Biden’s Top-Four Priorities, Explained by Leading BU Experts
The president-elect lists COVID-19, racism, climate change, and the economy as his most pressing issues
![A photo of president-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris clasping hands and raising them above their heads. They are standing in front of an American flag. Both are wearing masks.](http://www.bu.edu/files/2021/01/Resize-GettyImages-1228132294.jpg)
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, celebrating after being nominated at last summer’s Democratic National Convention, have begun tackling the pandemic, racism, climate change, and economic recovery. Photo by Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images.
Shortly after their November election victory, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris signaled that there were four urgent, out-of-the-gate priorities their administration would address. Their pledges on each are expansive and ambitious. But achievable? Here is what they have said about each:
COVID-19: Free testing for Americans, ramped-up personal protective equipment (PPE) production while ensuring future American manufacturing of PPE, and “equitable” vaccination.
The economy: Aid to states, localities, and businesses; investing in education and healthcare; and making good on an infrastructure upgrade.
Racial equity: Ensuring access for people of color to jobs, homeownership, higher education, retirement savings, and other necessities.
Climate change: Spending on clean energy, building retrofits, and green infrastructure, while helping communities that bear the brunt of pollution.
An ambitious menu, certainly. But are Biden and Harris targeting the best step in addressing each problem? As their administration prepares to take office on January 20, BU Today asked University experts on each priority to evaluate the Biden-Harris approach and offer their thoughts on the issue.
Read the full story on BU Today.