By Michael Alberto
Contributing Writer

Media outlets, such as FOX and ABC, have raised concern about the whereabouts and lack of coverage by the new president Joe Biden. Biden has received criticism from all parties for not holding a news conference since Inauguration Day, about 50 days ago. This is the longest any modern president has gone without a news conference. 

Although Biden has not been up to date with all of his presidential duties, he still has made some major decisions since Jan. 20 and hasn’t done a news conference about any of them. 

Biden’s first day in office consisted of pausing student loan debts, reversing President Donald Trump’s energy policy by restoring U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Change Accord, revoking the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline and halting funding for expansion of the Mexican border wall. 

On Biden’s second day in office, he issued a series of executive orders to deal with COVID-19, including activating the Defense Production Act of 1950 and setting a goal of achieving 100 million U.S. vaccinations in his first 100 days. 

Approximately a month into his presidency, Biden ordered retaliatory airstrikes against Syrian buildings that were used by Iranian militias to stage rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq, and he also began reversing Trump’s “America First” policy. On March 11, almost two months into his presidency, Biden signed his first major bill—the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which is a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan—into law.

Biden won the presidential campaign for 2021 and has full support as Democrats control all three branches of government, yet both the Democratic and Republican parties are upset with the results they have seen so far, as they were expecting a major change for America. 

Throughout the election Biden claimed he had plans for a raise in minimum wage, an end to “forever wars,” an end to COVID-19 and quarantining and a return to ‘normalcy,’ if not better, for the American people.

The vote to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour was suggested, and it failed to pass the senate, with eight Democrats voting against the bill. 

Additionally, military action in the form of drone strikes are seemingly never-ending, as the Biden Administration ordered several airstrikes on Syria. This was after his campaign claims of  ending wars, the strike on Syria proves Biden is already undermining his promises. 

However, there are also positives that should be equally represented in the media.

Biden did successfully pause all school-loan debts as his first action as president, extending the suspension of federal student loan payments until Sept. 30. This lets student borrowers with extensive loan debt catch a break from the current student loan forbearance period, set to expire at the end of January. Read more in the Keystone’s article “What Biden’s Pause on Loan Debt Means for College Students Everywhere”.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is another major success for Biden. Passed into law on March 11, the plan includes additional stimulus checks for Americans, providing relief for millions of people across the country. 

Even though Biden successfully passed the American Rescue Plan of 2021, it came with controversy. Instead of the promised $2000 checks, the amount was reduced to $1400, and unemployment checks and other issues were hotly debated before the bill’s passage. 

These are legitimate debates and issues that should be covered by the news about the Biden administration. The lack of news conferences and public appearances are just some of the small things we should focus on when looking at the Biden administration. Americans want transparency. They want to be informed. Americans should hold the Biden administration accountable, and they should continue to fight for what they truly believe is right.