First 100 days of the Joe Biden presidency

The first 100 days of the Joe Biden presidency began on January 20, 2021, the day Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. The 100th day of his presidency ended on April 30. The first 100 days of a presidential term took on symbolic significance during Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term in office, and the period is considered a benchmark to measure the early success of a president. The 100th day of his presidency ended on April 30, 2021.

Over his first 100 days, Biden signed 42 executive orders, more than any of his predecessors since Harry S. Truman.[1] Many of these executive orders were reversals to Donald Trump's policies. On March 11, he signed the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion bill to help relieve economic strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] With the elections of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in Georgia, the Democrats held a slim majority in both the House and the Senate.[3] This was crucial in ensuring the passage of the American Rescue Plan, as every Republican senator voted against it.[4]

Pledges

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Biden pledged to do the following in the first 100 days of his presidency:

Fulfillment of pledges

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While Biden pledged to do the above within his first 100 days in office, as of May 8, 2023 Biden has completed:

Complete fulfillment

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Fulfillment after first 100 days

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Partial fulfillment

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  • Stop construction of the southern border wall (Biden paused construction during first 100 days, but later resumed it at a smaller capacity)[19][20]
  • Raise refugee cap set by Donald Trump from 15,000 to 125,000 (with the increased cap, 60,014 refugees have been admitted as of mid-2023)[21][22]

Unfulfilled

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  • No new oil drilling on federal lands[23]
  • End the US involvement in the Yemeni Civil War (The United States remains in support of Saudi-Arabian backing in the Yemeni Civil War, although involvement is reduced somewhat)[24][25][26]

Inauguration

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The first 100 days of the Presidency of Joe Biden began during the inauguration of Joe Biden with the conversion of Whitehouse.gov from the Trump Administration version to the Biden Administration version at 12:00 pm on January 20, 2021. This was the fourth presidential online portal transition and the second to involve social media accounts such as Twitter.[27]

Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election

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Following Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 United States presidential election, then-President Donald Trump, along with his campaign and political allies, pursued an effort to dispute the election. These efforts culminated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, in which thousands of President Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol while the electoral votes were being counted, despite President Trump's admonitions to be peaceful.[28] Of the hundreds of people who stormed the Capitol, the Department of Justice under the Biden Administration found none of them guilty of sedition.[29]

Trump and his allies encouraged election officials to throw out legitimate votes, especially in states where Biden won with a narrow lead.[30] In a phone call in early January, Trump pressed Georgia's Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, to "find" 11,780 votes, the number of votes by which he lost in the state.[31] President Trump refused to concede[32] until January 7, 2021, when he publicly acknowledged that he would not serve a second term.[33]

Administration and Cabinet

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Cabinet of President Biden in July 2021

On January 18, 2021, Biden announced his 23-member cabinet. These included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Treasury Janet L. Yellen, Defense Lloyd Austin, the Interior Deb Haaland, Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Commerce Gina Raimondo, Labor Martin J. Walsh, Health Xavier Becerra, Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Domestic Policy Susan Rice, Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, Intelligence Avril D. Haines, Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, Housing Marcia L. Fudge, Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Climate Gina McCarthy, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, and Education Miguel A. Cardona.[34]

Domestic policy

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American Rescue Plan

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The American Rescue Plan is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package, which passed the 117th United States Congress on March 10, 2021, and signed into law by President Biden the next day. Building on the CARES Act, it created a number of measures to relieve the economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the following:

  • Sending $1,400 direct payments to citizens making under $75,000 a year, with the benefits phasing out for high-income taxpayers[35]
  • Paid leave benefits for 100 million workers by offering a tax credit for employers who offer paid leave[36]
  • Extending the child tax credit for 2021 from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child[37]
  • Grants to small businesses, including over $28 billion for restaurants through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund[38]

The Act passed on a near party-line vote, with 50 Senate Democrats voting for the bill and 49 Republicans voting against.[4] An amended version passed the House with 220 votes for it and 211 votes against, with one Democrat joining every Republican in voting against it.[39]

COVID-19 vaccine distribution

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A major goal of President Biden was to distribute 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of his first 100 days. By the time Biden took office, Operation Warp Speed was already distributing a million doses a day on average. This goal was reached by the 59th day of his presidency, and he soon after doubled the goal to 200 million doses.[40] This goal was met on April 21, 2021, with a week to spare until his 100th day in office.[41]

 
Timeline of daily COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the US.[42] See the latest date on the timeline at the bottom.

