Eight important things on Joe Biden’s first-day checklist
All US presidential candidates have a checklist of things they plan to achieve on the first day of their presidency. These often involve reversing unpopular actions of their predecessors.
Trending topics on the go: How we write news at YEN.com.gh
Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana
Biden, according to predictions, won Pennsylvania and the election after getting over 270 electoral votes needed to win the race.
Quartz reports that Joe Biden has a long to-do list which will likely occupy his first weeks and months in office.
Below are some of the things on his to-do list
1. Tackle coronavirus head on
Biden has promised to reach out Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease specialist, for advice on how to combat the pandemic which has claimed over 200,000 lives in the US.
He earlier tweeted:
"We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality, or relish life’s most precious moments — hugging a grandchild, birthdays, weddings, graduations, all the moments that matter most to us — until we get this virus under control."
Source: Twitter
2. Rejoin the WHO
President Donald Trump had on July 7 announced that he was withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization (WHO). His reason being that the world body was biased towards China which he believes is to blame for the coronavirus pandemic.
That same day, Joe Biden vowed to reverse that decision on his first day as president.
3. Start repairing the US’ reputation
Biden earlier promised that on Day One he’ll reassure the US’s allies that “we’re back and you can count on us again.”
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will be glad to welcome the US back into the fold
4. Rejoin the Paris climate accord
The US officially left the Paris climate agreement on November 4 which took a while for Trump to finalise.
On Day One or soon after he is sworn in, Biden could submit a notice to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that the US intends to reenter the agreement.
5. Keep more fossil fuels in the ground
In a July 14 speech, Biden promised that if elected, he would “reverse Trump’s rollbacks of 100 public health and environmental rules,” many accomplished (and easily undone) by no-fuss executive orders.
6. Bring back transgender students’ rights
Obama's education department issued guidance that required any school receiving funds from the federal government to extend protections to transgender students in May 2016 but this was revoked by Trump and education secretary, Betsy DeVos.
Biden says those protections will be reinstated on his first day in office.
7. End the ban on Muslim countries
One of Trump's first acts, when he became president, was to restrict travelers from six Muslim-majority countries.
Biden said it was “vile” for Trump to ban entry to the US from several predominately Muslim countries during a speech in July and promised to overturn the restrictions on his first day.
8. Remove restrictions on union workers
Restrictions on federal workers unions imposed by Trump, including limiting the time workers can spend on union business will be eliminated by Biden.
Meanwhile, Biden is full of gratitude to the American people for choosing him to be their next leader. He sent a message to all who voted for him, saying "thank you from the bottom of my heart".
In a series of tweets on his official Twitter handle, he called on everyone to join hands with him in making America great again.
Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition?
Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page
Source: YEN.com.gh
