THE DOMESTIC POLICY DECISIONS IMMEDIATELY FACING JOE BIDEN
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent


President-elect Joe Biden will take office with a stack of specific long-term plans and goals — from setting the U.S. on a path to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 to launching a government-run health insurance option — that he will need to lobby Congress to help make reality.

But he also has a long list of policies he could set in motion quickly, if not immediately, without congressional action. Some have already been set in motion; his transition team working now on step-by-step plans for how to implement them. On others, he still needs to decide which course of action he’ll take.  

Here’s a look at a starting list:
 

• Refugee cap. Biden has pledged to dramatically raise the cap on refugees admitted to the United States to 125,000, up from the historic low of 15,000 put in place by President Donald Trump.
• The asylum process and an end to the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Under Trump, the United States requires asylum seekers at the southern border to stay in Mexico, often in makeshift camps, while they wait for their claims to be processed. Biden has committed to ending that policy, which Trump implemented in January 2019, though it is not clear how soon he will do so.
• Immigration enforcement. Biden said he would reinstate the DACA program, which offered protections to undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. More broadly, he would freeze all deportations for 100 days, to study how best to approach the issue long-term. That will give him a few months to decide his longer-term policies.
• Dozens of environmental policies. The Trump administration ended or watered down dozens of environmental protections (the Washington Post counted 125), arguing they were bureaucratic oversteps that infringed on private business. Biden could put many of these back in place quickly, though some are currently tied up in court disputes.
• Abortion and health care funding. Biden has said he would end a Trump administration block on federal health care funding going to providers who perform or advise clients on abortions. Planned Parenthood and an estimated 981 additional clinics stopped receiving government funding as a result of this policy.
• LGBTQ rights. With a simple executive order, Biden can reverse the Trump administration’s near ban on transgender Americans serving in the U.S. military and also renew safeguards banning discrimination against LGBTQ people in the hiring of federal contractors. 
• Student debt. As president, Biden could implement another, immediate pause on student loan payments as the pandemic continues to drag on the economy, or even forgive up to $50,000 in debt per borrower. He has indicated he does not want to do this by executive order, but would be open to some form of student loan forgiveness from Congress.

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Ian Couzens, @iancouzenz
Politics production assistant

Georgia lawmakers seek special session for voter ID changes before Senate runoffs. Nov. 25. The move by state Republicans is likely spurred by President Donald Trump's ongoing attacks on election officials and attempts to sow distrust in Georgia's election process, despite no evidence of fraud in last month’s general election. Why it matters: The ideas being considered, if implemented before the upcoming Senate runoffs, could have the effect of suppressing voter turnout in critical elections that will determine which party controls the Senate. — Savannah Morning News

Trump administration moves ahead on gutting bird protections. Nov. 27. The rollback of the century-old law will significantly limit the federal government's ability to pursue and prosecute industries for practices that kill migratory birds. Why it matters: Scientists fear that billions more birds will perish as a result of the rollback, worsening a decades-long decline in bird populations, but advocates of the change say the law has limited commercial building and other industries. — The Associated Press

Michigan's immigrant communities hit with misinformation on closed platforms. Nov 27. Closed messaging apps like WhatsApp, popular among immigrants who use them to contact family and friends abroad, allow misinformation to spread without much oversight, moderation or fact checking -- especially among non-English speakers. Why it matters: Misinformation and disinformation surrounding the election had the potential to sway peoples’ votes or discourage people -- especially people of color and new citizens -- from participating altogether. — Detroit Free Press 

Biden Could Expand Abortion Access, Even Without the Senate. Nov. 29. Biden could reverse Trump’s rule limiting the ACA’s contraceptive mandate, restoring the Obama-era status quo, and could deregulate the use of mifepristone, the only drug approved by the FDA to safely and effectively terminate an early pregnancy, which is severely restricted. Why it matters: With a thin majority in the House and, at best, an even slimmer Senate majority, Democrats’ legislative pathways to expanding abortion access in the next couple years will be extremely limited, while Trump’s legacy of a more conservative Supreme Court could further rollback reproductive rights. Unilateral actions available to Biden are likely to be the only option if he wants to force change. — The Atlantic 

Incoming GOP congresswoman to take aim at AOC with conservative 'squad'. Nov. 29. Congresswoman-elect Nicole Malliotakis was first to share the idea of forming a “natural alliance” with fellow female House Republicans to “counterbalance” the group of young female lawmakers known as “the squad,” who she frequently targeted during her campaign. Why it matters: The freshmen congresswomen in “the squad” have wielded outsized influence in the House. After House Republicans more than doubled the number of women in their ranks, to at least 28 from 13, a similar alliance could give conservative freshmen congresswomen more influence over policy and the Republican Party in the new Congress. — Politico 



#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke
Politics producer

On this day in 1824, the presidential election was thrown to the U.S. House of Representatives after an inconclusive Electoral College result. Andrew Jackson won the popular vote, but the House chose another candidate to become president. 

Our question: Who was ultimately the declared winner of the 1824 presidential election?

Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: Which founding father called the turkey a “Bird of Courage” and wrote that it “would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.”

The answer: Ben Franklin

It turns out there are many conspiracy theories related to American history and the turkey pardon. One common myth is that Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird. This was never true, but stems from those quotes, which he wrote to his daughter while criticizing the design for the national seal. The seal included a depiction of a bald eagle that Franklin thought looked like a turkey. Of the bald eagle, Franklin wrote, “Bald Eagle...is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly…[he] is too lazy to fish for himself.”

Congratulations to our winners: Elizabeth Ferry and Tim Smith!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.