Immigration policy

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Biden campaigned on the promise he would roll back President Trump's hard-line stance on illegal immigration. Shortly after taking office, he ended construction on the southern border wall.[43] Biden had pledged to raise the Trump-era immigration cap from 15,000 people a year to 125,000, but backtracked on this promise shortly after becoming president, citing humanitarian concerns.[44] His administration worked to protect hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, mainly from Venezuela and Myanmar, from deportation.[45] Lack of significant action has drawn criticism, especially since Biden has failed to deliver on many of his immigration-related promises.[46]

Foreign policy

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Rejoining international organizations

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On June 1, 2017, President Trump announced that the United States would pull out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.[47] The withdrawal took place on November 4, 2020, one day after the 2020 election.[48] Following the election, President-Elect Biden pledged to rejoin the agreement, which he did on his first day in office. The United States formally rejoined the agreement on February 19, 2021.[49]

In July 2020, President Trump formally announced plans to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, accusing the WHO of being under China's control.[50] The withdrawal was to be effective as of July 6, 2021.[50] In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guteres on January 20, 2021, President Biden stated that the United States would resume funding the WHO.[51]

China

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The Biden administration made competing with China a top priority.[52] The United States sanctioned Chinese officials over human rights abuses[53] and kept in place the tariffs which were introduced by the Trump administration.[54] Biden has emphasized the importance of rebuilding ties with allies to counter Chinese growth.[55]

Defense

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When Biden took office, the US military budget was at an all-time high—the Trump administration had requested a budget of over $740 billion for FY 2020.[56] Biden promised to repair relationships with allies, and stated that the United States was "fully committed" to the NATO alliance.[57] During his address to the Munich Security Conference, he said that the United States would "earn back [its] position of trusted leadership."[58]

