San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Virus spread top challenge facing Biden
Joe Biden has proved, in his acceptance speech Nov. 7 and his comments since then, that his inauguration will be a mere formality.
Biden might be president-elect, but in tenor, tone and leadership, he is already president of the United States. When he formally takes office Jan. 20, Biden will have opportunities to negotiate bipartisan deals on Dreamers and climate change, but he also faces daunting challenges. None is greater than controlling the spread of COVID-19.
The U.S. death toll has surpassed 240,000, with 100,000-plus cases consistently reported daily. There have been more than 1 million cases in Texas and nearly 20,000 deaths, as of last week. Grim milestones on a journey that is, sadly, far from over.
In his acceptance speech last weekend, Biden declared he would form a coronavirus task force, and he revealed the members in a brief address Monday. He also will hold public briefings on the novel coronavirus, even before his inauguration, enlightening the public about the virus and how to fight it — fireside chats for the 21st century.
The recent news of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, which potentially could be more than 90 percent effective (although many questions remain), offers a glimmer of light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. But mass distribution of the vaccine, along with others in development, remains months away.
In the wake of this news, Biden can do three things to vastly improve the COVID-19 outlook:
First, he can underscore best practices around mask-wearing and defer to scientific voices. Or, as he recently said, “It doesn’t matter your party, your point of view. We can save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months.”
Second, his administration can establish rapid supply chains for distribution, ensuring the most vulnerable are first to receive vaccines.
Third, he can depoliticize the vaccine discussion by acknowledging the work that occurred during the Trump administration to advance a number of vaccines while highlighting how this crisis has affected Republicans and Democrats alike.
Getting a handle on COVID-19 has to be the top priority, but there are several other priorities a Biden administration can immediately tackle.
On climate change, Biden has said he will return the United States to the Paris climate agreement, and he can take a number of steps to mitigate emissions without congressional approval. But Biden can also work with lawmakers on market-based responses, such as a carbon fee and dividend plan, or by wedding technology incentives with regulations.
Comprehensive immigration reform is elusive, but hope exists for Dreamers. It’s been estimated there are more than 100,000 Dreamers in Texas, and in an interview with this Editorial Board, Republican Sen. John Cornyn expressed support for a path to citizenship and regret about past obstruction.
“The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was unfair to use these young people, who did nothing wrong,” Cornyn told us. “We don’t blame children for the mistakes of their parents in America. It was unfair to leverage them for other immigration reform that I wanted or that my side wanted.”
We’ll see if these words translate into meaningful action, but they reflect an opportunity for Biden to make a deal with Republican lawmakers on a path to citizenship for Dreamers.
Finally, while it appears likely the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold the Affordable Care Act, Biden should advance health care reforms that ensure access to coverage, protections for pre-existing conditions and ways to lower medical costs.
Impossible? Probably. But Biden has tasted political defeat and survived unimaginable personal loss only to emerge with uncommon poise and equanimity. He reconciled differences with Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris to form a historic winning ticket.
He will need that sense of purpose and reconciliation in the days — and years — ahead. It begins with controlling the pandemic, but hardly ends there.