illustrations by Ren Rader
IMMIGRATION
Joe Biden’s campaign website says he will end President Trump’s asylum policies that attempts to “prevent victims of gang and domestic violence from receiving asylum; systematically prosecuting adult asylum seekers for misdemeanor illegal entry; and severely limiting the ability of members of the LGBTQ community.”
According to his website, he also has plans to send resources to the Mexican-American border, and invest in a case management program to end prolonged detention. His website also states that he will rescind the travel and refugee bans, also referred to as the “Muslim bans.” He plans to hold the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accountable for inhumane treatment of those detained.
Biden’s website states that he will “convene a regional meeting of leaders, including from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Canada to address the factors driving migration and to propose a regional resettlement solution.” These are a few of Biden’s stances, according to his website. For more on his views on immigration issues, visit joebiden.com/immigration/.
HEALTHCARE
Joe Biden doesn’t endorse Medicare for all, but his website suggests that they will build on the Affordable Care Act. He plans to increase “the value of tax credits to lower premiums and extend coverage to more working Americans.” Premium tax credits will be “calculated to help more families afford better coverage and lower deductibles.”
Biden also proposes that he’ll be repealing the “outrageous exception allowing drug corporations to avoid negotiating with Medicare over drug prices.” For more on Joe Biden’s healthcare plans, visit joebiden.com/healthcare/.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Joe Biden’s campaign website says the “Biden Plan” will:
“Ensure the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050.
Stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities.
Fulfill our obligation to workers and communities who powered our industrial revolution and subsequent decades of economic growth.” For more of Joe Biden’s perspective on environmental issues, visit joebiden.com/climate-plan/
ECONOMY
Joe Biden’s campaign website list the following four pillars of his Build Back Better economic plan:
“Mobilize American manufacturing and innovation to ensure that the future is made in America, and in all of America.
Mobilize American ingenuity to build a modern infrastructure and an equitable, clean energy future.
Mobilize American talent and heart to build a 21st-century caregiving and education workforce, which will help ease the burden of care for working parents, especially women.
Mobilize across the board to advance racial equity in America. We’ve seen again this year the tragic costs of systemic racism.”
EDUCATION
Joe Biden’s campaign website lists the following five goals: “Support our educators by giving them the pay and dignity they deserve.es for high school students to take practical classes that lead to credentials.
President Biden will invest in resources for our schools so, students grow into physically and emotionally healthy adults, and educators can focus on teaching.
President Biden will ensure that no child’s future is determined by their zip code, parents’ income, race, or disability.
President Biden will provide every middle and high school student a path to a successful career.
President Biden will start investing in our children at birth.”
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Joe Biden’s campaign website lists the following as his criminal justice plans:
Create a new $20 billion competitive grant program to spur states to shift from incarceration to prevention.
Invest in educational opportunity for all.
Expand federal funding for mental health and substance use disorder services and research.
Get people who should be supported with social services – instead of in our prisons – connected to the help they need.
Expand and use the power of the U.S. Justice Department to address systemic misconduct in police departments and prosecutors’ offices.
ABORTION
Joe Biden’s campaign website says, “As president, Biden will work to codify Roe v. Wade, and his Justice Department will do everything in its power to stop the rash of state laws that so blatantly violate the constitutional right to an abortion, such as so-called TRAP laws, parental notification requirements, mandatory waiting periods, and ultrasound requirements. Biden will reissue guidance specifying that states cannot refuse Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and other providers that refer for abortions or provide related information and reverse the Trump Administration’s rule preventing Planned Parenthood and certain other family planning programs from obtaining Title X funds. Biden will rescind the Mexico City Policy (also referred to as the global gag rule) that President Trump reinstated and expanded.”
IMMIGRATION
President Trump’s website states that,
“Upon entering office, President Trump called on Congress to fully fund a wall along the Southern border, to close legal loopholes that enable illegal immigration, to end chain migration, and to eliminate the visa lottery program.
President Trump pulled the United States out of negotiations for a “Global Compact on Migration,” a plan for global governance of immigration and a refugee policy that may have compromised U.S. sovereignty.
Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Homeland Security took action to wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in an orderly fashion, following the assessment of the Department of Justice (DOJ) that DACA lacks legal authorization.”
HEALTHCARE
According to President Trump’s campaign webpage, he has worked towards accessible healthcare. This includes:
President Trump signed a six-year extension of CHIP to fund healthcare for 9 million.
President Trump has mobilized his entire administration to address drug addiction and opioid abuse by declaring the opioid crisis a nationwide public health emergency.
Under President Trump, the FDA has approved the largest number of generic drugs in history.” For more information on Trump’s stances on healthcare, visit https://www.promiseskept.com/achievement/overview/healthcare/.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Though President Trump doesn’t seem to have a page dedicated to addressing his stance on environmental issues, he does have a page on Land and Agriculture. The website states, “On June 6, 2019, President Trump signed the disaster relief bill that provided $19 billion in assistance to states and territories hit by flooding, hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters, including farmers hit by a delayed planting season.
President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized the production of industrial Hemp.” For more information on President Trump’s stance on Land and Agriculture, visit https://www.promiseskept.com/achievement/overview/land-and-agriculture/.
ECONOMY
President Trump’s website states that under his leadership,
“Under President Trump’s leadership, Congress passed historic tax cuts and relief for hard-working Americans.
U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has soared under President Trump, topping 3% in 4 quarters under his administration.
President Trump is unleashing economic growth and jobs. Since his election, the Trump administration’s pro-growth policies have generated 6 million new jobs, the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest point in 50 years, and wages have grown at more than 3% for 10 months in a row.” For more information on Trump’s plans for the economy, visit https://www.promiseskept.com/achievement/overview/economy-and-jobs/.
EDUCATION
Trump’s campaign website states that “The President’s FY2018 Budget Request included $1 billion in funding to Furthering Options of Children to Unlock Success Grants for public school choice and $250 million to promote private school choice through the Education Innovation and Research Program.
In his FY2019 budget President Trump proposed a $5 billion federal tax credit on donations that fund scholarships to private and vocational schools, apprenticeships programs and other educational opportunities.
The Trump Administration implemented the year-round distribution of Pell grants, instead of limiting these grants to the spring and fall semesters.
The Trump Administration reformed the student loan servicing process to improve customer experience and lower costs.” https://www.promiseskept.com/achievement/overview/education/
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
President Trump’s campaign website says that The Department of Justice announced more than $98 million in grant funding through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services COPS Hiring Program to allow 802 additional full-time law enforcement officers.
President Trump signed Executive Order 13809 to restore state and local law enforcement’s access to surplus equipment from the Defense Department, such as armored vehicles.
The Department of Justice announced the creation of the new National Public Safety Partnership, a cooperative initiative with cities to reduce violent crimes.
The Trump Administration expanded Project Safe Neighborhoods to encourage U.S. Attorney’s to work with communities to develop customized crime reduction strategies.
The Department of Justice returned to their longstanding charging policy for federal prosecutors, trusting them once again to charge the most serious, readily provable offense.
Prosecutors were directed by the Department of Justice to focus on taking illegal guns off our streets.
ABORTION
Trump intends to tighten restrictions on abortion. With the exception of cases of rape, incest, or concern for the mother, he has expressed support for banning abortion overall.
Note that President Trump’s campaign website does not highlight his particular stance on this issue and what he intends to do if he were re-elected for another term.
According to the “Promises Kept” page of his website, his mission to “[recognize] the precious gift of life and protect the sanctity of life at all stages” is expressed, followed by four points of action he took.
