Biden’s First 100 Days; Friday’s Open Thread

Pardon Our Mess. Photo by Marty Mankins.

It’s Friday.

Today marks President Biden’s 23rd day in office.

For day 23, President Biden will have met with a group of bipartisan Governors and Mayors to discuss the need for Congress to pass the American Rescue Plan. Afterward he’ll have lunch with his Vice President Kamala Harris. After lunch they will met with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to receive their economic briefing.

President Biden is scheduled to to travel to Camp David this weekend, his first trip there as President.

Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui tweeted the bipartisan group meeting with the President and Vice President. The list she says was provided by the White House.

As mentioned in Thursday’s Open Thread, President Biden and Vice President Harris met with Senators and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to discuss “infrastructure.”

The White House provided a readout of the meeting.

Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris met in the Oval Office with a bipartisan group of Senators from the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined virtually, to discuss the critical need for investing in modern and sustainable American infrastructure. The meeting is one of several the Administration plans to conduct on infrastructure with Members of Congress and stakeholders.

The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Senators established the mutual understanding that America needs to build new infrastructure across urban and rural areas and create millions of good-paying jobs in the process to support the country’s economic recovery in the months and years ahead. They had a productive conversation and exchanged constructive ideas to further inform President Biden’s economic recovery plans to build back our country better for working families. They also expressed a deep commitment to working across the aisle to deliver infrastructure and jobs to American communities.

The President, Vice President, and Secretary also shared the Administration’s vision for building sustainable infrastructure that will withstand the impacts of climate change and fuel an American clean energy revolution. They also reiterated their commitment to making sure no workers are left behind, underscoring how the Administration will bring construction, manufacturing, engineering, and skilled-trades jobs — with the choice to join a union — directly to the communities that are too often left behind.

White House.gov. 02/11/2021.

He added six more tweets to his Thursday tweets, giving him a total of seven, one was shared in Thursday’s Open Thread.

@ 5:24 p.m. D.C., time, he shared an image from the Oval Office meeting, explaining that he was committed to working “across the aisle” in order to “deliver infrastructure and jobs to communities across the country.”

On Thursday he also spoke to the staff at the National Institutes of Health. At 4:43 p.m. D.C., time, he shared a live stream to his address.

The address is 19 minutes and 34 seconds long his full remarks can be found @ white house.gov.

Some highlights:

Good afternoon, folks.  I had a little discussion with my friends behind me, Dr. Collins and Dr. Fauci, about whether or not I should take my mask off.  And the truth is, although we’re more than 10 feet away, I think it’s important that I not.  It’s critically important the message — and I realize I’m speaking to a vast majority — at least, I hope I am — of the folks out here at NIH.  You know that wearing this mask through the next year here can save lives — a significant numbers of lives.

And so I apologize if you don’t hear me as clearly as you — maybe you should.

[the shade on former Impeached Two-time incompetent ass]

It’s no secret that the vaccination program was in much worse shape than my team and I anticipated.  We were under the impression, I’m told, that we had a lot more resources than we did when we came into office.  We’ve only been here three weeks, but we’ve learned a great deal in those three weeks.

While scientists did their job in discovering vaccines in record time, my predecessor — I’ll be very blunt about it — did not do his job in getting ready for the massive challenge of vaccinating hundreds of millions of Americans.  He didn’t order enough vaccines.  He didn’t mobilize enough people to administer the shots.  He didn’t set up federal vaccine centers where eligible people could go and get their shots.

When I became President three weeks ago, America had no plan to vaccinate most of the country.  It was a big mess. It’s going to take time to fix, to be blunt with you.  I promised, when I did my inaugural address, that I’d always be straight with you — give it to you straight from the shoulder: I will not walk away when we make a mistake; I’ll acknowledge it and tell you the truth.

We started on day one.  We won’t have everything fixed for a while, but we’re going to fix it.

Two weeks ago, I directed Jeff Zients, who’s here with me — my COVID-19 Response Coordinator — to work with the Department of Health and Human Services to purchase more vaccines.

