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5 Broken Promises And Flip-Flops From Joe Biden's First Month In Office - "Kids in cages" is just the start...
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Ubiquitous
Mar 12, 2021, 9:59:51 AM3/12/21
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As President Biden enters his second month in office, Americans now
have the opportunity to compare his rhetoric on the campaign trail with
his actions in the Oval Office.
With his administration’s policy priorities coming into focus, much of
the president’s past rhetoric already appears out of line with his
governance.
Here are five pre-inauguration promises or positions that President
Biden has seemingly abandoned since taking office.
Incarcerating Children at the Southern Border
Although more understated than the first, the second presidential
debate between then-President Trump and Joe Biden was quickly filled
with tension as each candidate traded blows, particularly on the topic
of immigration, and the migrant crisis at the southern border.
“They got separated from their parents. That makes us a laughing-stock
and violates every notion of who we are as a nation,” Biden scolded
while referring to Trump’s handling of migrant children at the southern
border.
Throughout the evening, and the campaign as a whole, Biden made his
opposition to migrant children being temporarily detained crystal
clear. That all changed when he took office.
On February 22nd, just over a month after his inauguration, the Biden
administration reopened a camp for migrant children in Carrizo Springs,
Texas, which was used most recently in 2019 by the Trump
administration.
Members of the President’s own party condemned the decision, with Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saying, “This is not okay, never has been
okay, never will be okay — no matter the administration or party,” in a
tweet on February 23rd.
The 66-acre facility is being reopened to temporarily hold as many as
700 migrant children, aged 13 to 17.
Deportations
Throughout the 2020 election, Biden made his fair share of immigration
policy promises — most notably regarding the deportation of illegal
immigrants.
“I will send to the desk immediately a bill that requires access to
citizenship for 11 million undocumented folks, number one. Number two,
the first hundred days of my administration, no one, no one will be
deported at all. From that point on, the only deportations that will
take place are commissions of felonies in the United States of
America,” Biden said during a Democratic Debate in March of 2020.
However, since taking office, the Biden administration has continued
deporting thousands of individuals attempting to cross the border
illegally. According to United We Dream, the largest youth-led
immigrant community in the county, as of February 16, 2021, the Biden
administration had conducted a total of 26,248 deportations.
$2000 Checks
Throughout the 2020 election, President Biden campaigned on the promise
that he would pass a Covid relief bill which sent $2,000 stimulus
checks to American families.
“$600 is simply not enough when you have to choose between paying rent
or putting food on the table. We need $2,000 stimulus checks.” Biden
said on January 10th in a Tweet.
A week earlier, while campaigning for Jon Osoff and Raphael Warnock in
Georgia, Biden promised that if the duo won their respective Senate
races, it would “put an end to the block in Washington of that $2,000
stimulus check. That money will go out the door immediately.”
However, since taking office, Biden has quickly moved on from the idea,
now saying families will receive — at most — $1400, depending on their
income.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki attempted to defend the flip-flop, saying;
“There was $600 payments, as you know, in the $900 billion package that
passed in December. This is $1,400. Together, that’s $2,000. So it
would be delivering on the promise he made. And it’s something that he
is firmly sticking by.”
While on the campaign trail, Biden made it clear that $2000 stimulus
checks were a top priority. Nowhere in that promise did he mention it
would be combined with last year’s check.
$15 Minimum Wage
One of Biden’s most oft-repeated promises throughout the 2020 election
was that under his administration, the federal minimum wage would be
raised to $15 an hour. If passed, this would be the first time the
federal government has changed the minimum wage since 2009.
“When we build back better, we will do so with higher wages — including
a $15 minimum wage — better benefits and stronger collective bargaining
rights that you can raise a family on. That’s how we will build back
the middle class better than ever.” Biden said in a Tweet on November
16th, of 2020.
However, just six weeks into his first term, the Biden administration
has already seemingly walked away from the idea.
On February 25th the Senate voted against allowing a mandatory $15
federal minimum wage requirement in their $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief
bill.
Since the senate conducted its vote, President Biden has shown little
interest in using executive action to push the wage mandate through.
Middle Eastern Airstrikes
Under former-president Trump, the United states conducted a small
number of airstrikes in the Middle East, including the 2020
assassination of the infamous Iranian General Quasem Solemani in Iraq,
and the 2017 Airstrikes on bases in Syria following chemical attacks
against rebel forces.
At the time, prominent figures from the recently elected Biden
administration were quick to condemn the former-President and his
actions.
“The last thing we need is another war in the middle east.” Biden said
on January 5th, 2020 regarding Solemani’s assassination.
The 2017 airstrikes in Syria were met with backlash from Press
secretary Jen Psaki and Vice-president Kamala Harris.
“I strongly support our men and women in uniform and believe we must
hold Assad accountable for his unconscionable use of chemical weapons.
But I am deeply concerned about the legal rationale for last night’s
strikes,” Vice-president Kamala Harris said in a tweet.
Jen Psaki also questioned Donald Trump’s legal authority to launch the
2017 strikes in Syria: “What is the legal authority for strikes? Assad
is a brutal dictator. But Syria is a sovereign country,” she said in a
2017 Tweet.
Despite Biden, Harris and Psaki’s previous rhetoric against such
strikes, on February 25th, roughly a month after taking office,
President Biden authorized an airstrike in Syria targeting Iranian
backed militia groups.
