The time for legitimate exultation for Joe Biden will not be long. A few hours from "historic" victory over an opponent who does not intend to give up the new president of the United States is already called, and loudly, to come to terms with reality. A harsher and more difficult reality than any new president before him has ever faced.
An ongoing pandemic, a struggling economy, relations with historical allies to be rebuilt from scratch, a country literally split in half that could further disunite due to the disputes over an electoral victory expected for four days. And again: the divisions within the Democratic Party, the expectations of environmentalists and the fears of the oil industry, the new moves on immigration and those on public health and unemployment.
The list of things to do, but perhaps it would be better to say of problems to solve, in the first months of his presidency is literally infinite and Joe Biden has only two months to organize a busy agenda of crucial events for the future of the United States. In January, when he officially takes office in the White House, the new president will not have a minute to waste because any decision he chooses not to make or to postpone could prove fatal for the country's health, economic and social stability.
If the picture shown wasn't already obscure enough, it must be taken into account that for every reform, for every decision, the new tenant of the White House will have to go through the Senate, where, however, he could be in the minority. In fact, Biden could be the first president since George Bush senior to take office without having all of Congress on his side. At the moment, Democrats and Republicans can count on 48 senators each, with two states still to be assigned (Alaska and North Carolina) where the Republicans seem destined to win. The Senate verdict will come in January, when the ballots that will elect two new senators will be held in Georgia. Only in two months will we therefore know who will be able to grab the majority of the upper house, but above all we will be able to understand what will be the margin of action of the new president.
A momentary consolation for the Democrats comes from the Chamber, where the Democrats have regained the majority, despite losing a few seats compared to 2018. To complete the scenario, from a judicial point of view, there is the Supreme Court, made up of 6 appointed judges Republican and 3 Democratic-appointed judges, who will have to decide on the constitutionality of state and federal laws, such as on theAffordable care signed by the Obama administration (the so-called “Obamacare”) on which the High Court is expected to rule next week.
THE PANDEMIC MANAGED BY JOE BIDEN
Inevitably, the first test for Joe Biden will be, as he himself said in last night's speech, the Covid-19 pandemic, an emergency to be faced both from a health and an economic point of view. On the first front, while the search for a vaccine continues, a clear change of pace is expected with respect to the actions taken by Donald Trump. The new president, who will quickly dismiss Trump's crypto-denialism, could first impose the use of the mask, which has always been opposed by his predecessor. It could then rehabilitate Professor Fauci and increase federal coordination to improve the quantity and accessibility of anti-Covid tests (remember Trump's "there are more infections because too many tests are done"?), increase the resources allocated to contact tracing and in general aid to states committed to tackling very high health costs to fight the pandemic. The US could then retrace its steps and rejoin the World Health Organization after the withdrawal decided in July 2020.
On the economy, Biden could instead continue in the footsteps of his Republican predecessor, with a new aid package to be financed in deficit, a renewal of subsidies for the unemployed that expired 4 months ago and resources for companies in difficulty, states and cities .
FOREIGN POLICY
With Biden, the love between the European Union and the United States could return after the frictions seen in recent years. According to expectations, one of the first announcements of the new President will be the return of the United States in a big way to the Paris climate accords. An olive branch aimed at making the historic European allies understand that music has radically changed and that the US intends to rebuild the friendly relations put to the test by Trump's positions and statements. However, there would also be a parallel purpose: that of building a common axis that is able to counter the Chinese economic and commercial dominance. And China will be one of the hottest topics in the coming months. With Biden the form could change (and quite a lot), with more serene and conciliatory tones, but the substance of the battle that the United States is waging could remain the same.
WORK AND TAXES
Minimum wage at 15 dollars an hour on the one hand, priority to national companies to obtain public contracts on the other. These two of the cornerstones of Biden's program that go hand in hand with the promise not to raise taxes for those earning less than $400 a year, focusing levies on the super rich and large companies.
FINANCE
Barack Obama's Dodd-Frack could rise from the ashes, taking on a new shape. Indeed, Biden's program envisages a new reform of Wall Street after the easing established three years ago by Donald Trump who, with executive orders, swept away the stringent rules imposed by the Obama administration in order to increase the regulation and supervision of large financial groups and avoid a new financial crisis like the one that originated from the sub-prime in 2008.
Also keep an eye on the possible decisions on the Hi-Tech Bigs after the harsh attack by the House Democrats against Silicon Valley through a report that proposes a series of changes aimed at guaranteeing competition and putting an end to the "monopolies" of Amazon, Google & However, Co. Biden is a moderate and has to deal with the Republicans, so the break-up of the monopolies that Silicon Valley fears remains unlikely.
SUSTAINABILITY
A radical change compared to the last four years is also expected on climate and the environment, a dish on which Biden could put billions of dollars in order to focus on electricity (creating 1 million new jobs in the automotive sector), on renewables and on the sustainability of transport and infrastructure, in parallel canceling the liberalizations wanted by Trump on oil drilling and environmental protection. In detail, Biden said he wants to go carbon neutral by 2050 with the goal of freeing the energy sector from carbon pollution by 2035.
HEALTHCARE
Biden has repeatedly said that he wants to expand Obamacare thanks to a health care plan that also offers a state option alongside private insurance. His program includes the intention to reduce the cost of prescription drugs and lower the price of health insurance to a maximum of 8,5% of salary (currently the threshold is 9,86%). Proposed 775 billion investments for care for children and the elderly.
IMMIGRATION
The new president would like to lift the restrictions imposed by Trump and block the construction of the wall on the border with Mexico. During the second presidential debate, Biden also reassured the Dreamers: "with me they will be able to stay in the United States, and a path to citizenship will be identified for them".
