Mr. Biden has stated he intends to be the most "pro-union President ever." However, the process is going to be slow at the NLRB since Republicans currently enjoy a 3-1 majority, and the first Republican seat to expire will occur in August 2021. The next Republican seat does not become vacant until 2022, and so the Republicans will still have a majority at the NLRB through 2021 unless someone leaves.
President Trump issued 196 Executive Orders through late October and Obama issued 295. Many of Trump's Executive Orders attempted to limit regulation, however, rather than expand it. Mr. Biden reportedly plans to issue numerous Executive Orders on his very first day in office, January 20, 2021.
The first and most obvious area of compromise involves dealing with the pandemic. Both parties support additional pandemic relief, including stimulus spending. Republicans want less than $1 trillion, while Democrats want more than $2 trillion. Controversial portions of any compromise include Republican demands for some protection for business from pandemic claims, while Democrats want more aid for state and local governments.
President-Elect Biden not only is considered the most moderate of all the Democratic candidates for President, but he has a history of deal-making, including deals with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, that suggests compromise may be possible. The new Democratic senators in States that flipped, Colorado and Arizona, ran as Centrist Democrats, who touted their desire to work across the aisle.
We have previously published an Alert entitled "Report on Election Results, Analysis, and Consequences," but this newsletter is updated and includes more emphasis on the consequences of the election as to policy and legislation. President-Elect Biden will very likely try to assume a role as a "deal-maker," and he has a history of working with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and may be more pragmatic than his more liberal Democratic supporters.