On Saturday, President-elect Joe Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain, outlined Biden’s plans for his first few days in office.
The primary theme: Donald who? The measures Biden plans to enact are geared toward undoing some of President Trump’s most controversial policies. That includes 1) scrapping the travel ban on majority-Muslim countries 2) rejoining the Paris Agreement and 3) establishing a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. Biden also plans to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit on his first day, CBC News reported yesterday.
The second theme: addressing the pandemic. To that end, Biden plans to 1) issue a mask mandate for all interstate travel and on federal property and 2) push for a meaty new round of stimulus.
- Last week, he outlined plans for a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill. But remember, Congress controls the governmental purse strings, so Biden and his entourage will have to work with folks on Capitol Hill, including members of the opposing Republican Party.
Zoom out: The average fingernail among Biden staffers probably isn’t in great shape. The administration will take office amid a triple threat of economic, public health, and social crises.
