(VOVWORLD) - Before the transfer of power on January 20, the US is pushing forward major policies domestically and internationally as the Biden administration works to protect its legacy and mitigate the effects of Trump's unpredictable decisions.
President Joe Biden has announced a new 2.5 billion USD security aid package for Ukraine, granted the most presidential pardons in history, and banned offshore oil and gas drilling.
Strengthening external policies
The 2.5 billion USD security aid package for Ukraine announced on December 30 is the third-largest package the Biden administration has given Ukraine since Donald Trump won last November’s presidential election. The Pentagon will supply a total of 6 billion USD worth of weapons to Ukraine ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Trump has repeatedly stated that he plans to limit or even halt military aid to Ukraine once he takes office, seeking to pressure Ukraine to negotiate a resolution to the conflict.
The Biden administration also worked with France to broker a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon in late November, and its current priority in the Middle East is to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted on Monday that the US is keen to achieve this goal before the transfer of power.
Last week, Blinken visited Japan and South Korea, where political instability threatens President Biden’s foreign policy legacy in the Asia-Pacific. Blinken said: "We know that even though we’re in political transition the world doesn’t stop. It doesn’t wait for our transitions. There is much on our common agenda that it’s important that we’re working on."
Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to visit Singapore, Bahrain, and Germany next week to discuss the achievements of the Biden-Harris administration over the past 4 years in each region, and try to ensure that America's security and economic interests will not be damaged by future policy changes.
Domestic priorities
The Biden administration is also taking last-minute actions on the domestic front. On Monday, Biden banned new offshore oil and gas drilling in most US coastal waters to protect 253 million hectares on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. He emphasized the importance of protecting America's coastlines against climate change and transiting to a clean energy economy.
The ban, which was enacted under the Offshore Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, could be difficult for President-elect Trump, who advocates increased fossil fuel extraction, to unwind. Biden acknowledged that he is trying to protect his economic and environmental legacy during a policy discussion at the Brookings Institution late last year.
"Most economists agree the new administration will inherit the strongest economy in the world. It is my hope they will preserve and build on this progress," said Biden.
Other areas are also seeing significant policy changes. On December 24, Biden signed 50 bills into law, one making the bald eagle the national bird, and one eliminating the pensions of any members of Congress convicted of certain federal crimes. He also established the first-ever federal anti-bullying standard to address violence and deaths at tertiary education institutions.
Last December, Biden vetoed legislation to add 66 new judges to understaffed federal courts nationwide and commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 federal inmates on death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. On December 12, he granted pardons to 1,500 people under house arrest after serving prison sentences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and pardoned 39 non-violent criminals who did not use force or cause injury to others.