Although he is still absent from the White House, President-elect Joe Biden has already made paramount promises for his first day in office that will not only benefit the country and the Covid-19 effort, but will undo many of the policies that President Trump has put into place. 

In his transition, Biden and his team have outlined a few issues that need to be prioritized over others, including Covid-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change. 

Biden has already held an in-person meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Friday in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden hopes to approve his Covid-19 plan with congress in the lame-duck session before his presidency begins. 

Biden has claimed to be a pro-science candidate, and stands by the CDC guidelines which implore people to wear masks and social distance. On his first day in office, Biden wants to issue a federal mask mandate as a first step before his “seven point plan to beat Covid-19.” Although this seems like something that should have been done regardless of what state officials felt like doing, Biden wants to make it very clear that he is taking the virus seriously. 

As for economic recovery, something in need of immediate attention due to the losses the U.S. has seen during Covid-19, Biden’s plan involves helping small businesses stay open by giving $377 billion in order for them to stay afloat. Big corporations will have to focus on being able to pay their employees, and not on enriching themselves, and having Congress approve a direct cash relief to the people who need it. 

Biden has made it clear that one of his top priorities is to create a more resilient and inclusive economy. On his first day, he plans on requiring every person in his administration to sign an ethics pledge, based on the one President Barack Obama put into effect in 2009, which Biden hopes will restore faith in the federal government. 

Along with the pledge, Biden wants to restore the rights of transgender students on his first day by requiring government funded schools to once again extend protections and rights even after Trump denied them during his presidency. These rights give transgender students access to bathrooms, locker rooms and the ability to join sports teams without being discriminated against based on their gender identities. 

Biden also wants to make the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) permanent, which gives young adults without legal citizenship the ability to attend school and work without living in fear of being deported. He also wants to create a task force that reunites Mexican immigrant children with their families.

For climate change, Biden wants to “launch a national effort aimed at creating the jobs we need to build a modern, sustainable infrastructure now and deliver an equitable clean energy future.” He will achieve this by investing millions of dollars in creating jobs that will change our country to be more sustainable and efficient, little by little. Biden also hopes that these jobs will strengthen the middle class. 

On Nov. 4, Trump left the Paris Climate Accord, which is the international effort to get rid of greenhouse gas emissions, and Biden is planning on rejoining it as soon as he can. Biden also finds it crucial to reverse Trump’s rules on 100 health and environment issues that would keep fossil fuels in the ground.

Many people speculate that the promises Biden is making are empty and without substance. Although there are many, and it seems like wishful thinking to promise so much, Biden wants to reverse the evil that President Trump has inflicted on the U.S. Even if Biden does not get everything done on his first day, there is hope that these issues will be tackled with because of their paramount importance to our soon-to-be president.