当总统乔·拜登六个月前宣誓就职，他继承了几大挑战，包括全球大流行和随后的经济混乱，美国各地的社会和种族清算，以及因特朗普时代的分裂而分裂的华盛顿。
在竞选过程中，拜登承诺将两党合作带回联邦政府，呼吁团结一致，以遏制冠状病毒重建经济，促进所有美国人的公平和包容。
白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基(Jen Psaki)周二在周年纪念日表示:“自上任以来，总统采取行动，通过解决这个国家面临的危机，为美国接种疫苗以战胜大流行，向美国家庭提供急需的帮助，进行转型投资以拯救和重建我们的经济，并从根本上表明政府能够为美国人民提供帮助，从而让美国重回正轨。”。
虽然拜登主持了一个不断增长的经济和一个正在消退的大流行病，但他还有很多事情没有完成，因为华盛顿仍然陷入僵局，国会没有对他的倡议给予更多的两党支持——拜登在他的政府的第二次内阁会议上承认了这一点。
“还有很多事情要做，还有很多事情要做。解决投票权问题，这是对民主的一个生存威胁，现在正在通过的事情已经超出了想象。副总统在这个问题上一直在努力，并将继续努力，我们都在努力，但还有很多事情要做。我们必须解决移民问题，我们正在努力以人道和严肃的方式解决这个问题。警察改革和犯罪，”拜登周二表示。
在他执政的六个月里，让我们来看看拜登在推行他的一些重大举措方面有多成功。
大流行与经济
拜登总统监督了前所未有的疫苗接种工作，以结束新冠肺炎大流行，在他上任的头100天内分发了超过2亿针疫苗。
随着疫苗接种效果的巩固，新冠肺炎病例和死亡率跌至大流行开始以来的历史最低水平。
尽管如此，拜登政府仍在疫苗犹豫不决中挣扎，未能实现自己设定的目标，即在7月4日之前向70%的18岁以上成年人发放至少一剂疫苗。根据疾病控制和预防中心的数据，截至拜登6个月大的时候，68.3%的18岁以上成年人至少打了一针。
“如果你完全接种了疫苗，你就有高度的保护能力来应对严重疾病、住院和死亡。如果你没有接种疫苗，你就没有保护。所以请，请接种疫苗。现在就接种疫苗，”拜登周一表示，承认美国的病例和死亡率再次上升
拜登成功通过了被称为“美国救援计划”的经济救助计划。1.9万亿美元的支出计划提供了刺激支票、小企业援助、新冠肺炎检测和疫苗接种资金以及州和地方政府救济。
但他未能兑现一个重要的竞选承诺:确保两党支持他的倡议。国会没有一个共和党人投票就通过了新冠肺炎救助计划。
“对于六个月内所有那些悲观的预测，我们的立场是这样的。创纪录的增长。创造就业记录。得到辛苦挣来的工间休息的工人。听着，我们把经济从悬崖边上拉了回来，我们设计了我们的战略，不仅是为了提供暂时的提振，也是为了为长期繁荣奠定基础，让每个人都一起成长，”拜登周一在讲话中吹捧他的经济成就，并推动两党措施，花费1.2万亿美元改善道路、桥梁和其他“传统基础设施”。
但在民主党仅占微弱多数的参议院和众议院，这种情况的命运尚不明朗，未来的立法也是如此，该立法将在儿童保育等“人类基础设施”上花费3.5万亿美元，民主党人希望在没有共和党人投票的情况下通过该立法。
在同样的言论中，拜登不得不解决通胀担忧，因为美国各地不断上涨的价格威胁到大流行后重新开放的经济乐观情绪。
移居
拜登总统一直在努力阻止移民越过美国南部边境。今年6月，海关和边境巡逻队逮捕了创十年纪录的移民。
拜登任命副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯解决移民的根本原因，哈里斯前往危地马拉和墨西哥，努力鼓励潜在的移民留在自己的国家，并合法申请庇护。但是，由于腐败、与毒品有关的暴力和极端天气困扰着许多中美洲和南美洲国家，她的努力，包括增加对这些国家的援助，并没有导致移民模式的重大转变，正如6月份的CBP数字所表明的那样。
哈里斯5月4日表示:“无论我们在遏制暴力、提供救灾、解决粮食不安全问题上付出多大努力，如果该地区的腐败持续存在，我们都不会取得重大进展。
拜登成功推翻了特朗普总统的许多严格的移民政策。他结束了特朗普所谓的“穆斯林禁令”，该禁令阻止人们从几个穆斯林占多数的国家前往美国。拜登还将驱逐出境的优先事项恢复到奥巴马政府的现状，奥巴马政府的重点是那些除了非法入境之外犯有其他罪行的人。
虽然拜登已经向国会提出了一项全面的移民改革计划，但几乎没有任何进展。今年7月，一名联邦法官裁定，保护作为儿童被非法带到美国的年轻人免于被驱逐出境的“推迟儿童入境行动(DACA)”项目是非法的，并驳回了该项目的新申请。该案件可能会由最高法院审理，但与此同时，法院的失败加大了拜登和国会的压力，要求他们为梦想家达成一项立法修正案。
拜登周六在一份声明中表示:“只有国会才能通过为梦想者提供一条获得公民身份的道路来确保永久解决方案，这将为这些年轻人提供他们需要和应该得到的确定性和稳定性。“我热切希望，通过和解或其他方式，国会最终将为所有在恐惧中生活了太久的梦想家提供安全保障。”
警察和枪支
对拜登来说，一个难以捉摸的政策领域是警察改革和枪支管制，因为国会在这些问题上的立法已经停滞不前。
拜登白宫经常强调支持《乔治·弗洛伊德治安正义法案》，并呼吁在5月弗洛伊德去世一周年之前通过该法案。虽然错过了最后期限，但他们鼓励了国会两党的谈判，这些谈判除了“框架”之外没有取得什么成果，讨论仍在继续。
政府还决定放弃拜登的竞选承诺，即在他上任的头100天内成立一个委员会来研究警务问题，高级顾问苏珊·赖斯(Susan Rice)表示，政府决定，在“与民权界合作伙伴密切、尊重的协商基础上”，实现其首要任务——让弗洛伊德法案获得通过——不是“最有效的方式”。
总统没有看到枪支管制立法从国会山来到他的办公桌前，即使在众议院通过了一项解决背景调查系统漏洞的措施之后。但是拜登在他短暂的任期内发生了几次大规模枪击事件后，在这个问题上采取了单边行动。
4月8日，拜登签署了6项与枪支相关的行政行动，包括指示司法部在30天内发布一项拟议规则，规范所谓“幽灵枪”的销售，呼吁投资循证社区暴力干预，并要求司法部在60天内公布各州的“红旗”立法范本。
他在6月份采取了额外的行动，允许社区使用他们收到的部分资金，作为他的1.9万亿美元新冠肺炎救济法案资金的一部分，以打击枪支犯罪，如投资于青少年暑期就业项目;雇用更多的警官和法院人员;枪支暴力执法支出;支付更多的护士、顾问和社会工作者。
其他措施包括对违法的枪支经销商建立“零容忍”政策;将联邦执法官员安插到地方警察部门;根据白宫的说法，雇佣更多以前被监禁的人在联邦政府工作。
尽管拜登采取了总统行动，但他自己能完成的事情有限，而且没有兑现他在这个问题上的一些最大的竞选承诺，比如停止进口攻击性武器，以及为美国建立一个国家回购计划。
Chipping away at ambitious agenda, Biden marks 6 months as president
