Maxwell School News and Commentary

"While there is some room for Biden to maneuver when it comes to tariffs and other measures, the apparent durability of a Trumpian approach to trade signals that a new era in U.S. trade policy has not only arrived, it plans to stay awhile," writes Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science.

According to research by Gretchen Purser, associate professor of sociology, somewhere between 2.4 million and 5 million American households are at risk of eviction in January alone if Congress fails to reach an agreement on economic emergency relief. 

"It's likely that most are rolled back by Biden administration," says Mark Jacobson, assistant dean of Washington programs, about Trump's changes at the Pentagon. "But the point is all of these cost money, waste time and hamper the ability of the national security establishment to focus on the real threats the United States faces," he adds.

"The restoration of the State Department is critical," says University Professor James Steinberg. "That's particularly important with China because it is such an all-encompassing challenge for the United States. So we need to have our best people and we need to have...a comprehensive approach that makes clear what we can live with with China and what we can't," he says. 

Earlier this week, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn promoted the idea that the U.S. military should oversee a new nationwide presidential election, ordered under martial law by President Donald Trump. Professor Emeritus William C. Banks calls  the idea "preposterous" and adds, "martial law has no place in the United States absent a complete breakdown of civil governing mechanisms."

"We know to expect, clearly from his history, that President-elect Biden will work more closely with Western allies and use international institutions to promote new global initiatives," says Mary Lovely, professor of economics. 

Professor Emeritus William C. Banks assesses that "the world is out there, and our adversaries are all aware... that we're more vulnerable as a nation and national security apparatus than any other time during the last four years." He adds, "without a coordinated effort between the outgoing Trump people and incoming Biden people, things could quickly lose control."

"The forces he is up against are much bigger than President Trump and are tectonic in nature. There are a set of forces that push us apart rather than bring us together," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. But, he adds, "I do think having a period of time for the country to experience the absence of the daily melodrama of the Trump presidency will help."