By Ethan Resnik
Staff Writer
Joe Biden, the 46th President-Elect of the United States, will take office in January with many promises to keep.
Biden pledged throughout his campaign to steer the country in a different direction than President Trump’s current route. Biden ran a heavy, policy-focused campaign that included a multitude of large-scale plans for reform. These plans ranged from multiple issues including the environment, the economy, racial justice, education and health care.
Another part of Biden’s plan is to update or change completely policies put in by the Trump administration. “Biden has said that he will end the Muslim ban on day one, overturning Trump’s order issued on day 12 of his presidency suspending visas for applicants from Muslim-majority countries including Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, and Syria,” per nymag.com.
Some other day one changes including a return to honoring the Paris Agreement, a return to the World Health organization and reinstating Deferred action for Childhood arrivals, continued the article.
One of Biden’s biggest concerns when he takes office in January 2021 is Covid-19. With the threat of Covid-19 growing, Biden has already announced the creation of his task force.
“The task force would quickly consult with state and local health officials on how to best prevent coronavirus spread, reopen schools and businesses, and address the racial disparities that have left communities of color harder hit than others by the pandemic,” Biden said according to Stat News.
The pandemic may have proven a decisive factor in Biden’s win. Polls showed that voters think that Biden will handle the coronavirus pandemic better than Trump has up to this point, Pew Research writes.
“He will reach out to Tony Fauci. He will declare his intent to be an active participant in the WHO and in the world. And I believe that in very short order, he’ll be in touch with governors and mayors around the country, listening to what it is that they’ll need to pivot this response,” said Nicole Lurie to Stat News. Lurie is a Biden campaign adviser who served as the Obama administration’s top pandemic-preparedness official.
Another focus Biden will have is a push for an immediate Covid-19 legislation. “I'll ask the new Congress to put a bill on my desk by the end of January with all the resources to see how both our public health and economic response can be seen through the end," Biden said at an event in late October.
Biden will also focus on releasing a Covid-19 vaccine distribution plan. Biden’s plan would spend 25 billion on vaccine production and disbursement. Biden plans to make the Covid-19 vaccine free to all Americans.
Biden has also laid out major plans for education reform. He has expressed support for the College For All Act, which would eliminate tuition at public colleges and universities for families making up to $125,000, according to NPR. Biden also is advocating for more private, historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions to be tuition free.
