Julian F.

Less than a week ago, President Biden formally announced his plan to deal with the growing cost of combating the Covid-19 pandemic, and the harm it has caused. It is a 1.9 trillion dollar emergency relief plan, which is supposed to help the most vulnerable of Americans. Many see this as an early test for the new President, and it will most likely give us an early inclination of what kind of president he will be, and whether he will be able to fulfil the promises he has made to the American people. After all, he has already campaigned to shore up the middle class, expand health care, increase taxes on the rich, and invest trillions of dollars in renewable energy sources.

One of the most important elements of this 1.9 trillion dollar rescue plan is improving the process of Direct aid, which will make up more than half of the rescue plan ($1 trillion). This includes a $1,400 supplement to the $600 checks being sent out. As well as asking congress to make it easier and faster for people to request direct aid by using automatic economic triggers. Biden and the democrats are also planning to spend $30 billion on rental assistance, home energy and water cost, as well as $5 billion in emergency assistance for the homeless. However, the most significant change is that the minimum wage is to be nearly doubled, from $7.25 an hour, to $15 an hour.

They are also planning to spend $300-400 billion on public health, and the reopening of schools. The plan is that $170 billion will go to K-12 schools, colleges and universities to help them reopen and facilitate a safe environment, on top of the $82 billion already approved in December. It will also include a $20 billion vaccination programme which is aimed towards people who live in hard-to-reach areas. Lastly Biden would also invest $50 billion to provide funds to purchase more tests, as well as help schools implement regular testing when they are eventually allowed to open.

Lastly he aims to support local communities and businesses, by investing around $440 billion. This money will hopefully make sure to keep the front line of public workers hired. The money will also be used to make sure that workers are paid when either sick or quarantining, called the Pay check protection programme. Prior to this, workers have tried to avoid getting tested when experiencing symptoms, because they are afraid that they will not get paid. This plan will make sure that they will get at least 14 weeks of paid leave. About $15 billion will also be used in a separate programme for small business owners, separate from the Pay check protection programme.

However, there is also the question about whether this will even be approved. And even if it was to be approved, when will the rescue plan take effect? The first issue is that President Trump’s impeachment might threaten to delay Biden’s plan for at least a few weeks, which might cost thousands of jobs. The second issue is that whilst President Biden and the Democrats does control the senate after the inauguration on the 20th of January, certain parts of the proposal will require 60/100 votes in the Senate. Such as invoking cloture to avoid filibuster (avoid debate so that the proposal can take effect as fast as possible). What might just happen, is a process called “budget reconciliation,” which allows a bill focused on spending to pass the Senate through one simple vote of majority. However, due to something called the Byrd Rule, anything that the Senate Parliamentarian decides is extraneous (not relevant) can be stripped from the bill. Which is why there is a chance that some of the new policies that Biden wishes to include in his plan, will not be possible at all.

Nevertheless, even if just a small portion of his rescue plan was to happen, it would be a huge step forward for America, and their recovery from this pandemic. It would also be a positive inclination for what to expect of Biden's presidency. Because as mentioned, he has made many other promises to the American people, which will not only help the recovery from the pandemic, but hopefully make America a greater country than even before coronavirus.