For most of his political life, Joseph Biden has had his heart set on Jan. 20 being a defining moment, when after three runs for the nation’s highest elected office, he would be inaugurated president of the United States.
The date has arrived, but without the usual aura of celebration. The Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, compounding the existing pandemic safety concerns, has made it all but impossible to mark the occasion in most traditional ways — crowds packing the National Mall, social gatherings at night, all of that are security risks.
But today’s occasion is more profound than ever for the nation. For the noon swearing-in ceremonies for the 46th president and for Kamala Harris as vice president, Biden insisted on having it in a traditional spot, at the steps of the same Capitol building where the now-infamous insurrection took place. The outgoing president, Donald Trump, had announced he would not attend, which is a departure from inauguration traditions.
Despite the nation’s raw emotions, there is something reassuring about some continuity in the ritual of power changing hands. And in spite of all the recent upheaval, there is relief in seeing that there is a muscular federal plan for the most immediate and acute crisis facing the country: getting COVID-19 under control.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will head up thousands of vaccination sites in community facilities across the country as well as mobile operations to reach people who live remotely or are unable to travel. This will be not unlike the hubs and mobile options mobilizing this week in Hawaii, under the direction of state authorities.
Biden has announced plans to invoke the Defense Production Act to speed production of essential components for the distribution, such as vials and syringes, and to fund medical support for vaccinations and mobilize the National Guard to help in that effort.
He also is banking on the emergency authorization of two new vaccines, by Johnson &Johnson and
Astra-Zenica, which are touted for fewer challenges, such as ultra-cold refrigeration requirements, in disseminating them.
All of this makes sense — only the federal government can marshal the kind of forces needed to get a job of this magnitude done.
It is not a foregone conclusion, however, that Congress will quickly approve the entire package, coming as it does with a $1.9 trillion price tag. The proposal includes elements aimed at addressing the economic recession caused by the pandemic shutdowns: additional funding for stimulus, more unemployment and rental aid, food stamp supplementation, more business assistance and aid for states and schools.
There is also a proposal to raise the minimum wage nationally to $15 an hour, and that may be a breaking point for some in the GOP, concerned, with reason, that this could be too much for already distressed businesses. That’s especially true in areas like Hawaii with economies built largely on small business.
This is where Biden’s experience as a lawmaker, one who promotes bipartisan negotiations as a strategy, brings reason for hope.
A new president with the aim of shepherding a socially and politically fragmented nation must show that government can help the average citizen. Beyond the emergency relief initiative, Biden intends to pursue bills for infrastructure and green energy, which would be welcome and wise investments in a future growth economy.
He’s going to have to tap his long experience with compromise to move the country forward, and the path to healing will be long.
It is promising, though, to see the first steps taken today, and by leaders who have confidence that America will find its way.
