Joe Biden and his 2020 campaign policy positions
Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA)
October 2, 2020
Hello! I’m Carmel Martin and I serve as a Senior Policy Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden and his Presidential campaign. I’m here to answer your questions about policy, the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force, and the 2020 election. AMA!
Ask me anything about the campaign, the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force, and how a Biden-Harris administration will build this country back better.
You can learn more about Vice President Biden's policy plans here: JoeBiden.com/Joes-Vision
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> In terms of Bidens presidency, what are the top priorities he hopes to achieve within his first 100 days in office?
Carmel Martin
Joe Biden’s top priority will be ensuring we beat this pandemic and get our country back on its feat. He has released a detailed plan outlining how the federal government can help states reopen safely, effectively, and sustainably:
-Call on every American to wear a mask when they’re around people outside their households for the next three months.
-Double the number of testing centers – and guarantee reliable testing and PPE, for anyone called back to work.
-Guarantee paid leave for anyone who gets COVID-19 or needs to care for a loved one who has it – for as long as they need to recover.
-Get every small business owner an ambitious “restart package” to – to rehire workers, cover restart expenses, and stop Trump’s corrupt recovery from privileging the well-connected.
-Launch a “Safer for Shoppers” Program – to help state and local governments certify businesses that are minimizing COVID exposure – so consumers can feel more confident.
-Boost funding for child care, so working parents know their kids are safe.
-Protect older and other high-risk Americans – increasing testing and transparency, so they can make informed decisions about isolation, and aren’t indefinitely cut off from loved ones.
Americans have made a great sacrifice closing the country down for weeks – to give the government time to put a plan in place to reopen safely. Trump wasted that sacrifice, and everyone is now paying the price for his refusal to lead.
He will also begin the task of helping our economy not only recover but build back better. That starts by beating this pandemic, reopening safely, and getting real economic relief out to working families. He will create millions of good-paying jobs.
He has done this before. He administered the $800B Recovery Act, then the single biggest stimulus in American history, which sparked a record 113 straight months of job growth, to end the last big recession.
Now, Joe’s plan is even bolder – building a new American economy, where everyone gets a fair return on their work, and an equal chance to get ahead. He will:
-Revitalize American manufacturing – so the future is made in America.
-Build a 100% clean-energy economy and modern, resilient infrastructure.
-When Donald Trump thinks of climate change, he can only muster one word: “hoax.” Joe Biden can think of one word, too: “jobs.”
-Strengthen our caring workforce – easing the squeeze for working families, and putting millions to work caring for children and aging loved ones.
-Advance racial equity, across the board – to make sure everyone is finally in on the deal.
--Closing the racial wealth and income gaps.
--Expanding home ownership.
--Investing in Black and Latino communities and entrepreneurs.
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> What policies do you guys have in place if there is voter intimidation but the local and state authorities don't do anything about it in a particular precinct?
Carmel Martin
Joe Biden won’t let Donald Trump undermine faith in our democracy.
Trump is using scare tactics to undermine voting-by-mail. But the truth is: Trump himself just voted-by-mail in Florida’s primary, and his campaign is promoting it for its own supporters.
We launched the biggest voter protection program in history. We are working to make sure everyone knows every legal option they have to vote -- by mail, at a drop-box, early in-person, or in-person on Election Day.
It’s getting everyone the information they need to make a plan to vote. You should all go to IWillVote.com right now to make yours.
The campaign has major state operations in place and growing – ready to beat back every attempt at voter suppression. For example, we have worked with election officials in key cities in battleground states to increase the number of early voting locations – in one case, almost doubling them. Where necessary, we will counter Republican voter suppression – as we’re doing now in a major Wisconsin case – to protect the right to vote by mail.
Bottom line is that Donald Trump is scared of more people voting. But we want every eligible voter to be able to cast a ballot. That’s what democracy is all about.
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>Is there a synopsis of Biden's education policy that could provide a shot in the arm to teachers? We're feeling the unnatural stress of returning to in-person teaching while dealing with a complete reworking of the way we do our jobs while somehow becoming political footballs in a culture war about masks, hoaxes, and disease.
>What vision of the future can you/Biden provide that could serve as a motivating electric charge to rally the vote and also rally morale?
Carmel Martin
I’m sorry to hear about what’s happening, one of the most tragic things about this crisis is the consequences it’ll have on our children. And so many of us have developed an even deeper appreciation for our nation’s teachers who are on the frontlines of this crisis - we see how hard they are working to re-invent instruction to fit a virtual reality and support their students in this difficult time.
