Is half a century in career politics enough to prepare someone for the presidency? Apparently not, as Biden’s agenda isn’t rooted in reality and is already proving detrimental for Americans. Barely five months in, his most erroneous policies regard immigration, foreign relations and the economy.
Despite his claims to “modernize America’s immigration system” and “implement effective border screening,” Biden’s policies have ushered in the crisis at the southern border. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says that “we are on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years.” The surge is because of Biden’s lax immigration laws, including promises to raise the ceiling on the number of new migrants accepted each year.
The worst consequence of Biden’s open borders and inviting rhetoric is that drug cartels are taking advantage of his weak stance. In addition to smuggling drugs, cartels are making money by charging migrants, including criminals and sex offenders who had previously been deported, up to $1,500 to be illegally transported across the border. Cartel members are also posing as parents of unaccompanied minors, often splitting up real families in the process. Since his incompetence has resulted in reusing Obama-era detention centers for children and a humanitarian crisis, Biden has shifted the responsibility onto Kamala Harris as the “border czar.” She too has proven to be a disappointment as she hasn’t visited the border to address the situation even once. Not only has Biden’s administration been woefully unprepared and unresponsive to this crisis, but they have also admitted to allowing migrants to enter the country without COVID-19 tests.
Biden’s policies of open immigration and his weak border security are disastrous and clearly unsustainable. The Mexican president himself has commented on the situation, blaming Biden’s policies for the crisis and saying, “Expectations were created that with the government of President Biden there would be a better treatment of migrants. And this has caused Central American migrants, and also from our country, wanting to cross the border thinking that it is easier to do so.” Critics blaming the crisis on Trump’s administration are clearly trying to turn a blind eye to Biden’s incompetence in handling the situation, as migrants are flooding the borders because some of them believed Biden when he promised easier and more open immigration policies.
Biden is also making poor foreign policy decisions. Notably, he lifted sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the completion of which will double the amount of gas Russia can provide to Europe and is a victory for the Kremlin in freezing out the democratic country of Ukraine, with which Putin’s regime clashes regularly. Earlier in the year, Secretary Anthony Blinken spoke of Biden’s apparent distaste for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and said that the administration would “continue to monitor activity to complete or certify the pipeline, and if that activity takes place, [they] will make a determination on the applicability of sanctions.” Despite bipartisan support for the sanctions, Biden lifted them anyway. GOP Rep. Michael McCaul addressed Biden’s weak excuse of “it was almost completed,” saying that it indicated the “administration was never planning to do whatever it could to ‘prevent the completion’ of Nord Stream 2 – despite promises made to the contrary by Sec. Blinken in his confirmation hearing earlier this year. If the Putin regime is allowed to finish this pipeline, it will be because the Biden Administration chose to let it happen.” This move by the Biden administration is overtly pro-Russia and ironic given the fact that Biden’s first day in office included stopping the Keystone XL pipeline here in America which would have strengthened our energy security, empowered our economy and provided a climate-friendly method of transporting oil.
His policy in the Middle East, and specifically his goal to rejoin the Iran deal, is also a travesty to America’s welfare. Trump was right in withdrawing from the JCPOA, as it was doing more harm than good by lifting sanctions on Iran and putting them on track to building nuclear weapons. The sanctions imposed by Trump’s administration forced Iran to purchase uranium or other materials on the black market, whose poor quality resulted in the abysmal failure rate of their nuclear reactions. By rejoining the deal, Biden is actively strengthening a country that outrightly sponsors terrorism and the war against Israel. Biden also plans to rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council, of which notorious human rights abusers Russia and China are a part.
Things aren’t looking good on the economic homefront, either. Biden’s policies of stimulus checks and the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Plan isn’t making the problem better; it’s making it worse. Despite the country reopening and people returning to their normal activities, Biden is continuing to treat the economy like it’s at a standstill. Despite businesses all across the country trying to hire, the unemployment rate is still at a sad 6%. This is largely due to the fact that many people are simply making more money by claiming unemployment status and snagging stimulus checks than they would at a minimum wage job. Biden can’t be entirely to blame, as each state has its own hourly unemployment compensation, but he could at least stop fanning the flames. The stimulus checks aren’t necessary anymore, and they’re increasing the demand for labor while stymying the workforce. It’s unsustainable for Biden to continue passing relief packages which are ultimately hurting the economy and increasing the unemployment rate.
Biden’s economic policies also include a horrible infrastructure bill. Typically, the innovation — and importantly, the funding — which drives new infrastructure comes from the private sector. Biden’s policy is seeking to subsidize the private sector, transferring the risk of failed projects from billionaires to the common taxpayer. The bill covers more than just infrastructure, meaning that Biden is trying to sneak in funding to other projects under the guise of modernizing our country’s roads and buildings. The policy would look to create jobs and raise wages for home care workers, pay scientists to study climate impacts and increase diversity in STEM (also, did I mention he wants to raise taxes?).
Despite voter expectations of competence and compassion, Biden’s policies have revealed that his administration is out of touch with reality and indifferent to America’s welfare. Actions speak louder than words and America needs to look beyond persuasive rhetoric to see the actual impact of the politics at play. These policies are bound to have lasting consequences which will warrant consideration by voters over the next four years. If this is Biden’s agenda just five months in, what’s next?
