The voters have spoken. The 2020 presidential election has been decided. Former Vice President Joe Biden has been elected the 46th President of the United States and Senator Kamala Harris has been elected Vice President. The Biden/Harris ticket made history by receiving the most votes any presidential candidate has ever received – 77.5 million votes (and counting) and Harris will be the first woman, first African American and first South Asian American ever to be elected vice president. Their election is a huge victory for our climate, human rights, and civil rights.
 

What was on the ballot
The past few years under the Trump administration have been incredibly challenging. The U.S. has withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO); we became the first and only country to officially exit the Paris Agreement (Nov. 4, 2020); and fossil fuel extraction is still allowed, and has been expanded.

Most of this year, our state and the country have grappled with the devastating effects of the coronavirus and the resulting economic consequences. The latest statistics show a record 10.6 million COVID-19 cases and more than 243,000 deaths in America; the country has no federal plan to combat the pandemic; and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is under attack. While the average American is struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table, tax breaks are given to billionaires and large corporations. Yet, in the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic, billionaires in Maryland net worth jumped $4.1 Billion or 16.3%.

Furthermore, there is an ongoing wave of racial unrest, consisting of protest against systemic racism towards Africans Americans in the United States, notably in the form of police violence/misconduct. More than 500 immigrant children are separated from their families at the US-Mexico border; “dreamer’s” rights have been stripped; and nations with majority Muslim populations have been banned from immigration into the country.

In his acceptance speech, President-Elect Biden said, “I believe it's this: Americans have called upon us to marshal the forces of decency, the forces of fairness, to marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time. The battle to control the virus. The battle to build prosperity. The battle to secure your family's health care. The battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country. And the battle to save our planet by getting the climate under control. The battle to restore decency, defend democracy, and give everybody in this country a fair shot. That's all they're asking for, a fair shot. Folks, our work begins with getting COVID under control."
 

What President-Elect Joe Biden Promised in His First 100 Days In Office

Plan to End the pandemic: “The top priority will be getting the virus under control and passing an economic recovery bill.” President-elect Joe Biden has already appointed a coronavirus  advisory board of top public-health experts to guide his transition team's COVID-19 planning. Joe Biden’s COVID plan is taking shape - and researchers approve

He promised to “level with the American people” and to “follow the science” to find answers, not just for public health but also to get the economy in order. Biden will work with governors and local leaders to promote a national mask mandate. The coronavirus mortality rate among African Americans, Latinx and Indigenous people is more than three times as high as white people. The Biden/Harris team will create a task force to address COVID-19’s disproportionate effect on people of color.

Plans for the Environment: As president, Biden will lead the world to addressing the climate emergency by ensuring the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions no later than 2050. The Biden Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice On day one, Biden will sign a series of new executive orders to put us on the right track.

• He will demand that Congress enacts legislation in the first year of his presidency that: 1) establishes an enforcement mechanism that includes milestone targets no later than the end of his first term in 2025; 2) makes a historic investment in clean energy and climate research and innovation; 3) incentivizes the rapid deployment of clean energy innovations across the economy, especially in communities most impacted by climate change.

• Build a stronger, more resilient nation. On day one, Biden will make smart infrastructure investments to rebuild the nation and to ensure that our buildings, water, transportation, and energy infrastructure can withstand the impacts of climate change. 

• Stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities. Vulnerable communities are disproportionately impacted by the climate emergency and pollution. President-elect Biden Administration will take action against fossil fuel companies and other polluters who put profit over people and he’ll make sure the development of solutions is an inclusive, community-driven process. 

• Start repairing the U.S.’s reputation: On Day One - reassure the US’s allies that “we’re back and you can count on us again.” He will schedule a summit for March to reaffirm the US’s leadership of the alliance and discuss with leaders of the major carbon-emitting countries to join the United States in making pledges to limit their carbon footprint beyond what they already promised. 

• Rejoin the Paris Climate Accord: On Day One or soon thereafter submit a notice to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that the US intends to reenter the agreement. 

• Improve air and water quality: Have the Office of Science and Technology Policy create a report identifying climate strategies and technologies to improve air and water quality in underfunded communities.

Expanding Health Care: Biden wants to expand the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Supreme Court is hearing the ACA case now. If the Supreme Court strikes down the entire ACA, President-elect Biden said he would “pass Obamacare (ACA) with a public option — it becomes Bidencare.” 

• Biden’s plan would allow people to buy into the government-run Medicare program that is known as the public option. Those who don’t want to do so would still have their private insurance. 

• He also supports lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60.

Racial justice and police reform: Biden does acknowledge systemic racism and has released the “Biden Plan for strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice,” which focuses on preventing crime, eliminating racial disparities and providing second chances for those who have had contact with the criminal justice system. ABC NEWS -Trump vs. Biden on the issues: Racial justice

• Pledged a new direction for criminal justice, including efforts to repeal federal mandatory minimum sentences.

• Plans to launch a grant program that would encourage states and cities to reduce incarceration, and expand alternatives to prison for certain drug offenses.

• Plans to launch a grant program that would encourage states and cities to reduce incarceration, and has said he would expand alternatives to prison for certain drug offenses.

• Promised to decriminalize marijuana and expunge prior cannabis use convictions.

• Call for an end to private prisons, cash bail and the death penalty and would expand the Justice Department’s purview to address police and prosecutor misconduct. It would also institute an independent task force to tackle discrimination.

Reforming immigration: Biden pledged that within 100 days of taking office, he will direct Congress to craft a pathway to citizenship for more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.

• End the current asylum policies in place.

• Bring back case management programs while ending prolonged detentions that currently, many families suffer from.

• Reverse Trump’s public charge rule that denies permanent residency to legal immigrants if they use food stamps, Medicaid, housing vouchers, or any other public benefits.

• Offer a pathway to citizenship for people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that provides legal status for “Dreamers.”

• By executive order, Biden plans to raise the annual cap on refugee admissions from 15,000 to 125,000.

• Protect those with Temporary Protected Status. 

End the Muslim ban: On Day One Biden promised to overturn Trump’s ban on entry to the US from several predominantly Muslim countries. Read his July speech. 

Restore transgender students’ rights: The Trump administration revoked the guidance issued by the Obama’s administration that required any school receiving funds from the federal government to extend protections to transgender students. Biden says he’ll reinstate those protections on his first day in office. 

Biden's Plans for the Economy: Create a cabinet-level working group to promote union organizing and collective bargaining in the public and private sectors. He will create a cabinet-level of labor representatives to develop a solution to increase union density and address economic inequality.  

Biden’s Housing Plan: Biden will pursue a comprehensive approach to ending homeless. The Biden Housing Plan will Invest $640 billion over 10 years so every American has access to housing that is affordable, stable, safe and healthy, accessible, energy efficient and resilient, and located near good schools and with a reasonable commute to their jobs. 

• End redlining and other discriminatory and unfair practices in the housing market.

• Provide financial assistance to help hard-working Americans buy or rent safe, quality housing and fully funding federal rental assistance.

• Increase the supply, lowering the cost, and improving the quality of housing, including through investments in resilience, energy efficiency, and accessibility of homes. 

This is a defining moment in America. At this historical moment, voters have made it clear that they want a country that works for all people. As we begin to chart a pathway forward, we realize the battle for the soul of America is not over. It will take all of us to begin to repair our nation.