Here comes President Joe Biden’s agenda
Politico called President’s Day “Joe Biden’s first official day as President.” Given how much the leftover Trump era chaos and destruction overshadowed Biden’s first few days in office, this comparison is totally appropriate. Now, President Biden can strengthen his focus on COVID-19 with the rapt attention of Americans who have longed for action on the deadly virus. Biden is planning a CNN town hall in Wisconsin and will then travel to Michigan, which will include a tour of the Pfizer plant. President Biden tried to get Republicans to join his rescue plan, and outside of Congress, some are on board.
According to Newsweek, more than 400 city mayors wrote to Congress, requesting they approve Biden’s “American Rescue Plan.” As President Biden has said, the plan will not be cheap, but failure to enact it will “cost us dearly.” The virus not only remains out of control, but we have now seen different variants, making it imperative that people get vaccinated sooner rather than later. As the Conference of Mayors pointed out in their correspondence, local governments also need help with the pandemic. While President Biden had hoped for bipartisan support for his plan in Congress, Republicans had other ideas. President Biden was and is serious about tackling COVID and moved forward without them. Who can blame him? Biden’s plans for Americans do not stop there.
President Biden has re-opened the healthcare website and has ordered that it remain open through May. Many people lost coverage, along with their jobs, during the pandemic and are now uninsured. It is vital that those impacted by these losses find a way to regain coverage, especially with the virus remaining uncontrolled. According to Investopia, Biden has also ordered that federal agencies review actions taken by the Trump administration to weaken protections for people with preexisting conditions and efforts that made it difficult to enroll in Medicaid and the ACA. It is shameful that these actions were ever taken, but getting those issues fixed is crucial. People need healthcare, and we need to be able pay for it. Insurance companies should not profit at the expense of people. Say what you want about President Biden, but his actions derive from concern for the average American, as they should.
President Biden is not only battling the COVID pandemic, but he is trying to simultaneously work on the economic situation. Mark Hamrick, an economic analyst with Bankrate, believes that Biden will move on this issue sooner rather than later according to CNBC. He met with leaders last Thursday on infrastructure issues, as he believes that will address some long-standing issues while creating new jobs. Biden wants to do the same with respect to clean energy. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and talked about the positive relationship he is forging with President Biden on climate change, as well as on NATO and Iran, revealing that Biden is also taking time to reach out to our allies to repair relationships. Thinking about everything that Biden is undertaking at one time sounds overwhelming, but he is, most importantly, upholding his promises to the American people.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years