How far is Biden's 100-day New Deal plan from "returning America to normal"?
■ Observer
As the president-elect of the United States, Biden said that the United States will cooperate with allies and return to the path of multilateralism.
This implies that Trump's "America First" policy is about to be overturned.
After the transfer of power began, U.S. President-elect Biden is finally able to calmly explain what he wants to do after January 20.
On November 24, local time, in an interview with NBC TV, Biden recounted his plan to govern 100 days after taking office.
The content covers immigration reform, combating the new crown virus, improving the climate and environment, and once again playing a leading role in the world.
Biden also emphasized that he will not order an investigation of Trump.
He said: "I will not use the U.S. Department of Justice as a tool as the current president does."
Biden's 100-day ruling plan can be described as ambitious, but the implementation of the New Deal will still be heavy.
Although its plan covers a wide range, there is only one general spirit: to overthrow Trump's policy.
For example, regarding immigration policy, Biden stated that he will propose to the Senate to amend the immigration laws, which will open the way for 11 million unregistered people to obtain nationality.
This is also his campaign promise.
In addition, it also intends to "immediately lift" restrictions on travel or immigration from some Muslim-majority countries to the United States and stop the construction of the US-Mexico border wall. These are Trump's self-proclaimed "political achievements."
In terms of diplomacy, Biden said that the United States will cooperate with allies and return to the path of multilateralism.
This implies that Trump's "America First" policy is about to be reversed.
Biden also promised to revoke some of Trump's executive orders to weaken environmental standards.
Biden said that the Republican Party’s decision was “very destructive” and had a negative impact on the health of Americans.
In fact, Biden's statements on corporate income tax, police reform, and judicial system reform during the campaign were also different from Trump.
Many of the policies he announced have shown his eagerness to correct the deviation, that is, "the United States is back."
This slogan means that the United States under Trump is not the real United States.
However, even if Biden has the most votes in the history of the United States and a group of staff with rich administrative experience, it is still very difficult for the United States to return.
On the one hand, this must be supported by Congress, especially the Senate.
But the current situation is that after the election, control of the Senate is likely to remain in the hands of the Republicans.
Although there is still suspense in the two second-round elections in Georgia, the Democrats do not have the advantage.
In the House of Representatives, although the Democrats have retained control, their advantages have been weakened.
On the other hand, Biden is facing an unprecedented power transfer situation.
Although the Biden team has held 20 meetings with the government team since the start of the power transfer process, and Biden can finally read the presidential briefing, his opponent is still reluctant to admit defeat and has won an unprecedented number of support votes.
Generally, after a new president takes office, the public opinion rate will soar, but Biden is likely to not get this dividend. Any mistakes may provoke new opposition and make it difficult to implement the New Deal.
This means that no matter how many ideas Biden and his team have, they can only be implemented gradually from easy to difficult. It is relatively easy to reach a consensus only to fight the new crown epidemic.
After all, in this matter, neither party wants to sing a black face.
Regardless of whether it is immigration reform, improving the climate, or restoring multilateralism, it is tantamount to fighting the Republican Party, and it is difficult for Biden to get support.
But even fighting the epidemic is difficult.
Biden hopes to formulate a new epidemic assistance plan, but before and after the general election, the Democratic Party has delayed the epidemic assistance plan that requires bipartisan consultation, worrying that its early approval will help Trump election.
The old grievances are over, and Biden wants to make the Republicans nod on stage.
In addition, under the federal system, fighting the epidemic is basically a local internal affair, and Biden also has a lot to do in coordinating between the federal and local governments.
From this we can understand why Biden particularly emphasized the restoration of the unity of the American people when explaining the 100-day New Deal, and even specifically said that "the current president will not be investigated."
The more investigation, the greater the conflict.
In this statement, there is not necessarily no bitterness.
Of course, the investigation is not only a matter for the Department of Justice, but states can also conduct investigations based on different reasons.
This is beyond Biden's control.
On the whole, Biden's 100-day New Deal plan is very clear, but it is far too early to "return the United States."
□ Xu Lifan (Columnist)