China News Agency, Washington, April 29 (Reporter Chen Mengtong) On April 29, US President Biden took office for 100 days.
Although the symbolic significance of the 100-day inauguration is stronger, since the "Hundred-Day New Deal" of former President Franklin Roosevelt, American society and public opinion have become accustomed to observing and looking forward to the policy tone of each new administration at this point.
By combing through the ten moments of Biden in the past three months or so, we can show the priorities and priorities of the new US government from one side, and at the same time we can look forward to the initial trend of US policies within and outside the next four years.
Data map: US President Biden.
1. The first administrative order-mandatory mask order
On January 20, Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
At about 3:52 pm that day, Biden arrived at the White House and began to perform his duties.
The first executive order he signed in the Oval Office was an order to wear masks in federal offices and areas.
"There is no time to wait anymore and start working immediately." Biden said when signing the first executive order.
For the Biden administration, fighting the new crown pneumonia epidemic is undoubtedly the focus of governance.
In the 100-day ruling trajectory, Biden's many decisions and announcements are also related to this.
On the same day, Biden also announced his return to the "Paris Agreement" to deal with global climate change, and wrote to UN Secretary General Guterres announcing the withdrawal of the US government's notice of withdrawing from the World Health Organization.
2. The first multilateral speech-"The United States is Back"
On February 19, Biden attended the Munich Security Conference in video format.
This is the first time he has made a public speech on an international multilateral occasion after taking office.
"The United States is back." He told his European allies, "The Transatlantic Alliance is back. Let us look forward together."
In his speech, Biden emphasized the importance of restoring the leadership of the United States and Europe in international affairs, and said that the two sides should strengthen coordination to jointly deal with climate change, counter-terrorism, regional security, and the Iranian nuclear issue and other "broad and complex challenges."
Since then, Biden has successively held video bilateral meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and Mexican President Lopez.
On April 16, he held a face-to-face meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for the first time since taking office.
On February 24, local time, the American flag on the streets of Manhattan, New York, USA was lowered to half mast.
On February 22, U.S. President Biden issued an announcement ordering all federal buildings and military installations inside and outside the United States to fly at half-mast for five days to mourn the deaths of the new crown.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
3. The first mourning commemoration-"Refuse to be numb to sorrow"
On February 22, the number of deaths from the new crown in the United States exceeded 500,000.
Biden held a ceremony at the White House on the same day to commemorate the deceased of the new crown, and ordered the United States to fly at half-mast for five days.
At sunset that day, Biden said in a speech, "We have been fighting the epidemic for so long, but we must refuse to become numb to grief, and we must refuse to treat every life as a statistic, a vague thing or news."
The day before Biden was sworn in, the number of deaths from the new crown in the United States exceeded 400,000.
The first public event he arrived in Washington at that time was to go to the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial to attend the national memorial ceremony for the deceased of the new crown.
After the speech, the Bidens and Vice President Harris and his wife came to the south side of the White House, facing the Washington Monument to pay tribute to the 500,000 new crown deceased.
Fourth, the first major legislation-1.9 trillion US dollars bailout bill
On March 11, Biden signed a $1.9 trillion new crown epidemic relief bill at the White House.
This is the first major legislative motion passed by Congress during Biden's tenure.
Before signing the bill, he said, "This historic legislation will rebuild the backbone of this country."
This bill, known as the "American Relief Program", allows Americans to receive a cash subsidy of US$1,400.
Its main content also includes: adding 300 US dollars to the weekly unemployment benefits, expanding the scope of unemployment benefits and extending the application period to September 6; injecting about 350 billion US dollars into state and local governments; providing for the reopening of schools About 170 billion U.S. dollars and so on.
The United States passed a round of epidemic relief bills totaling approximately US$2 trillion at the end of March last year, and reached another US$900 billion relief bill at the end of December that year.
5. The first national televised speech-setting targets for the fight against the epidemic
On March 11, wearing a black mask and walking through the promenade of the Central Hall of the White House, Biden came to the East Hall that night to deliver the first national television speech in his term.
It was the first anniversary of the new crown epidemic in the United States, and it was also the 51st day of Biden's inauguration as President.
Biden self-evaluated that in the past 50 days he has used all his powers as president to deal with the epidemic in a "state of war", and has taken "the most complicated action in history" and "has now made some real progress."