Biden did not consult with congress before launching the strikes,
resulting in a barrage of legal questions and heavy backlash from
multiple democratic lawmakers.
--
Trump won.
have the opportunity to compare his rhetoric on the campaign trail with
his actions in the Oval Office.
With his administration’s policy priorities coming into focus, much of
the president’s past rhetoric already appears out of line with his
governance.
Here are five pre-inauguration promises or positions that President
Biden has seemingly abandoned since taking office.
Incarcerating Children at the Southern Border
Although more understated than the first, the second presidential
debate between then-President Trump and Joe Biden was quickly filled
with tension as each candidate traded blows, particularly on the topic
of immigration, and the migrant crisis at the southern border.
“They got separated from their parents. That makes us a laughing-stock
and violates every notion of who we are as a nation,” Biden scolded
while referring to Trump’s handling of migrant children at the southern
border.
Throughout the evening, and the campaign as a whole, Biden made his
opposition to migrant children being temporarily detained crystal
clear. That all changed when he took office.
On February 22nd, just over a month after his inauguration, the Biden
administration reopened a camp for migrant children in Carrizo Springs,
Texas, which was used most recently in 2019 by the Trump
administration.
Members of the President’s own party condemned the decision, with Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saying, “This is not okay, never has been
okay, never will be okay — no matter the administration or party,” in a
tweet on February 23rd.
The 66-acre facility is being reopened to temporarily hold as many as
700 migrant children, aged 13 to 17.
Deportations
Throughout the 2020 election, Biden made his fair share of immigration
policy promises — most notably regarding the deportation of illegal
immigrants.
“I will send to the desk immediately a bill that requires access to
citizenship for 11 million undocumented folks, number one. Number two,
the first hundred days of my administration, no one, no one will be
deported at all. From that point on, the only deportations that will
take place are commissions of felonies in the United States of
America,” Biden said during a Democratic Debate in March of 2020.
However, since taking office, the Biden administration has continued
deporting thousands of individuals attempting to cross the border
illegally. According to United We Dream, the largest youth-led
immigrant community in the county, as of February 16, 2021, the Biden
administration had conducted a total of 26,248 deportations.
$2000 Checks
Throughout the 2020 election, President Biden campaigned on the promise
that he would pass a Covid relief bill which sent $2,000 stimulus
checks to American families.
“$600 is simply not enough when you have to choose between paying rent
or putting food on the table. We need $2,000 stimulus checks.” Biden
said on January 10th in a Tweet.
A week earlier, while campaigning for Jon Osoff and Raphael Warnock in
Georgia, Biden promised that if the duo won their respective Senate
races, it would “put an end to the block in Washington of that $2,000
stimulus check. That money will go out the door immediately.”
However, since taking office, Biden has quickly moved on from the idea,
now saying families will receive — at most — $1400, depending on their
income.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki attempted to defend the flip-flop, saying;
“There was $600 payments, as you know, in the $900 billion package that
passed in December. This is $1,400. Together, that’s $2,000. So it
would be delivering on the promise he made. And it’s something that he
is firmly sticking by.”
While on the campaign trail, Biden made it clear that $2000 stimulus
checks were a top priority. Nowhere in that promise did he mention it
would be combined with last year’s check.
$15 Minimum Wage
One of Biden’s most oft-repeated promises throughout the 2020 election
was that under his administration, the federal minimum wage would be
raised to $15 an hour. If passed, this would be the first time the
federal government has changed the minimum wage since 2009.
“When we build back better, we will do so with higher wages — including
a $15 minimum wage — better benefits and stronger collective bargaining
rights that you can raise a family on. That’s how we will build back
the middle class better than ever.” Biden said in a Tweet on November
16th, of 2020.
However, just six weeks into his first term, the Biden administration
has already seemingly walked away from the idea.
On February 25th the Senate voted against allowing a mandatory $15
federal minimum wage requirement in their $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief
bill.
Since the senate conducted its vote, President Biden has shown little
interest in using executive action to push the wage mandate through.
Middle Eastern Airstrikes
Under former-president Trump, the United states conducted a small
number of airstrikes in the Middle East, including the 2020
assassination of the infamous Iranian General Quasem Solemani in Iraq,
and the 2017 Airstrikes on bases in Syria following chemical attacks
against rebel forces.
At the time, prominent figures from the recently elected Biden
administration were quick to condemn the former-President and his
actions.
“The last thing we need is another war in the middle east.” Biden said
on January 5th, 2020 regarding Solemani’s assassination.
The 2017 airstrikes in Syria were met with backlash from Press
secretary Jen Psaki and Vice-president Kamala Harris.
“I strongly support our men and women in uniform and believe we must
hold Assad accountable for his unconscionable use of chemical weapons.
But I am deeply concerned about the legal rationale for last night’s
strikes,” Vice-president Kamala Harris said in a tweet.
Jen Psaki also questioned Donald Trump’s legal authority to launch the
2017 strikes in Syria: “What is the legal authority for strikes? Assad
is a brutal dictator. But Syria is a sovereign country,” she said in a
2017 Tweet.
Despite Biden, Harris and Psaki’s previous rhetoric against such
strikes, on February 25th, roughly a month after taking office,
President Biden authorized an airstrike in Syria targeting Iranian
backed militia groups.
Biden did not consult with congress before launching the strikes,
resulting in a barrage of legal questions and heavy backlash from
multiple democratic lawmakers.
--
Trump won.
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