Trump's legacy for Biden: "A scorched earth and a heavy cost"
Will Trump's acceptance of Biden's presidency mean a smooth and trouble-free start for the new president? Will Trump's legacy pave the way for Biden, or create a multitude of obstacles and costs for him?
Spiegel Online wrote in an analytical report that US President Donald Trump will not give up his opposition to Joe Biden and his victory in the country's presidential election, and in the final weeks of his stay in the White House, he is trying to create obstacles in Biden's path in various ways. Actions that could have dire consequences for many Americans.
According to Der Spiegel, Trump will use all the leverage he has at his disposal to effectively leave Biden a scorched earth by passing 90-minute resolutions. His to-do list could range from sabotage to prevent the economic growth Biden desperately needs in the coming years, to anti-environmental regulations, or costly foreign policy maneuvers.
These actions, which are often difficult to reverse or undo, are being taken to make it harder for Biden to both start and continue his work and pave the way for Republicans to regain power in the next round. Actions that are particularly harmful to American citizens in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
Economy Department
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has canceled all financial aid to the country’s coronavirus-stricken economy by the end of the year. That includes about $500 billion in loan guarantees for municipalities and small businesses that Congress passed as part of the emergency “care” package. The Federal Reserve, which administers the funds, must now pay them back, despite the outspoken opposition of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who has protested that the country’s “still tense and vulnerable” economy depends on the aid package.
Now, with the arrival of the second wave of Corona, which will also lead to the closure of businesses in this country, the situation of the American economy is deteriorating sharply and millions of Americans are exposed to serious harm, because Trump is taking away the resources that Biden needs to fix this situation.
Environmental field
Trump is looking to solidify his anti-environmental policies in the coming weeks. The US Department of the Interior is currently issuing highly unnecessary permits for oil drilling in the largest natural reserve in the United States, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. It has also granted permits for drilling in Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, where the indigenous Indians (the Ancient Pueblo people) are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
New York University’s “Midnight Watch Project” has documented three dozen anti-environmental actions taken by Trump in his final moments. David Hayes, the project’s director, told the Washington Post that “this final ‘revolt’ by the Trump administration could be a serious setback for Biden.” Trump has repealed more than 100 environmental laws passed by his predecessor, Barack Obama, in four years, and Joe Biden will not be able to roll them back anytime soon, he said.
US foreign and security policy and dealing with Iran
Donald Trump has fired former Defense Secretary Mark Esper and other senior Pentagon officials, and Esper's successor, Christopher Miller, has ordered a massive withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. The withdrawal of US troops from Somalia will also be implemented soon, a move that will tie Biden's hands to advance his military policy in these areas.
Opponents of the war welcome Trump's move, but many warn of the disastrous consequences of a sudden withdrawal of American troops from these countries. The United States is engaged in shaky peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and there are now concerns that NATO forces will also leave the country.
Trump could also take other actions, such as taking action against China that would tie Biden's hands to improve relations with the country. For now, Trump's advisers have managed to dissuade him at the last moment from attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.
Judicial system
While the Senate is in no rush to address coronavirus-related issues these days, it is moving quickly to fill vacant seats on the nation’s judiciary. Since the beginning of November alone, the Senate has kept six conservative district judges for life, including a 33-year-old lawyer whose qualifications were rejected by the American Bar Association. Another irreparable move by Trump is the nomination of Amy K. Barrett, a fiercely conservative judge, to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Supreme Court justice who died this fall.
According to Der Spiegel, Trump has also accelerated the execution of the death penalty at the state level, contrary to the current practice across the United States. Orlando Hall, a man who kidnapped a teenage girl and raped her and buried her alive, was executed last week. This is the first execution to be carried out during the post-election transition period (Lame Duck) since 1889. Five others are scheduled to be executed by the end of Trump's presidency, two of them just two weeks before Biden enters the White House. A black man named Dustin Higgs is also scheduled to be executed on January 15, the birthday of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.
Source: DW
