The 2020 Presidential Election is 26 days away.  There are many issues that voters feel are important, and some that are most applicable to young voters like Education, the COVID-19 response, Immigration and Climate Change. Following are Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s stances on these important issues. 

Education

Biden’s plans include a push to increase teachers’ pay and benefits as well as to increase the number of mental health professionals who are employed by schools including psychologists, counselors, nurses and social workers. According to the Biden campaign website, “As president, Joe Biden will provide educators the support and respect they need and deserve and invest in all children from birth, so that regardless of their zip code, parents’ income, race, or disability, they are prepared to succeed in tomorrow’s economy.” 

President Trump plans to continue the work his administration started when it comes to education. His campaign website states, “Our Nation’s elementary and secondary education systems are falling behind the rest of the world. The Administration supports an agenda that provides school choice for parents, better prepares students to compete in a global economy, modernizes an antiquated federal student aid system, and holds higher education institutions more accountable to students and taxpayers alike.has already started many programs that allow school to be more accessible to all kids.  He has also reformed student loans, and lowered the cost of them.”

COVID-19 Response

President Trump has been trying to deal with COVID-19 since its outbreak. On the campaign website, the president said, “My Administration will stop at nothing to save lives and shield the vulnerable.” His order for travel restrictions from China in late January is arguably his most effective early action. Since then, the administration has started “Operation Warp Speed” an effort to deliver a vaccine in record time. 

Biden’s plans are overarching, “ We need a decisive public health response to curb the spread of this disease and provide treatment to those in need — as well as a decisive economic response that delivers real relief to American workers, families, and small businesses, and protects the economy as a whole,” states his campaign website. 

Immigration

President Trump’s stance on Immigration has been at the top of his talking points since before the 2016 election.  His website sums up his campaign stance on the issue. “The United States must adopt an immigration system that serves the national interest. To restore the rule of law and secure our border, President Trump is committed to constructing a border wall and ensuring the swift removal of unlawful entrants. To protect American workers, the President supports ending chain migration, eliminating the Visa Lottery, and moving the country to a merit-based entry system.” He believes in building a wall to stop illegal immigrants from coming to the U.S. Throughout his term, he deployed troops to the southern border, reduced the power of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and declared illegal immigrants on the southern border a national emergency.  

Former Vice President Biden plans to change that.  The statement on the issue on joebiden.com appeals to the readers’ emotions. “It is a moral failing and a national shame when a father and his baby daughter drown seeking our shores. When children are locked away in overcrowded detention centers and the government seeks to keep them there indefinitely. When our government argues in court against giving those children toothbrushes and soap. When President Trump uses family separation as a weapon against desperate mothers, fathers, and children seeking safety and a better life. When he threatens massive raids that would break up families who have been in this country for years and targets people at sensitive locations like hospitals and schools. When children die while in custody due to lack of adequate care.”

Climate Change

The president’s stance on the issue is on the website whitehouse.gov; the statement under the Energy & Environment section reads, “Americans have long been told that our country is running out of energy, but we now know that is wrong. America’s energy revolution has produced affordable, reliable energy for consumers along with stable, high-paying jobs for small businesses—all while dropping carbon emissions to their lowest level in 25 years. American energy policy must balance environmental protection with economic growth in order to encourage innovation, discovery, and prosperity.”

The Biden campaign, “is outlining a bold plan – a Clean Energy Revolution – to address this grave threat and lead the world in addressing the climate emergency”, according to joebiden.com.  He also plans to “ensure the US archives a 100% clean energy economy and net zero emissions no later than 2050.” The statement on his campaign website reads, “Biden believes the Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face. It powerfully captures two basic truths, which are at the core of his plan: (1) the United States urgently needs to embrace greater ambition on an epic scale to meet the scope of this challenge, and our environment and our economy are completely and totally connected.”

These important issues are just a few that factor into the beliefs and policies of the two candidates running for President of the United States. This report only scratches the surface and urges you to visit both campaign websites: whitehouse.gov and joebiden.com to delve deeper into the issues that are important to you. Whether or not you are eligible to vote in this fall’s election, it is never too early to become an informed citizen and to prepare yourself for when the time comes to cast your ballot.