Joe Biden is married to a teacher so he has always had a deep appreciation for the challenges they face and is committed to ensuring they receive the support and respect they need to do their jobs.
We all want our schools to open – but it has to be done safely. Just ordering them to open, like Trump has done, isn't good enough. This shouldn’t be about politics, it should be about our children’s safety and the safety of everyone else in our schools – the teachers, the administrators, the counselors, the janitors, the cafeteria workers.
Joe Biden has laid out a roadmap to reopening schools safely and effectively.
-First, get cases down, with social distancing, masks, testing, tracing, and PPE.
-Second, give school districts uniform guidance – without political interference – on effective safety protocols, including ventilation and physical changes to classrooms.
-Third, give districts far many resources to implement that guidance:
--To buy protective equipment for children and staff.
--To ensure proper ventilation.
--To make schools safe nationwide.
And for schools that can’t reopen safely, we have to help them improve virtual learning – and start working now to close the learning gap that COVID has widened.
We also need to provide states and districts with funding to fill gaps in state revenues so our school budgets are not cut and to support efforts to address gaps in learning for students.
The bottom line is Vice President Biden listens to the public health experts and follows the science - and that’s what we need in the President to fix this problem.
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> What is the plan for the Dept of Edu? What policies does his administration support revoking or implementing with whoever they nominate?
Carmel Martin
Joe knows that we have to invest in our kids from birth – so race, gender, zip code, parents’ income never determine their futures. He’s married to a teacher – and knows first-hand how much they put into their jobs. He knows how much they deserve respect, support, dignity of work. And he will rely on them to help guide his education policies. In stark contrast to Betsy Devos who has made it her priority to divert public funds to private schools, Joe Biden will appoint educators to lead.
He will also make it a priority to invest in our nation’s public schools. As a mom and as someone who has worked in education policy for decades I am so excited about the Vice President’s commitment to universal preschool and ensuring all families can afford high quality child care so we can ensure all our children get a great start. As a former civil rights lawyer, I am also proud of the Vice President’s commitment to tripling Title I funding and close the unacceptable gaps in funding based on race and income. Title I is the federal program designed to support high poverty schools. He has also committed to helping school districts expand the number of “community schools” – to support students and their families with wraparound services.
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>What will a Biden Administration do about housing in America? Trump's FHFA commissioner, Calabria, has been making extreme changes. Would Biden look to replace him? How should we promote affordable housing and avoid another housing crisis, without leaving the taxpayer on the hook for irresponsible lending?
Carmel Martin
Far too many Americans lack access to affordable and quality housing. Nationwide, we have a shortage (https://reports.nlihc.org/sites/default/files/gap/Gap-Report_2019.pdf) of available, affordable housing units for low-income individuals and millions spend more than 30% of their income on housing – making it hard to make ends meet. It’s also far past time to put an end to systemic housing discrimination and other contributors to this disparity.
His plan for housing includes a $15,000 tax credit to help first time homeowners cover the cost of a down payment and expanding rental assistance so no family pays more than 30% of their income for housing. He would tackle racial discrimination in the housing market and enact a Tenant and Homeowner’s Bill of Rights.
Housing is also an essential part of Biden’s broader strategy to grow strong, healthy communities in every zip code – from his plan to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and revitalize local economies (https://joebiden.com/infrastructure/), to his plan to invest in our public schools (http://joebiden.com/education).
You can read more about the Vice President’s plan at - https://joebiden.com/housing/
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>Does Joe Biden have a plan to end sub-minimum wage for adults with disabilities? What is that plan and how will he implement it?
Carmel Martin
Yes. Joe Biden believes that everyone should be treated with dignity and have a fair shot at getting ahead. This year, on July 26, we will mark the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Thanks to the leadership of people with disabilities, disability advocates, and their allies, we have made progress towards the goals of this law—“equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency” (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/12101) for people with disabilities. But, there is much more work to do in order to ensure that all people with disabilities are able to participate fully in our communities and enjoy the same kinds of choices and opportunities that many Americans take for granted.
Biden will work to pass the Transformation to Competitive Employment Act (https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/260/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22s260%22%5D%7D&r=1&s=7) and expand supported and customized employment by:
-Providing technical assistance and funding for jobs that allow people with disabilities to put their skills, talents, and abilities to work with reasonable accommodations in settings that include workers who do not have disabilities.
-Restoring the Department of Justice’s guidance on the application of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision to state and local employment services, which the Trump Administration revoked (https://www.ada.gov/withdrawn_olmstead.html). This guidance affirmed that state and local employment services must follow Olmstead’s mandate to “administer services, programs, and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.”
