The Presidential Moves Biden Will Make Today

They've "typically been a honeymoon period for new presidents," as NBC News puts it. The first 100 days most certainly won't be that for Joe Biden, who won't begin his term as president by tackling what he thought he would when he was seeking the nomination. Then he promised to zero in on immigration policy, foreign relations, and climate change out of the gate. Instead, he'll be tasked with guiding the country out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic distress it has wrought. What he plans to do during his first 100 days:

• Biden will get things going on Day One. On the docket for Wednesday, per the AP: Biden will mandate the use of masks and social distancing in all federal buildings, on federal lands, and by federal workers; he will move to rejoin the World Health Organization and rejoin the Paris climate accord (it'll take 30 days for the latter to become complete); end the national emergency that Trump declared on the border as well as the so-called "Muslim Travel Ban," ask the Education Department to push the end-date of its pause on federal student loan payments from the end of this month to Sept. 30 and delay evictions and foreclosures as well; establish an 8-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the US without legal status; and more.

• Biden has pledged to ensure 100 million coronavirus vaccinations happen in that period, and he wants $400 billion from Congress in order to make that happen, with the funds going toward everything from vaccinations and testing to PPE and the hiring of an additional 100,000 public health workers.
• He's seeking an additional $1 trillion from Congress to bolster the economy via $1,400 payments to most Americans and a $400-a-week federal unemployment insurance program.
• The Wall Street Journal's take: "A new administration’s first 100 days are typically scrutinized for signs of a president’s governing style and priorities. Past presidents have ushered in big initiatives, as President Barack Obama did with the passage of an economic-stimulus bill, or begun work on a major deal like President George W. Bush with his tax-cut package. But they also feature stumbles, such as Mr. Trump’s inability to immediately overhaul health care. And Mr. Biden will have narrower margins in Congress than Mr. Trump did when he took office."
• Want to know how Biden is doing on his grand plan? Bookmark this Economist page. It plans to track Biden's polling, progress, and Cabinet approvals.

(More Joe Biden stories.)