The election is upon us, and students should be aware of the future policies that will be put into place under each potential administration. Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump have laid out their plans, and while they both tend to follow the beliefs of their respective parties, it’s important to be aware of the specifics. We’ve highlighted some of their policies that impact students below.
Health Insurance
Biden plans to build upon and protect the Affordable Care Act, signed by President Obama in 2010. The Affordable Care Act prevents insurance companies from charging citizens for pre-existing conditions and setting annual or lifetime limits on coverage. Biden has also promised to ensure quality health care to LGBTQ+ citizens. His plans to build upon the act are: 1. Give Americans more choices 2. Reduce healthcare costs 3. Make America’s healthcare system less complicated.
Trump and the Republican party oppose the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, but have yet to repeal the ACA and put in place another healthcare plan. Under the Trump administration, parts of the ACA have already been repealed, including the elimination of the individual mandate which required people to obtain healthcare if they did not receive it from their employers or medicaid. There is currently a lawsuit in courts to dismantle the ACA. Trump also proposes expanding Medicaid and Medicare and has eliminated anti-discrimination health care protections for LGBTQ+ people.
Student Loans and Tuition
Biden supports student loan forgiveness. He plans to forgive all undergraduate student loan tuition debt for borrowers who make less than $125,000 a year. The government would pay monthly student debt loans. Biden also plans to better fund community colleges.
Trump supports student loan forgiveness through income-driven payment plans and has proposed forgiving undergraduate student debt in 15 years. Currently, you can receive student debt forgiveness after 20 years for undergraduate debt and 25 years for graduate debt. He has not supported a tuition-free college option or the cancellation of student loan debt.
Police Brutality and Racial Justice
Biden wants to reduce the amount of people incarcerated by releasing those in prison for drug use to treatment centers. However, he does not plan to defund the police and instead wants to focus on reforming police departments.
Trump supports increasing funding to police departments. The Trump administrations’ newest plan, Platinum Plan, shows support towards improving police training, focusing on improved mental health and diversity.
Taxes
If elected, Biden will raise taxes on individuals and corporations who make an annual income above $400,000.
Trump wants to payroll tax cuts and is planning on cutting taxes for the middle class. He has expressed a support for another round of stimulus checks.
Climate Change
Biden is in support of the Green New Deal and will use it as a framework to address climate change. He plans for the U.S. to reach an 100% clean energy economy by 2050 or sooner.
On the other hand, Trump opposes the Green New Deal and in the past has objected to climate change, calling it a ‘hoax’ and placing the blame on China, and opposes reentering the Paris Climate Agreement. Trump has an extensive history of rolling back environmental regulations in favor of the oil and natural gas industry.
Immigration
Biden’s immigration plan wants to stop building on President Trump’s border wall and cease all restrictions Trump has put on immigration, and expand resources to immigrants already in America, such as granting all Dreamers, immigrants brought to America as children, citizenship.
Trump is in favor of limiting all legal immigration and cracking down on illegal immigration. Illegal immigration and the construction of a border wall between Mexico and the United States was a major theme in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Currently nearly 400 feet of the border wall has been constructed and, with another Trump term, the border wall will continue to be built upon.
Abortion and Access to Birth Control:
Biden supports abortion and plans to have abortion be covered by the Affordable Care Act. Biden wants to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which prevents public funding of abortion unless the woman is in danger, or the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. Alongside, he wants to protect Roe V. Wade, restore public Planned Parenthood funding, and reverse Trump’s attacks on abortion and birth control.
Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on September 25, and she was confirmed by the Senate on October 26. Judge Barrett has voted against the protection of abortion rights, leaving the supreme court ruling on Roe v. Wade uncertain. Before Barrett’s appointment, Trump appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who both have voted against protecting abortion rights.
President Trump has made it clear that he opposes abortion and has supported restricting federal funding for abortion.