Biden-The-Scenes: The issues that Biden needs to address, and why they haven’t been addressed yet

Since the end of the Donald Trump Administration, I’ve been paying less attention to political news. The horse loose in the hospital has finally been tamed, so there’s no reason to keep up with it anymore — not like chasing Trump’s nonsensical slander of the key coronavirus researchers through press conferences.

At least that’s what I used to believe. Then social media gave me the brutal reminder of what our country needs to be concerned about right now.

In President Joe Biden’s first year of presidency, he has accomplished several of his promises to the public. Major wins such as rejoining the Paris Climate Accord and reversing separation policies for migrants expanded under the Trump Administration were achieved early on to set a tone for the rest of the presidency.

But there are many things that he has yet to do, most of which are major issues that are actively concerning the nation. Calls for stricter gun control policies and the reinstatement and improvement of the Affordable Care Act have gone cold in the process of passing or remain unacknowledged by the government.

The list of projects that are unsuccessful, stalled or ignored is extensive: new fracking, increasing federal income, reinstating the Violence Against Women Act, rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, attempting to denucularize North Korea, forgive student debt, end war in the Middle East and Afghanistan and recently, the containment of Russian imperialism.

All of these points are things he swore he would address either during his campaign, inauguration or as they came up over the past year.

To be fair, Biden was thrown into an absolute mess of a government where he was left to reverse demoralizing policies while restoring bipartisanship and trust between the political parties. In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons he has yet to finish the one thing that many liberal Americans are looking for — the Build Back Better plan.

Many of the elements that were originally in the legislation were things that I, and many Americans, wanted passed. As the plan developed, promises were dropped that would be pivotal in recharging our country such as several ideas to reach Biden’s goal of a net-zero emissions ratio by 2050.

But, in order to get these policies solidified in the public where real change can occur, Biden needs to step up and make it happen. Senators such as Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) are opposing his policies, which won’t change unless action is taken by the president. There’s only one thing that could get the Build Back Better plan through the Senate right now: an attempt at persuasion and actual leadership. 

This isn’t any easier than it was before.

Though his first year hasn’t been entirely a waste, I do believe that there are many things coming to improve the country. But that requires a level of responsibility that both the president and the people need to share. The calls for change shouldn’t cease, and the drive for change shouldn’t either.