When PresidentJoe Bidenwas sworn in six months ago, heinherited several major challenges, including a global pandemic and subsequent economic disruption, a social and racial reckoning across America, and a fractured Washington, reeling from the divisions of the Trump era.
On the campaign trail, Biden promised to bring bipartisanship back to the federal government, calling for unity in order to stem the effects of thecoronavirus, rebuild the economy and foster equity and inclusion for all Americans.
"Since taking office, the president has acted to get America back on track by addressing the crises facing this nation, vaccinating America to beat the pandemic, delivering much needed help to American families, making transformative investments to rescue and rebuild our economy, and fundamentally showing that government can deliver for the American people,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday, marking the anniversary.
While Biden has presided over a growing economy and a retreating pandemic, there is much he hasn’t been able to accomplish, as Washington remains deadlocked without more bipartisan support from Congress for his initiatives-- somethings Biden acknowledged during only the second Cabinet meeting of his administration.
"There's much more to be done and so much more to do. Tackling voting rights, which is an existential threat to democracy right now, the things that are being passed are just beyond the pale. The vice president has been working hard on this issue and going to continue to, we all are, but there's much more to do. We have to tackle the immigration problem, which we're working really hard to get done in a humane and serious way. Police reform and crime," Biden said Tuesday.
Six months into his administration, here’s a look at how successful Biden has been in pursuing some of his major initiatives.
The pandemic and the economy
President Biden oversaw an unprecedented vaccination effort to end the COVID-19 pandemic, distributing more than 200 million shots of the vaccine within his first 100 days in office.
COVID-19 cases and death rates plunged to a record low since the start of the pandemic as the effects of vaccination took hold.
Still, the Biden administration has struggled with vaccine hesitancy, and failed to hit a self-imposed goal to distribute at least one shot to 70% of all adults over 18 by July 4. As of Biden’s 6-month mark, 68.3% of adults over 18 have at least one shot, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
"If you're fully vaccinated, you have a high degree of protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death. If you're unvaccinated, you are not protected. So please, please get vaccinated. Get vaccinated now," Biden said Monday, acknowledging that cases and death rates are once again rising in the U.S.
