This is the fifth edition of the Biden Tracking Weekly newsletter. This week, we learned the Biden Administration is considering a Trump-era “Transit Ban”, the Biden Administration successfully lobbied to stop a vote on a resolution that would end support for the Saudi-led War in Yemen, and the Biden Administration sued Arizona over a makeshift border wall. It is Monday, December 19th, Day 699 of the Biden presidency.
Tomorrow, day 700 of the Biden presidency, I’ll be posting my updated Biden disappointment list. Here’s how it looks as of Day 600 of the Biden presidency.
Tuesday, December 13th (Day 693)
Biden Administration Considers Trump Era “Transit Ban”
On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the Biden administration was considering reinstituting a “Trump Era” transit ban which would make it much harder for migrants to seek Asylum in the United States. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors about the Biden admin bringing back Trump-era immigration policies. The Biden Administration appears to be scrambling to implement new border control measures as the court-ordered end of Title 42 looms near. The specific policy being discussed includes raising the bar for letting migrants enter the U.S. to pursue protections. Asylum seekers would need to prove they’re likely to face torture if returned to their home countries, and if they can’t, they would have to show they first sought and were denied asylum in a country they passed through on their way to the U.S. border. The ACLU has already threatened to sue the Biden Administration if they were to institute such a policy. As I’ve said before, any policy that attempts to stifle Asylum, as this one does, is absolutely illegal.
Following a successful lobbying effort, the Biden Administration convinced Senator Bernie Sanders to pull a vote on a resolution that would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led War in Yemen. The move suggests once again that the Biden Administration’s support for genocidal Saudi Arabia is unequivocal. The Biden Administration argued that such a move would upset the diplomacy by the Biden Administration that, they argued, had effectively stopped the violence. In a terrific article in the Intercept, linked above, Jamal Benomar, formerly U.N. under-secretary-general who served as special envoy for Yemen until 2015 disputed these claims, saying “There’s been no diplomatic progress whatsoever.” and “There’s been no political process, no negotiations, or even a prospect of them. So an all-out war can resume at any time.” Senator Sanders, who pulled the resolution, said that he did so because the White House was open to negotiating on language for the resolution they would be more supportive of. If this effort fails though, Senator Sanders said he will bring the resolution back for a vote. Even if the resolution passes the Senate, it remains entirely possible that the Biden Administration will simply veto it.
Wednesday, December 14th (Day 694)
Biden Administration Sues Arizona Over Make Shift Border Wall
On Wednesday, the Department of Justice sued Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and the state of Arizona over shipping containers used as a makeshift wall at the border. The Government is arguing that the makeshift wall is illegal, dangerous, and interferes with federal duties. Activists have been asking the Biden Administration to take action against the new wall, which is causing significant environmental damage.
Thursday, December 15th (Day 695)
Biden Administration Restarts Free COVID Home Testing Program
On Thursday, the Biden Administration officially relaunched its COVID home testing program that allows Americans to order four free COVID tests through the United States Postal Service. The program was stopped in September because of funding concerns. With a new COVID surge increasingly likely over the next few weeks, it seems that the Biden Administration had no other choice. The Biden Administration probably should have made this move several weeks ago, it was no secret that a Fall/Winter COVID surge was likely, but at least it was done.
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Note that because of the Holidays there will be no newsletter on Monday, December 26th, or Monday, January 2nd. Instead, the newsletter will release on Friday, December 30th, before returning to Monday on January 9th.