Biden gets ‘an A+’ for COVID-19 response
But lack of bipartisanship remains a hurdle, experts say
EVANSTON, Ill. — As President Biden unveils another ambitious plan for American families tonight, and as he reaches nearly 100 days in office, experts from Northwestern University say that his COVID-19 response exceeded expectations, but lack of bipartisanship will likely slow down the march of his upcoming policy proposals.
Phillip Braun is a professor of finance at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. He can be reached by contacting Molly Lynch at molly@lynchgrouponline.com or 773-505-9719.
Quote from Professor Braun
“From my perspective, President Biden’s loudest accomplishment has been the non-bipartisan passage of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package. Behind the scenes, he has signed numerous executive actions to change the path that his predecessor put the United States on, from rejoining the Paris Agreement to stopping the funding for Trump’s border wall. He promised 100 million vaccination shots and delivered 200 million. All of these things are great, an A+.
“He is also proposing a $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill and a $1.8 trillion bill for American families. But truthfully, he has about 18 months to get these bills through Congress before the Democrats lose control of the House and probably the Senate. Biden wants bipartisanship, but the Republicans are in no mood to cooperate. So far, a B-.
“At this point in time, I am ready for a slowing down of President Biden’s actions, more concentration on fixing those aspects of his policies that are failing — such as immigration — and a clear implementation strategy to get his large proposals through Congress.”
James Druckman is the Payson S. Wild Professor of political science in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and member of Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research (IPR). He can be reached at druckman@northwestern.edu or by calling Stephanie Kulke at 847-491-4819.
Quote from Professor Druckman
“I would say that Biden’s COVID response has met his ambitious goals in many ways. But the main challenges await in terms of addressing the non-trivial demand-supply gap that needs to close to reach herd immunity and balancing continued public health concerns with a population anxious to return to pre-COVID activities.”