BY ELI STOKOLS
>>> As a candidate and then president-elect, Joe Biden promised decisive action to tackle four national crises — the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting recession, climate change and racial injustice — and outlined dozens of actions he planned to take in his first 100 days in office. ¶ As president, he gave highest priority to the pandemic. After vowing in his inaugural address to “defeat the virus,” Biden has followed through on — and in some cases, surpassed — nearly all of his campaign promises in this area. As he nears his 100th day in office Thursday, a traditional milepost for assessing presidents’ early progress, Biden has won the approval of 7 in 10 Americans for his response to COVID-19. ¶ At the White House on Tuesday, Biden touted the “stunning progress” over the last three months, noting the drop in deaths, hospitalizations and cases as millions of Americans have been vaccinated. ¶ He has also delivered on promises related to climate change and the economy. But Biden has taken only small steps so far to address the fourth crisis he identified — racial injustice — even as the nation has continued to be convulsed on his watch by mass shootings and instances of police killings of unarmed Black people. And he has struggled to get a handle on an immigration system that has been strained further by an influx of migrants seeking asylum, disappointing progressives by keeping some of President Trump’s policies in place. ¶ Biden’s executive actions in many policy areas, however symbolic, fulfilled a number of campaign promises. But those steps are no substitute for more far-reaching laws because the next president can undo them. Finding bipartisan compromises in this narrowly divided Congress won’t be easy, however. ¶ Here is a rundown of the president’s progress on his promises at the 100-day mark: