Joe Biden looks to restore, expand Obama administration policies

Stop and reverse. Restore and expand.

Joe Biden is promising to take country on a very different path from what it has seen over past four years under President Donald Trump, on issues ranging from coronavirus and health care to environment, education and more.

Democratic presidential minee is promising to reverse Trump policy moves on things such as withdrawing U.S. from Paris climate agreement and weakening protections against environmental pollution .

While Trump wants to kill Affordable Care Act, Biden is proposing to expand “Obamacare” by ding a public option to cover more Americans.

Here's what we kw about what a Biden presidency might look like.

ECOMY, TAXES AND DEBT

Biden argues that ecomy cant fully recover until COVID-19 is contained.

For long-term recovery, former vice president is pitching sweeping federal action to avoid an extended recession and to dress long-standing wealth inequality that disproportionately affects nwhite Americans.

He would cover cost of some of his big ticket environmental and health insurance proposals by rolling back much of 2017 GOP tax overhaul . He wants a corporate income tax rate of 28% — lower than before but higher than w — and bro income and payroll tax increases for individuals with more than $400,000 of annual taxable income. All that would generate an estimated $4 trillion or more over 10 years.

Biden also frames immigration as an ecomic matter. He wants to expand legal immigration slots and offer a citizenship path for about 11 million people who are in country illegally but who, Biden tes, are alrey ecomic contributors as workers and consumers.

An analysis from Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Biden’s campaign proposals would increase national debt by about $5.6 trillion over 10 years.

national debt w stands at more than $20 trillion.

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CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Biden draws some of his sharpest contrasts with Trump on pandemic, arguing that presidency and federal government exist for such crises. Unlike Trump, he doesn’t believe leing role in virus response should belong to state goverrs, with federal government in support.

Biden endorses generous federal spending to help businesses and individuals, along with state and local governments, deal with financial cliffs of pandemic slowdown. He’s promised aggressive use of Defense Production Act , wartime law a president can use to direct manufacture of critical supplies. Trump has used that law on such things as ventilator production.

Biden promises to elevate government’s scientists and physicians to communicate a consistent mess to public, and he would have United States rejoin World Health Organization.

He has promised to use his transition period before taking office to convene meetings with every goverr and ask those leers to impose what would be a nationwide mask mandate because federal government doesn't have that power. Biden says he would go around holdouts by securing such rules from county and local officials — though enforcement of all such orders may be questionable.

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HEALTH CARE

health care law kwn as “Obamacare” was a hallmark of Obama ministration, and Biden wants to build on that to provide cover for all. He would create a “Medicare-like public option” to compete alongside private insurance markets for working- Americans, while increasing premium subsidies that many people alrey use. Solid middle-class households would have access to subsidized health insurance.

Biden estimates his plan would cost about $750 billion over 10 years. That positions Biden between Trump, who wants to scrap 2010 health law, and progressives who want a government-run system to replace private insurance altoger. Biden sees his approach as next step toward universal cover and one he could get through Congress.

Supreme Court, which w has a solid conservative majority, is scheduled to hear a case challenging law soon after Tuesday's election. If Biden wins, he would have to deal with fallout from that eventual decision.

On prescription drugs, Biden supports legislation allowing Medicare to negotiate prices for government programs as well as private payers. He would prohibit drug companies from raising prices faster than inflation for people covered by Medicare and or federal programs. He would also limit initial prices for “specialty drugs” to treat serious illnesses, using what or countries pay as a yardstick.

Biden would put a limit on annual out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare enrollees, a change that Trump sought but was unable to get through Congress. Also similar to Trump, Biden would allow importation of prescription drugs, subject to safety checks.

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IMMIGRATION

Biden has called Trump’s actions on immigration an “unrelenting assault” on American values and says he would “undo dam” while continuing to maintain border enforcement.

Biden says he would immediately reinstate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program , or DACA, which allowed people brought to U.S. illegally as children to remain as legal residents, and end restrictions on asylum imposed by Trump.

He also said he would end Trump ministration’s “public charge rule,” which would deny visas or permanent residency to people who use public services such as Medicaid, food stamps or housing vouchers. Biden would support a 100-day freeze on all deportations while his ministration studied ways to roll back Trump policies. But Biden would eventually restore an Obama-era policy of prioritizing removal of immigrants who have come to U.S. illegally and who have been convicted of crimes or pose a national security threat, as opposed to all immigrants who have come to country illegally — Trump's approach. Biden has said he would halt all funding for construction of new walls along U.S.-Mexico border.

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FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY

Biden supports a strategy of fighting extremist militants abro with U.S. special forces and airstrikes inste of planelos of U.S. troops. He wants to see U.S. close detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. He has backed some U.S. military interventions, including 2003 invasion of Iraq that he w says was a mistake, but he leans toward diplomacy and trying to achieve solutions through alliances and global institutions.

He is a strong supporter of NATO . He warns that Moscow is chipping away at foundation of Western democracy by trying to weaken NATO, divide European Union and undermine U.S. electoral system. He also alleges that Russia is using Western financial institutions to launder billions of dollars to use to influence politicians.

Biden calls for increasing Navy’s presence in Asia-Pacific and strengning alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and Indonesia. He joins Trump in wanting to end wars in Middle East and Afghanistan, but thinks U.S. should keep a small force in place to counter terrorism.

He says Trump’s decisions to exit bilateral and international treaties such as Iran nuclear deal and Paris climate accord have led or nations to doubt Washington’s word. Biden wants to invite all democratic nations to a summit to discuss how to fight corruption, thwart authoritarianism and support human rights.

