Shocker alert: Before President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office, the first 100 days of a new White House administration wasn't exactly newsworthy. Before the 32nd president took his seat in the Oval Office in 1933, those 100 days were just well...days. It wasn't until Roosevelt passed 76 laws in those first months while also dealing with the country's crippling financial status (and hosting those famous fireside chats) that people started to realize a lot could go down if the right candidate meant business. And now that Joe Biden is president-elect, you might be wondering: What does he have planned for his first 100 days?
Ahead, I broke down what exactly what the former Delaware senator promised if elected to office, according to their campaign's "vision" and post-election press interviews. From reversing Trump's immigration laws to rejoining the Paris agreement, here's what to know.
Biden's Plans for COVID-19:
In their first interview since winning the election, Biden and Kamala Harris spoke to CNN's Jake Tapper on how they plan to tackle the coronavirus. The president-elect told Tapper they intend to issue a mask mandate for the first 100 days.
"Just 100 days to mask, not forever," Biden explained. "One hundred days. And I think we'll see a significant reduction."
He also plans on getting the vaccine at a public event to assure skeptics of its safety.
"People have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work," Biden said. "Already the numbers are really staggeringly low, and it matters what the president and vice president do."
Biden's Plans for the Environment:
- Host a climate world summit and discuss with leaders of the major carbon-emitting countries to join the United States in making pledges to limit their carbon footprint beyond what they already promised.
- Be the leading country in setting international agreements that will reduce emissions in global shipping and aviation.
- Rejoining the Paris Agreement, the U.S. withdrew from on June 1, 2017.
- Have the Office of Science and Technology Policy create a report identifying climate strategies and technologies to improve air and water quality in underfunded communities.
- Show public support for international legislatures and take action to decrease the greenhouse gas, hydrofluorocarbons, a known trigger in global warming.
If you want to read more about Biden's plan for the environment, click here.
Biden's Plans for the Economy:
- He wants to create a cabinet-level working group that will promote union organizing and collective bargaining in the public and private sectors.
- Another cabinet-level of labor representatives will be tasked to develop a solution that will increase union density and address economic inequality. The team will also work with numerous unions and trade associations to expand bargaining efforts.
If you want to read more about Biden's plan for the economy, click here.
Biden's Plans for Immigration:
- End the current asylum policies in place.
- Bring back case management programs while ending prolonged detentions that currently, many families suffer from.
- Reverse Trump’s public charge rule that denies permanent residency to legal immigrants if they use food stamps, Medicaid, housing vouchers, or any other public benefits.
- End the National Emergency that allows federal dollars from the Department of Defense to build the U.S. and Mexico border wall.
- Show support and protect Dreamers and their families.
- Get rid of the refugee bans.
- Bring humanitarian resources to the border for those in need.
- Review the countries listed under Temporary Protected Status.
- Restore sensible enforcement priorities.
- Hold Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees accountable for inhumane treatment.
- Support the current naturalization process for green cardholders.
- Use the Task Force on New Americans to promoting immigrant entrepreneurship, civil engagement, and increase access for people to learn new languages.
- Hold a meeting with leaders from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Canada, to address the factors driving migration and propose a regional resettlement solution.
If you want to read more about Biden's plan for immigration, click here.
Biden's Plans for Gun Safety:
- Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act that would keep firearms out of abusers reach by closing "boyfriend" and "stalking loopholes that continue to allow access to guns by abusive ex-boyfriends as well as stalkers with previous convictions.
- Biden will have his cabinet look at all federal programs and focus on those likely used that have users who experience more violence in their communities. From there, the administration plans to invest funds that will support and provide more trauma-informed and culturally responsive care.
- He wants to close the "Charleston loophole" that allows firearms to be purchased before the required background checks have been completed. (This is the very loophole that allowed Dylann Roof to buy a gun in 2015 and kill nine people at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston.)
Related Story
- He also plans to request a report from the FBI about the cases that background checks were not completed within 10 business days, yet guns were still purchased. From these findings, they want to develop a strategy that can eventually eliminate these occurrences.
- His appointed Attorney General will be asked to come up with recommendations on how the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives could be better to help enforce gun laws.
If you want to read more about Biden's plan for gun safety, click here.
Biden's Plans for the LGBTQ+ Community:
- He plans to direct federal resources to help prevent violence against transgender women, focusing on transgender women of color.
- He wants to pass the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. If passed, he plans to have his Cabinet enforce the act across all federal departments and agencies.
If you want to read more about Biden's plan for the LGBTQ+ community, click here.
Biden's Plans for Housing:
- On the first day, he plans to direct whoever is his Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to lead a task force that will ask mayors and other elected officials to detail what they believe could make housing available for everyone in their communities. The report would be due within 100 days.
- His Secretary of Housing and Urban Development will also review current federal housing policies to make sure they apply to Biden's "housing first" approach. This document will also look into homelessness assistance grants and the results they can provide to communities.
If you want to read more about Biden's plan for housing, click here.
