Biden Looks to Tackle Multiple, Sometimes-Interrelated Crises

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by discomforts,” novelist Arnold Bennett said. Joe Biden, the 46th president and current president has his own ideas to make America better, hopefully addressing some of the most important problems: the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, and human rights.

We know that the coronavirus pandemic has destroyed our lives, killing more than 400,000 Americans and counting. As we all know, the vaccine is now here and being distributed among healthcare workers and other high-risk individuals. Over 77,000 Americans lost their lives in December alone, hospitals are full, and many families are losing their loved ones at this very moment. Biden has decided to sign a bill that requires masks on federal property for the next 100 days in order to combat the virus. He has a whole plan to ensure free, widespread testing and the safe reopening of schools.

With regard to the economy, millions of Americans have become unemployed, and the spread of COVID threatens the economy. Biden is hoping to get more relief checks into the pockets of Americans soon. Even if he is successful in getting Congress to pass bills that he favors into law, there will be difficulties ahead. It may take significant efforts to instill confidence in the economy. Furthermore, the U.S. economy’s performance seems to be closely connected to the pandemic, which means that there may have to be confidence in health policy before there is economic growth.

Human rights are also of major concern in 2021. Biden said, “I pledge to be a President who seeks not to divide, but to unify.” This goal has become of particular importance since the killing of George Floyd and many other African Americans at the hands of police officers became national news, often documented with video footage. Not only did the killings increase the number of protests that were going on, but they sometimes led to social unrest. Biden wants to fix what he sees as the problems that have festered during the past several years and unify the country, but it will not be easy, especially after the Capitol riot on January 6.