Biden was successful in passing his economic relief package, dubbed the American Rescue Plan. The $1.9 trillion spending package delivered stimulus checks, small business aid, funding for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, and state and local government relief.
But he failed to deliver on one major campaign promise: to secure bipartisan support for his initiatives. The COVID-19 relief package passed in Congress without a single Republican vote.
"For all of those predictions of doom and gloom six months in, here is where we stand. Record growth. Record job creation. Workers getting hard-earned breaks. Look, we brought this economy back from the brink and we’ve designed our strategy not only to provide for a temporary boost, but to lay the foundation for a long-term boom that brings everyone along,” Biden said Monday in remarks touting his economic achievement and pushing a bipartisan measure to spend $1.2 trillion improving roads, bridges and other "traditional infrastructure."
But the fate of that is unclear in the both the Senate and House where Democrats have only a narrow majority -- as is the future of legislation that would spend $3.5 trillion on "human infrastructure" such as child care that Democrats hope to push through with no Republican votes.
In those same remarks, Biden had to address inflation concerns, as rising prices across the U.S. threaten the economic optimism of reopening after the pandemic.
Immigration
President Biden has struggled to stem the flow of migrants crossing the southern border of the U.S. In June, Customs and Border Patrol apprehended a ten-year record number of migrants.
Biden appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to address the root causes of migration, and Harris has traveled to Guatemala and Mexico in her efforts to encourage potential migrants to stay in their home countries and apply for asylum legally. But with corruption, drug-related violence and extreme weather plaguing many Central and South American countries, her efforts, including offering increased aid to those countries, have not led to a significant shift in migration patterns, as illustrated by the June CBP numbers.
“No matter how much effort we put in on curbing violence, providing disaster relief, on tackling food insecurity — on any of it — we will not make significant progress if corruption in the region persists,” Harris said on May 4.
Biden was successful in overturning many of President Trump’s strict immigration policies. He ended Trump’s so-called “Muslim ban" that prevented people from traveling from several Muslim-majority countries to the United States. Biden also returned deportation priorities to the status quo in the Obama administration, which focused on people who committed crimes other than entering the country illegally.
While Biden has proposed a comprehensive immigration reform plan to Congress, there has been little movement to advance it. In July, a federal judge ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which shielded young people brought illegally to the U.S. as children from deportation, is unlawful, and disallowed new applications to the program. The case is likely to be heard by the Supreme Court, but in the meantime, the defeat in the courts ramps up pressure on Biden and Congress to achieve a legislative fix for Dreamers.
“Only Congress can ensure a permanent solution by granting a path to citizenship for Dreamers that will provide the certainty and stability that these young people need and deserve,” Biden said in a statement Saturday. “It is my fervent hope that through reconciliation or other means, Congress will finally provide security to all Dreamers, who have lived too long in fear.”
Policing and Guns
One policy area proving elusive for Biden is police reform and gun control, as legislation on the issues have stalled in Congress.
The Biden White House has frequently highlighted its support for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and called for it to be passed by the first anniversary of Floyd’s death in May. While the deadline was missed, they have encouraged bipartisan negotiations on Capitol Hill that have yielded little beyond a "framework" and discussions continue.
The administration also decided to forgo Biden’s campaign promise to create a commission within his first 100 days to study the issue of policing, with senior adviser Susan Rice saying the administration decided it would not be the "most effective way" to deliver on its top priority of getting the Floyd bill passed "based on close, respectful consultation with partners in the civil rights community."
The president has not seen gun control legislation come to his desk from Capitol Hill, even after the House passed a measure that would address loopholes in the background check system. But Biden has taken unilateral action on the issue after several mass shootings during his short tenure in office.
Biden signed six gun-related executive actions on April 8, including directing the Justice Department to issue a proposed rule to regulate the sale of so-called "ghost guns" within 30 days, calling for investments in evidence-based community violence intervention and asking the Justice Department to publish model "red flag" legislation for states within 60 days.
He took additional action in June, allowing communities to spend some of the funding they received as part of his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill funding to combat gun crime, such as investing in summer jobs programs for youths; hiring more police officers and court personnel; spending on gun-violence enforcement; and paying for more nurses, counselors and social workers.
Other measures include establishing a "zero tolerance" policy for gun dealers who break the law; embedding federal law enforcement officials with local police departments; and hiring more formerly incarcerated people for jobs in the federal government, according to the White House.
Even with his presidential actions, Biden is limited in what he can accomplish on his own, and has fallen short of some of his biggest campaign pledges on the issue, like stopping the importation of assault weapons, and creating a national buyback program for the U.S.
