On January 20, President Joe Biden was inaugurated as the forty-sixth president of the United States, alongside the first female vice president Kamala Harris. On November 7, 2020, Biden had been projected to win the election against incumbent president at the time Donald Trump. Upon taking office, many citizens are curious as to what the future of the United States (U.S.) will look like as compared previously to Trump’s presidency.

The pandemic struck the U.S. early last year and had caused many countries across the world, including the U.S, to go into a temporary shutdown. Airports were vacant as flights were not permitted to most areas; people were urged (and still are) to wear masks in every public space and remain six-feet apart. Public spaces like restaurants, gyms, and movie theaters were all temporarily closed. The pandemic is still continuing into 2021 and with Biden as president, his administration must take a course of action into how to approach the pandemic. His plans for addressing the outbreak include safe vaccine development, improving testing, increasing production of protective equipment, and eventually a safe reopening of schools.

Biden also plans on instituting a mask mandate in all states, working with governors if need be to get the mandates through. He has also been open about putting the country back into a lockdown if that would be recommended by scientists. This differs from how the Trump administration had addressed the pandemic as many states did not have strict mask mandates, with multiple states like Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina which had no mask restrictions in certain areas whatsoever.

Biden also plans to expand the Affordable Care Act; however, he does not support universal single-payer healthcare, “Medicare for All”, a popular idea advocated by many progressive leaders. He has vowed to ensure that every American citizen with pre-existing conditions should have access to healthcare without eliminating private insurance companies.

In terms of the economy, which had taken a huge hit back in 2020, Biden  has an economic plan, “Build Back Better,” which promises to create millions of jobs. With reviving the economy, Biden connects this to tackling climate change, racial equity, and a reinvestment in American manufacturing. With manufacturing, he plans to change the tax code, inciting a reward for companies that invest in domestic production and to ensure the purchase of American goods.

Despite all of these plans, which differ greatly from the last presidential administration, the largest change will be seen with the tax cuts Biden plans. He plans on increasing the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent, as well as creating tax cuts for many households of ranging incomes. How- ever, an analysis had been done by the Penn Wharton Budget Model at the University of Pennsylvania which estimated that Biden’s proposals would increase tax revenue by $3.4 trillion over the course of a decade.