coronavirus vaccine, the approval of the American Rescue Plan, and the return to the Paris Climate Agreement,” said John Frendreis, a political scientist at the University. Loyola of Chicago.
When Biden took office, the seven-day rotating average for vaccinations it was 777,000 a day, but that number increased under Biden to about 3 million a day. As his hundredth day approached, about half of the American population aged 16 and over had received at least one dose of vaccine. In addition, more than 80% of seniors had received at least one shot and 25% of American adults were completely vaccinated.
He American Rescue Plan it was a $ 1.9 trillion bill aimed at both providing additional funding to fight the pandemic and helping the economy during the resulting recession. The measure included aid to state and local governments, increased unemployment insurance, vaccination aid, education aid, reimbursable tax credits for children and housing assistance.
“Few presidents have approved anything as important as the relief package” in its first 100 days, said John J. Pitney Jr., a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College.
Beyond these items, our PolitiFact partners provide one detailed accounting other actions taken by Biden during his first term.
Other moves have been more intangible, but no less significant, experts said. “One word sums it up: normalcy,” Pitney said. “Now we can skip the news for a day or two without worrying that we’ve lost a scandal or a crazy presidential tweet. Biden has made mistakes, such as having to backtrack on refugee policy, but they’re the kind of mistakes that presidents normally make at the beginning of their term. “
Below you can see up close what the Biden administration has done and its comparison of its overall performance with its predecessors. (Biden’s 100th day in office is Thursday, if he counts his half day in office on January 20.)
The pandemic and coronavirus health care
Experts said it is possible that the deployment of vaccines would have increased regardless of who was president, but added that Biden deserves merit for having taken certain steps. He pushed manufacturers to increase vaccine production, provided federal support to mass vaccination sites, and ensured that a vaccine was accessible within 5 miles of almost every American.
“He’s done a really good job,” he said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association for Immunization Managers. “The first thing he did when he took office was to set a tone and goals, and that was important to have a benchmark.”
Biden has also met two goals he had set during his first 100 days in office: first, 100 million doses of COVID vaccine, then, then achieving this goal on the 58th day of his presidency, 200 million doses. On April 22, eight days before its 100th day, this goal was also achieved.
“At the end of the day, the test is on the results,” he said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “More than half of the population that has had at least one shot means it has had extraordinary success.”
Biden also got a win health insurance. Part of the $ 1.9 trillion relief package was a provision that no one should spend more than 8.5% of what they earn on insurance premiums, which experts say is one of the most significant changes in the scope of private insurance from the ACA.
And he kept other promises he made to the campaign, such as reinstatement in the World Health Organization i restore the White House’s global health security direction. (PolitiFact is Tracking 100 of your campaign promises in Biden Promise Tracker.)
Also, “restore the file [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] to a prominent place, with scientists regularly speaking to the general public, this is evidence that science is clearly a priority for the federal government and for the White House, ”he said. Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior academic at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.
Other health promises have been harder to keep, such as mandatory masks across the country. Although Biden has implemented a mask mandate in areas where the federal government has authority, such as federal buildings, airplanes and other types of transportation, Republican rulers in states like Texas and Alabama have withdrawn their mask mandates in recent months. We have classified this promise as a commitment.
The administration faces challenges in vaccinating the rest of the US. There are indications that the number of daily vaccinations is declining and some people are telling interviewers that they are not willing to be vaccinated.
“Among the challenges posed include continuing to adjust the vaccination effort to vaccinate the next 20% of people,” Hannan said. “And finally we will have to vaccinate the children as well. We will just have to keep adjusting our efforts for different populations.”
Biden’s progress in containing the pandemic has also paid dividends to the economy, which has boosted consumer activity that had been limited during the pandemic.
Key elements of the US bailout plan included unemployment benefits, the temporary extension of the tax credit for minors, the increase in food stamp aid, and aid to state and local governments for public health, housing and education. These articles “directly and directly address the economic calamities that have plagued the working class and the poorest Americans as a result of the public health crisis,” said Gary Burtless, an economist at the Brookings Institution.
Critics have expressed concern about the size and timing of the plan, saying it was approved late in the pandemic, when a rebound was seen. “There is a danger of overheating the economy” from injecting so much spending, said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the center-right American Action Forum.
Comparing Biden with its predecessors
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 100-day successes remain head over heels over any of his successors, experts say. Roosevelt signed 15 major bills to revise the economy and fight the Great Depression. Harry Truman sailed for the rebuilding of alliances, economies and stability after World War II. Bill Clinton signed the Medical and Family Leave Act. Barack Obama authorized a $ 800 billion stimulus package to combat a devastating recession.
“Biden compares himself to every other president after Franklin Roosevelt,” said Max Skidmore, a political scientist at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Biden has faced a partisan polarization arguably more intense than any of those predecessors: no Republican in Congress voted the U.S. bailout plan, and most GOP lawmakers have expressed reservations about other aspects of their political agenda. In addition, Biden’s party has narrow majorities in the House and Senate.
Experts believe the narrow margins of Congress will push Biden to continue to use executive orders and other administrative actions to move his agenda forward. Biden has so far used executive orders on coronavirus, immigration and weapons policy. In some cases, Biden was able to do so cancel executive orders signed by Trump, who, like Biden, resorted to executive orders when he failed to achieve some of his priorities through both houses of Congress.
“All recent presidents are looking for legislative changes if they can get it, but most have spent most of their terms with a divided government,” Frendreis said. “Even when they have a unified government, they rarely enjoy a filibuster-proof Senate majority. President Biden is no different on that score.”
This story took place in collaboration with PolitiFact. KHN’s Emmarie Huetteman and Victoria Knight, as well as PolitiFact’s Amy Sherman and Miriam Valverde contributed to this report.
