President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were on an exclusive chat with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday. The president-elect used the opportunity to reveal some pressing policies his administration would enact and some other major steps he would take in his first 100 days in office.
Among other things, Biden said he would ask Americans to wear masks within his first 100 days in office. He said the mask-wearing would not be forever and that the public would notice the reduction of infection cases across the country when this mandate is taken seriously.
Biden has been a public advocate of mask-wearing. While on his campaign trail, he had touted the possibility of enforcing a nation-wide mask mandate to help stop a pandemic that has killed over a quarter-million Americans. His views are a clear departure from the stance of President Donald Trump, who has deep reservations about wearing masks and has often taunted public officials who do so.
Biden also called on lawmakers to pass the $900 billion coronavirus stimulus package that was agreed by lawmakers earlier this week. He said although it is not enough, it is a good way to start. He announced that his stimulus package is in the works, in what would be his very first bill sent across for legislative consent.
Biden also announced that he’d asked the nation’s foremost infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, to continue in the role he’s held in several administrations, as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. Biden went a step further to request Fauci to become his chief medical adviser as well.
Biden acknowledged the current administration for hastening the production of a vaccine and noted that the distribution of the vaccine would be critical to curbing the spread of infections. He said he intends to convince the public that the vaccine is safe and efficacious by enlisting the help of three former presidents for the vaccination campaign.
Biden took a jab at Trump when he said his administration would not be making policy statements on Twitter. He also expressed concerns over news that Trump may be considering giving himself and his allies presidential pardons. Biden said the move by Trump would diminish the ratings of the US in the eyes of the international community as a nation that upholds the rule of law. Biden said he would give the Justice Department a free hand to operate independently once he took office.
While some influential Republican Senators may not have congratulated Biden publicly, the president-elect said he’d privately received a show of support from several other Republicans. He said he would be able to lobby bipartisan deals with the Republicans during his tenure.
Biden expressed the wish to see Trump attend his inauguration as a duty to Americans and in line with the tradition of a peaceful transition to power – a practice that has lasted several centuries.
Source: cnn.com