Speech to a joint session of Congress

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The 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden, gave his first public address before a joint session of the United States Congress on April 28, 2021, the eve of his 100th day in office.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Breslow, Jason (April 27, 2021). "Biden's 1st 100 Days: A Look By The Numbers". NPR. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  2. ^ Pramuk, Jacob (March 11, 2021). "Biden signs $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, clearing way for stimulus checks, vaccine aid". CNBC. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  3. ^ Schaeffer, Katherine (December 2020). "Slim majorities have become more common in the U.S. Senate and House". Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Senate Democrats Move to Put Biden Stimulus Plan on Fast Track - Bloomberg". Bloomberg.com. February 2, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  5. ^ "President Biden's first 100 days as president fact-checked". BBC News. April 29, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Biden administration has been using the Defense Production Act to fight the pandemic | Biden Promise Tracker - PolitiFact". www.politifact.com. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  7. ^ "Biden's first 100 days: Where he stands on key promises". AP NEWS. April 26, 2021. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  8. ^ Niedzwiadek, Nick. "Biden terminating border wall construction contracts". Politico. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Johnson, Jamie (April 29, 2021). "Joe Biden's first 100 days: Pledges kept and promises broken". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  10. ^ Weintraub, Karen. "Biden administration renewed support for World Health Organization is 'good news for America and the world,' scientists say". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  11. ^ "Joe Biden calls time on America's longest-ever war". The Economist. April 13, 2021. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  12. ^ Hedden, Adrian. "Joe Biden vows to ban oil and gas drilling if elected President, draws scorn from industry". Carlsbad Current-Argus. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  13. ^ "Biden pledged 200 million Covid vaccinations in 100 days. The country hit that goal with a week to spare". NBC News. April 22, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  14. ^ "Biden kills Keystone XL permit, again". POLITICO. January 20, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  15. ^ Kann, Veronica Stracqualursi,Drew (February 19, 2021). "US officially rejoins the Paris climate accord | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved May 8, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Morales, Christina (January 21, 2021). "Biden restores ties with the World Health Organization that were cut by Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  17. ^ Arafa, Mohamed A. (2018). "A Question to the President of the United States, Donald Trump: Is It a Travel Ban, or a Muslim Ban, or a Travel Muslim Ban?" (PDF). SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3245550. ISSN 1556-5068.
  18. ^ Al Jazeera Staff. "Biden administration defends Afghanistan withdrawal, blames Trump". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "President Biden cancels funding for Trump border wall". BBC News. February 11, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  20. ^ Giaritelli, Anna (July 11, 2023). "Wall of waste: Biden cancels Trump barrier but quietly fills in half the gaps". Washington Examiner. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  21. ^ Keemahill, Rebecca Morin and Dan. "Biden pledged to fix a broken US refugee program. Two years, later he's nowhere near his goal". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "U.S. Annual Refugee Resettlement Ceilings and Number of Refugees Admitted, 1980-Present". Migration Policy Institute. November 23, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  23. ^ "Biden Promise Tracker: | PolitiFact". www.politifact.com. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  24. ^ Olsen, Gunar; Smith, Jordan Michael; Smith, Jordan Michael; Parsi, Trita; Sheline, Annelle; Parsi, Trita; Sheline, Annelle; Olsen, Gunar; Olsen, Gunar (December 23, 2022). "So Much for Biden's Promise to End U.S. Support for the War in Yemen". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  25. ^ Riedel, Annelle R. Sheline and Bruce (September 16, 2021). "Biden's broken promise on Yemen". Brookings. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  26. ^ "U.S. is out of Afghanistan; involvement in Yemen is reduced but continues | Biden Promise Tracker - PolitiFact". www.politifact.com. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  27. ^ Cohen, Sarah (January 21, 2009). "WhiteHouse.gov Turns the Page". Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  28. ^ "Pro-Trump mob storms US Capitol in bid to overturn election". AP NEWS. April 20, 2021. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  29. ^ "Amid setbacks, prosecutors abandon some claims in U.S. Capitol riot cases". Reuters. March 24, 2021.
  30. ^ "Ga. secretary of state says fellow Republicans are pressuring him to find ways to exclude ballots". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  31. ^ "'This Was A Scam': In Recorded Call, Trump Pushed Official To Overturn Georgia Vote". NPR.org. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  32. ^ "Why President Trump Refuses To Concede And What It Might Mean For The Country". NPR.org. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  33. ^ Kevin Liptak, Veronica Stracqualursi and Allie Malloy (January 7, 2021). "Trump publicly acknowledges he won't serve a second term a day after inciting mob". CNN. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  34. ^ Montague, Zach (March 18, 2021). "Biden's Cabinet and Senior Advisers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  35. ^ "Senate passes Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill after voting overnight on amendments, sends measure back to House". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  36. ^ Tami Luhby and Katie Lobosco (March 4, 2021). "A guide to what you can expect to get from the $1.9 trillion Senate stimulus". CNN. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  37. ^ Zhou, Li (March 6, 2021). "The Senate just passed the $1.9 trillion stimulus package. Here's what's in it". Vox. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  38. ^ "The business winners in Biden's relief package: Restaurants, concert venues and airplane manufacturers". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  39. ^ Cochrane, Emily (March 10, 2021). "Congress Clears $1.9 Trillion Aid Bill, Sending It to Biden". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  40. ^ "Biden Promise Tracker: | Politifact". Archived from the original on December 20, 2022.
  41. ^ Naylor, Brian (April 21, 2021). "Biden Says Goal Of 200 Million COVID-19 Vaccinations In 100 Days Has Been Met". NPR. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  42. ^ Timeline of daily COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the US. Click on the chart tab. Then click the download tab, and then the SVG link to get the SVG file. The table tab has a table of the data by date. The sources tab says the data is from the COVID-19 Data Repository by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The graph on the chart tab at the source is interactive and provides more detail. For example, run your cursor over the graph to see the date and the number vaccinated that day. The actual number may be higher or lower since a rolling 7-day average is used.
  43. ^ "Biden's first 100 days: How U.S. immigration policy has — and hasn't — changed". www.cbsnews.com. April 28, 2021. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  44. ^ "In His First 100 Days in Office, President Joe Biden Has Advanced Three Times as Many Executive Actions on Immigration as Donald Trump Did". migrationpolicy.org. April 26, 2021. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  45. ^ Jakes, Lara; Kurmanaev, Anatoly (March 8, 2021). "Biden Grants Protections for Venezuelans to Remain in U.S." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  46. ^ "Evaluating President Biden's first 100 days: Immigration". Harvard Law Today. May 4, 2021. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
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  49. ^ Davenport, Coral; Friedman, Lisa (January 20, 2021). "Biden Cancels Keystone XL Pipeline and Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  50. ^ a b "Coronavirus: Trump moves to pull US out of World Health Organization". BBC News. July 7, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
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  53. ^ "US sanctions 24 Chinese officials over Hong Kong crackdown". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  54. ^ Overly, Steven. "U.S. trade chief: Biden will build from Trump-era tariffs to confront China". Politixo. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  55. ^ Dollar, David (April 26, 2021). "What does Biden's first 100 days tell us about his approach to China?". Brookings. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  56. ^ Macias, Amanda (December 21, 2019). "Trump signs $738 billion defense bill. Here's what the Pentagon is poised to get". CNBC. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  57. ^ Macias, Amanda (February 19, 2021). "'An attack on one is an attack on all' — Biden backs NATO military alliance in sharp contrast to Trump". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  58. ^ "Biden Takes His 'America Is Back' Message To The World In Munich Speech". NPR.org. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
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