-Directing the Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration to enforce the integrated employment provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (https://www.congress.gov/113/plaws/publ128/PLAW-113publ128.pdf) consistent with the regulations (https://www.doleta.gov/WIOA/Docs/Final-Rules-A-Detailed-Look-Fact-Sheet.pdf) issued by the Obama-Biden Administration in 2016, directing resources under the vocational rehabilitation program to be used for people with disabilities seeking competitive, integrated employment.
-Increasing tax credits to employers, including small businesses, by passing the Disability Employment Incentive Act (https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/255/text) to provide any employer hiring a person with a disability up to a $5,000 tax credit the first year and $2,500 if the worker with a disability completes a second year of employment, and up to $30,000 in tax credits to improve the accessibility of their workplace.
-Increase funding for state vocational rehabilitation agencies.
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>What is the number one thing we can do as a country to positively affect climate change?
Carmel Martin
We cannot ignore this climate crisis – it’s the existential threat of our time. We’ve lost so much ground in these last four years – Joe will go faster and bigger from the start, to get us back in the fight. Climate will be a top priority for his administration.
On Day One, Joe will sign a series of executive orders to: Restore the scores of environmental rules that Trump gutted – including the fuel economy standard that the Obama-Biden Administration secured, saving 12 billion barrels of oil.
Cap methane pollution from new and existing oil and gas operations. Use the federal procurement system – which spends $500 billion a year – to speed the transition to a 100% clean energy economy, and to boost demand for zero-emissions vehicles.
Then, in the first 100 Days, he’ll send Congress a sweeping plan for a clean-energy revolution: Build a 100%-clean-energy economy – creating millions of jobs to power our recovery. Invest record amounts in research and innovation – more than we spent to put a man on the moon. Build a more resilient infrastructure, more efficient power grid, and 500,000 public charging stations for electric cars...
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>Is there anything that Biden began in his Vice Presidency that he would like to continue as a priority if he is elected President?
Carmel Martin
There is much work that the Vice President and President Obama did together that the Vice President will build upon. A top priority will be to build upon Obamacare. This has always been a priority for the Vice President but this pandemic brings home the urgency for action. Instead of expanding life-saving care, Donald Trump is in court trying to overturn the Affordable Care Act and strip millions of their coverage – in the middle of a global pandemic.
Tens of millions of Americans depend on the ACA for health care. And it protects over 100 million more with pre-existing conditions – not to mention those who may develop new pre-existing conditions in their fights against COVID. But Donald Trump would rather play politics than get Americans healthcare in their hour of need. He should drop that lawsuit, now.
No matter who you are, Joe Biden would make all COVID testing, treatment, and any vaccine free. And the Vice President has laid out a detailed set of plans that’d ensure every American could get coverage today:
-If you just lost coverage with your job, Joe would have the federal government cover 100% of COBRA costs, so you can keep your same plan.
-If you’re uninsured, Joe would reopen enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, now.
-If you’re on Medicaid, he’d boost federal support until we’ve slashed unemployment.
-If you’re not quite old enough for Medicare, Joe would lower the eligibility age to 60 to give you another choice now.
But COVID isn’t the only health emergency Americans are facing. For millions of uninsured, the crisis has been ongoing. That’s why Joe will protect and build on the Affordable Care Act. He’ll expand on it with a new public option. For those who have and prefer their current private health insurance, they can keep it. He will lower premiums, deductibles, drug costs and lower Medicare eligibility age to 60, to give more people options. And he will double funding for community health centers, on the frontlines of care.
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>After the weaknesses that Trump has exposed within our check and balance system of government with respect to the executive branch, and how much he has been able to use agencies like the DOJ for his own personal advantage, do you specifically or the Biden campaign more generally believe that once he is out of office there should be reforms passed by congress to address these issues?
Carmel Martin
We must elect leaders with integrity, for whom the public interest is paramount. Joe Biden embodies this principle.
He is committed to strengthening our laws to ensure that no future president can ever again use the office for personal gain. The federal government’s power must be used to better the country, and not in service of narrow, private interests. He has laid out proposals to ensure that our government works for the people. Specifically, President Biden will:
-Reduce the corrupting influence of money in politics and make it easier for candidates of all backgrounds to run for office;
-Return integrity to the U.S. Department of Justice and other Executive Branch decision-making;
-Restore ethics in government;
-Rein in Executive Branch financial conflicts of interest; and
-Hold the lobbied and lobbyists to a higher standard of accountability.
You can read more about his plan at https://joebiden.com/governmentreform/. He will ensure the independence of the Department of Justice and create greater transparency and accountability regarding their work.
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