Biden’s plan: Take oath, start repair work

President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to sign around a dozen executive orders relating to dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, the US economic crisis and climate change on his very first day in the Oval Office sends out a strong and positive signal. It indicates that he does not intend to put off even by a day the task of undoing the damage done by the destructive policies and actions of Donald Trump. These are issues that deserve immediate action; hence the issue of executive orders on day one of Biden’s term. Topmost on his agenda on the domestic front is to bring under control the raging Covid-19 pandemic and the destruction it has wrought on the world’s biggest economy. He is expected to move swiftly to put in place institutions, processes and personnel to confront the coronavirus more robustly, including by freeing up all the vaccine that’s available for distribution immediately. He has also announced a new $1.9 trillion economic assistance package, on top of the earlier $2.2 trillion package passed by Congress. Most reassuringly for the world, Biden will sign orders for the US to rejoin the Paris climate change accord and to reverse Trump's ban on the entry of people into the US from some Muslim-majority countries. He is also expected to call up foreign leaders, especially US allies, to restore confidence in Washington and its global leadership.

Biden had promised swift action on several of these issues during his election campaign. By signing executive orders on the day of his inauguration, he will be fulfilling his campaign promises. Robust action on dealing with the pandemic, and on the economic crisis and racial injustice could serve to restore public confidence in the government and in American ideals, which have been severely eroded by Trump. The US’ return to the Paris accord will signal to the world Biden’s commitment not only to tackling climate change but also to being part of multilateral efforts to tackle global problems.

The raft of executive orders that Biden will issue on January 20 will provide an early push to officials to begin cleaning up after Trump. While such orders are, in Biden’s own words, “a day-one down payment on our commitment to living up to democratic values at home,” he will have much more to do to heal the dangerous divide in the country as well as to inspire confidence in America abroad. Those executive orders can be signals, but much of the real work of repairing America will have to be done through Congress, involving both Democrats and Republicans.