Biden, who claims “ironcl” support for Israel, wants to curb annexation and has backed a two-state solution in long conflict between Israel and Palestinians. He says he would keep U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem after Trump moved it from Tel Aviv.

Biden criticizes Trump’s diplomacy with Kim Jong Un, saying Trump's one-on-one diplomacy gave legitimacy to rth Korea leer and has t convinced Kim that he should give up his nuclear weapons.

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ENVIRONMENT

Biden is proposing a $2 trillion push to slow global warming by throttling back burning of fossil fuels, aiming to make nation’s power plants, vehicles, mass transport systems and buildings more fuel efficient and less dependent on oil, gas and coal.

Biden says his ministration would ban new permits for oil and gas production on federal lands , although he says he does t support a fracking ban.

Biden’s public health and environment platform also calls for reversing Trump ministration’s slowdown of enforcement against polluters, which in several categories has fallen to lowest point in deces. That would include establishing a climate and environmental justice division within Justice Department.

Biden emphasizes environmental justice , which is about dressing disproportionate harm to lower-income and mirity communities from corporate polluters. Biden says he would support climate lawsuits targeting fossil fuel-related industries.

He said he would reverse Trump's plan to exit Paris climate accord.

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EDUCATION

Education is a family affair for Biden. His wife, Jill, has taught in high school and community college, and she delivered her speech to Democratic National Convention this year from her old classroom.

Biden has proposed tripling federal Title I program for low-income public schools, with a requirement that schools provide competitive pay and benefits to teachers. He wants to ban federal money for for-profit charter schools and to provide new dollars to public charters only if y show y can serve needy students. He opposes voucher programs, where public money is used to pay for private school education.

He has pledged to restore Obama-era policies that were rolled back by Trump ministration, including rules on campus sexual misconduct and a policy that aimed to cut federal money to for-profit colleges that left students with heavy debt and unable to find jobs to pay it back.

Biden supports legislation to make two years of community college free and to make public colleges free for families with incomes below $125,000. His proposed student loan overhaul would t require repayment for people who make less than $25,000 a year, and would limit payments to 5% of discretionary income for ors.

He is proposing a $70 billion increase in funding for historically Black colleges and universities, and or schools that serve underrepresented students.

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ABORTION

Biden supports abortion rights and has said he would minate federal judges who would uphold Roe v. We.

He would rescind Trump’s family planning rule, which has prompted many clinics to leave federal Title X program that provides birth control and basic medical care for low-income women.

In a switch from his previous stance , Biden w says he supports “repeal” of Hyde Amendment, opening way for federal programs such as Medicaid to pay for abortions.

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SOCIAL SECURITY

Biden has a Social Security plan that would expand benefits, raise taxes for upper-income people, and d some years of solvency.

He would revamp Social Security’s annual cost-of-living justment by linking it to an inflation index that more closely reflects changes in costs for older people, particularly health care. That’s been a priority for vocates. He would also increase minimum benefits for lower-income retirees, dressing financial hardship among elderly.

Biden would raise Social Security taxes by applying payroll tax to earnings above $400,000 a year. 12.4% tax, equally distributed among employees and employers, currently only applies to first $137,700 of a person’s earnings. tax increase would pay for Biden’s proposed benefit expansions and also extend life of program’s trust fund by five years, to 2040, according to npartisan Urban Institute.

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GUNS

Biden led efforts as a senator to establish background check system w in use when people buy guns from a federal licensed dealer. He also helped pass a 10-year ban on a group of semi-automatic guns, or “assault weapons,” during Clinton presidency.

Biden has promised to seek ar ban on manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Owners would have to register existing assault weapons with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He would also support a program to purchase assault weapons.

Biden supports legislation restricting number of firearms an individual may purchase per month to one and would require background checks for all guns sales with limited exceptions, such as gifts between family members.

Biden would also support legislation to prohibit all online sales of firearms, ammunition, kits, and gun parts.

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VETERANS

Biden says he would work with Congress to improve health services for women, military’s fastest-growing subgroup, such as by placing at least one full-time women’s primary care physician at each Department of Veterans Affairs' medical center.

He promises to provide $300 million to better understand impact of traumatic brain injury and toxic exposures, hire more VA staff to cut down office wait times for vets at risk of suicide to zero as well as continue efforts of Obama-Biden ministration to stem homelessness.

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TRE

Like Trump , Biden accuses China of violating international tre rules, subsidizing its companies and stealing U.S. intellectual property. But he doesn’t think Trump’s tariffs have worked and wants to join with U.S. allies to form a bulwark against Beijing.

Biden has joined a growing bipartisan embrace of “fair tre” abro — a twist on deces of “free tre” talk as Republican and Democratic ministrations alike expanded international tre. Biden wants to juice U.S. manufacturing by directing $400 billion of federal government purchases to domestic companies (part of that for buying pandemic supplies) over a four-year term.

He wants $300 billion in new support for U.S. techlogy firms’ research and development. Biden says new domestic spending must come before he enters into any new international tre deals.

He pledges tough negotiations with China, world’s or ecomic superpower, on tre and intellectual property matters. China, like U.S., is t yet a member of Trans-Pacific Partnership, multilateral tre agreement that Biden vocated for when he was vice president. As a senator, Biden voted for rth American Free Tre Agreement that Trump ministration renegotiated. replacement went into effect on July 1.