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Events at home, abroad force president to modify, reverse aspects of his original agenda
By Carl P. Leubsdorf
Published: May 1, 2022, 6:01am
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All presidents make sincere efforts to implement the detailed programs they advocate in their campaigns. Most succeed at least to some degree.
But they all eventually encounter resistance, and, when they do, it’s usually because of reality catching up with their hopes. That’s happening to Joe Biden this year, and his difficulty in coping with it explains why so many Americans see this as a floundering presidency.
Biden got off to a strong start last year and succeeded in passing two major pieces of legislation — the American Rescue Plan Act and the bipartisan infrastructure bill — which helped spur the economic recovery. He implemented an extensive anti-COVID vaccination program that helped curb the pandemic, restored some balance to the federal court system and reset the government’s image at home and abroad.
But he also encountered some high-profile failures on key issues like voting rights and criminal justice. And now, events at home and abroad are forcing Biden to modify or reverse other aspects of his initial agenda, raising questions about his failure to anticipate potential problems and giving an impression of uncertain leadership.
Here are some examples:
COVID policy: From the outset, Biden vowed to “follow the science” in fighting the pandemic. But he sometimes seems to be following the politics. When a federal judge recently overturned the administration’s requirement for masks on public transportation, his administration, not for the first time, sent mixed messages.
Officials said they would appeal the order and travelers should keep wearing masks. But when Biden was asked what travelers should do, he said, “That’s up to them.” At the CDC’s behest, the administration appealed the order, presumably because of the threat to its authority, but it also seems ready to let it expire May 3.
Diminishing fossil fuels: While not embracing progressives’ “Green New Deal,” the administration said climate change requires a transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. It revoked a permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline, froze new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and sought wider use of electric cars.
But the Russian invasion of Ukraine produced a drop in overseas oil production that led to a spike in domestic gas prices. Now, the administration is encouraging new domestic production by increasing fees on inactive wells and reopening new leasing on federal lands, while insisting it has not abandoned its green energy goals.
Afghanistan withdrawal: Before the administration formally implemented its pledge to end the two-decade U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, that goal enjoyed widespread public support. But its mishandling of the actual pullout raised doubts at home about its competence and questions abroad about its international intentions.
In part, that was inevitable, since a neat withdrawal was probably impossible. But the administration undoubtedly misread some of the situation’s realities in hopes of a quick, easy solution.
Underplaying inflation: While seeking congressional support for proposals to spur the recovery from the pandemic, officials ignored inflation warnings from some economists, notably former Clinton administration Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. They said the massive government spending risked adding to the inflationary pressures from the pandemic. Those warnings proved prescient.
Immigration failures: The administration came into office hoping it could scrap the Trump administration’s most onerous family-dividing policies, replace its wall, gain greater cooperation from Central American countries, implement a fairer system of processing migrants and still control the flow of those entering illegally.
While it has done some of the former, it has failed with the latter as the mere signal of a more lenient policy spurred a dramatic increase in the number of illegal crossings.
The Ukraine war: The administration hoped that publicizing plans by Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine might discourage the Russian president from acting. Though that failed, Biden succeeded in mobilizing Western support to help Ukraine while vowing to keep the U.S. out of the war. But he has increased U.S. military support for the Ukrainians while still insisting the United States won’t become directly involved.
But reality may yet overcome that hope, just as it has forced the administration to change or reconsider so many other policies.
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