President Biden’s trip to Ireland was basically diplomatic, but it was also to refresh connection to his Irish roots and his family ancestry. In a world torn by violence and upheaval, Biden’s brief visit on Wednesday will bolster the Good Friday agreement made a quarter of a century ago to usher in a peace settlement in Northern Ireland.
Speaking in Belfast at Ulster University, Biden told the crowd that “Your history is our history, but more important, your future is America’s future.” Moreover, he said that Northern Ireland will continue to benefit from the current economic transformation, noting that “Peace and economic opportunity go together.”
The stop in Belfast was quickly completed, thereby avoiding any of the troubling questions that might arise, and merely served as an entry into his re-acquaintance with family and forebears. He emphasized the diplomacy of his mission with little indication of where he stood on the political differences that continue to percolate between those seeking unity and those pushing for separation.
Even so, the pressing issue of the division was on his mind as he asked them to work toward “an effective, devolved government that reflects the people of Northern Ireland and is accountable to them.”
Meanwhile, on the home front, Biden has been far from neutral on promoting his climate agenda, most recently with his aggressive efforts to get Americans to purchase electric vehicles (EVs). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed vehicle pollution standards on Wednesday, and announced via the White House that it will impact cars from 2027 through 2032. “Cars and truck manufacturers have made clear that the future of transportation is electric,” the White House stated in a fact sheet. “The market is moving.”
Being abroad doesn’t mean the Biden administration is absent on the abortion issue. On Wednesday, Biden proposed new privacy protections to prevent women’s health information from being used to investigate or sue people who obtain or facilitate abortions. Basically the proposal is aimed at protecting women who reside in states where abortion is illegal and choose to travel elsewhere for the procedure. The proposed rule, which is set to be finalized following a 60-day public comment period, strengthens existing privacy protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which are binding in all states.