Firing on all cylinders

| 10:30 am EST January 23, 2021
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When President Biden won the Democratic nomination, he promised that his cabinet would resemble America, and he set out to honor that promise with his nominations. General Lloyd Austin was confirmed as President Biden’s Secretary of Defense; he is the first Black leader of the Pentagon in American history. Shortly after his confirmation, President Biden announced that his administration will “conduct a comprehensive threat assessment” of domestic extremism, resulting from military involvement in the Capitol riot, according to New York Times. Because Austin has dealt with the ugliness of racism during his storied career, he is the right man for the job. Austin joins Avril Haines, who was confirmed on inauguration day, and precedes Janet Yellen, who has been advanced to the Senate and is expected to be unanimously confirmed. President Biden’s cabinet is coming together, but more importantly, he continues to keep his promises.

President Biden appeared briefly on CNN to discuss his next round of executive orders. President Biden is expanding food assistance and sending stimulus checks to very low-income Americans. During his speech, the President spelled out the numbers of those who do not have enough food, are behind in their rent, and the 900,000 new unemployment claims that have been filed. President Biden comes across as genuinely caring about people, and he sincerely wants these issues handled sooner rather than later. Biden and his economic advisers believe it is foolhardy to wait to determine how much the last bill passed will help, moving him to sign this order. He was backed up by National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, who shared that a Moody’s Analytics analysis found that this plan will create 7.5 million jobs and return the country to full employment a year earlier than expected. Under Biden’s executive order, stimulus checks will more quickly reach those in dire need, including those who do not routinely file taxes, making them harder to identify. While these actions that directly benefit those in need get the press, President Biden is also working on other issues, such as eliminating the last administration’s Migrant Protection Protocol, which did not protect those seeking asylum in the U.S. but instead put them in grave danger.

One might think that President Biden is taking on too much too soon, but what we are seeing is his determination to keep his promises. He has made outstanding nominations to his cabinet who are prepared to hit the ground running. It was reported that immediately after a short swearing in, General Lloyd Austin visited the Pentagon. These nominees will shore up President Biden’s policy initiatives and ensure that cliché aside, everyone will have a seat at the table. During his live hearings, General Austin strongly supported the inclusion of transgenders in the military. He said that if transgenders are fit and want to serve, “they ought to serve.” This is just the administration we need right now. It has been said that the “third time is the charm,” but when referring to Biden’s runs for President, it is clear that now is his time.