What can Biden do without cooperation from Congress?
Lots of things. Here are a few priorities.
When Joe Biden takes office as president, he’ll have plenty to do. The United States faces numerous pressing, even urgent challenges. At press time it was not yet known which party will control the Senate or whether any modicum of cooperation between branches will be forthcoming. But there are many things the Biden administration can do quickly and without Congress’s help. Here are some top priorities.
Establish a robust federal COVID-19 response. So far, public health guidance has been confusing, contradictory, and politically compromised. Governors have found themselves in bidding wars for medical equipment. While vaccines are now being produced, states need assistance and funding to distribute them effectively. Biden can’t undo the harm of months of weak governance, but he can change course.
Recognize the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. Biden can act quickly to keep families together, to stop deportations without due process, and to allow asylum seekers to make their case from the US side of the border. He can increase the cap on refugee resettlement. And he can halt construction of the costly and pointless border wall.