In his speech that evening, Biden clearly conveyed to the American people the short-term goal of fighting the epidemic for the first time-July 4.
He said, "After a long and difficult year, this will make this year's Independence Day truly special. At that time, we will not only commemorate the independence of the United States, but also celebrate the escape from the epidemic."
Data map: Biden publicly vaccinated against the new crown vaccine in a hospital in Delaware.
6. The first official press conference-adding to the vaccine plan
On March 25, 65 days after taking office, Biden held his first official press conference at the White House.
Before answering questions from reporters, he announced that the United States plans to complete 200 million doses of new crown vaccination during his 100 days in power.
In more than an hour, Biden answered questions on domestic and foreign policies such as the US epidemic, Congressional legislation, the North Korean nuclear issue, and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. At the same time, he also gave answers to topics such as the focus of public opinion such as immigration and whether to run for re-election in 2024. .
Biden said that immigration and gun control are long-term issues that plague the United States. He expects progress in climate change, immigration reform, gun control, and voter voting rights during his tenure, but this depends on the cooperation of the two parties and the willingness of voters.
According to statistics from the University of California’s "US Presidential Research Project", Biden is the latest US president to hold the first press conference since taking office in 1923.
7. The first batch of gun control measures-"Gun violence is an epidemic in the United States"
On April 8, Biden announced five gun control measures in the Rose Garden of the White House.
Against the background of successive major shootings, Biden said, “Gun violence is an epidemic in the United States, and it has humiliated the United States internationally.”
In less than a week in March, there have been many major shootings in the United States.
On March 16, 3 shootings occurred in Atlanta, Georgia, killing 8 people, including 6 Asian women.
The incident triggered anti-Asian hate crime demonstrations across the United States.
After the incident, Biden and Vice President Harris visited Atlanta, met with local Asian community leaders, and condemned the rise in hate crimes against Asians in the United States under the new crown epidemic.
Since taking office, Biden has made clear statements on many occasions including national television speeches and Chinese New Year greetings, condemning discrimination, xenophobia and violence against Asian-Pacific Americans.
He later announced that his government would take a series of "new actions" to address the increasing number of anti-Asian hate crimes and violence.
On March 21, local time, hundreds of people from the Greater Washington area of the United States held a rally in the capital Washington to protest against hatred and violence against Asians.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong
8. The first major military decision-withdraw troops from Afghanistan
On April 14, Biden announced at the White House that all US troops would withdraw from Afghanistan before September 11.
The United States has been in the quagmire of the war in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years.
Biden said, “It’s time to end America’s longest time-consuming war. Now is the time to let the US military go home.”
Biden pointed out that the United States cannot hope to extend or expand its military presence in Afghanistan, thereby creating ideal conditions for withdrawal.
"We cannot continue this cycle."
He said that the United States must focus on the current challenges and not return to the war with the Taliban.
9. The first commitment to reduce emissions—"halving" emissions in 2030
On April 22, "Earth Day", the "Leaders Climate Summit" hosted by the United States was held in video format.
Biden announced at the meeting that the United States plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to half of 2005 levels by 2030.
Biden said that the next decade will be a "decisive decade" for the global response to climate change.
He called on all countries to take resolute action to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis, and strive to keep the global average temperature within 1.5 degrees Celsius from the pre-industrial level.
"Science is undeniable. The cost of inaction to address climate change is increasing." Biden said that the United States did not wait and was determined to take action.
10. The first congressional speech-"America has moved again"
On April 28, on the 99th day of his inauguration, Biden delivered a speech for the first time at a joint meeting of Congress.
He said at the opening, "Only 100 days later, I can report to the whole country: The United States has moved again."
In his speech, Biden reviewed the new government's anti-epidemic effectiveness, domestic and foreign policies, and devoted a lot of space to promote the two legislative motions of the "U.S. Employment Program" and "U.S. Family Program.
These two plans are expected to spend as much as 4 trillion U.S. dollars in total.
Biden said that the "U.S. Jobs Program" is a blueprint for blue-collar building America.
In order to win future competition, the United States needs to invest heavily in family and education.
"Doing nothing is not an option." He appealed to the two parties in Congress, "We must not be busy competing with each other and forget that competition is to win the 21st century." (End)