Just this afternoon, we signed the final contracts for 100 million more Moderna and 100 million more Pfizer vaccines. And we’re also able to move up the delivery dates with an additional 200 million vaccines to the end of July — faster than we expected.

And in further good news, both companies agreed — and we’re now contractually obligated — to expedite delivery of 100 million doses, that were promised by the end of June, to deliver them by the end of May. That’s a month faster. That means lives will be saved.

[more shade]

It may not sound like the urgent progress we need, but let’s be clear: When I took office, just three weeks ago, this country did not have a plan or enough vaccines, or people to vaccinate Americans — any — all Americans, at any time, in any point in 2021. 

[there is even more shade]

When I got to office, there was no federal plan — none — to ship vaccines directly to local pharmacies.  So, folks — folks who are allowed to get vaccination under the state rules, as the allocation of who gets in line, are allowed to get one, can schedule an appointment now and get COVID-19 vaccine shots like they would a flu shot from their pharmacy.  And we’ll start today — that program. 

[as we knew would be mentioned]

And to really get ahead of this pandemic instead of chasing it, we need Congress to pass my American Rescue Plan.  And I’m grateful that the Senate and the House are moving quickly.  And my hope is that we’ll get Republicans, as well as Democrats, to support us. 

But we can’t wait.  People are dying every minute from this pandemic.  And we’re suffering a profound economic crisis that the pandemic has created.  Every major economist in the country — left, right, and center — says we can’t go big enough here.  And if we want to get our economy back in shape, we’ve got to move quickly. 

White House.gov. 02/11/2021.

Prior to his address at 4:06 p.m. D.C., time, he tweeted another push for the American Rescue Plan.

And again at 7:46 p.m. D.C., time.

He threw more shade at the former idiot, this time in tweet form@ 9:51 p.m. D.C., time.

At 10:30 p.m. D.C., time, he shared images from his NIH visit thanking doctors, scientists, and researchers for their help in fighting the pandemic, calling them “the best America has to offer.”

For Friday he has tweeted so far, 2 times.

@ 10:00 a.m. D.C., time.

At 12:01 p.m. D.C., time, he wishes folks a Happy Lunar New Year.

The joint video address is 2 minutes and 9 seconds long.

And speaking of the First Lady…

And with that we pop in our way back machine, back to his 7th day in office, January 27th, 2021.

He had 9 tweets and 2 retweeted for that Wednesday.

8:01 a.m. D.C., time.

1. Shares a video of his conversation with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg of NATO.

The White House readout of the call:

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The President thanked the Secretary General for his steadfast leadership of the Alliance, and conveyed his intention to consult and work with allies on the full range of shared security concerns , including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Russia. President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to collective defense under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and underscored his commitment to strengthening transatlantic security. The President also emphasized the importance of shared values, consultation, and capabilities to strengthen deterrence and counter new and emerging threats, including climate change and global health security.

White House.gov. 01/27/2021.

10:55 a.m. D.C., time.

2. Says we have no time to waste on tackling the threat of climate change.

1:37 p.m. D.C., time.

3. Shares a live feed to his remarks on the actions he’ll take to combat climate change.

3:00 p.m. D.C., time.

4. Says he took bold action.

5:25 p.m. D.C., time.

6. Says he’s launched a whole-of-government approach to tackle climate change.

7:35 p.m. D.C., time.

7. Says he will let science be his guide.

9:30 p.m. D.C., time.

9. Says that “we are going to tackle climate change,” while creating good paying, union jobs. He quoted over an annoying flashing White House shared gif.

As the News Blender covered at the time, President Biden would sign three Executive Actions to tackle climate change.

Executive Order on tackling the climate crisis at home and aboard provided by the White House.

PART I — PUTTING THE CLIMATE CRISIS AT THE CENTER OF UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Section 101.  Policy.  United States international engagement to address climate change — which has become a climate crisis — is more necessary and urgent than ever.  The scientific community has made clear that the scale and speed of necessary action is greater than previously believed.  There is little time left to avoid setting the world on a dangerous, potentially catastrophic, climate trajectory.  Responding to the climate crisis will require both significant short-term global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and net-zero global emissions by mid-century or before.

Sec. 102.  Purpose.  This order builds on and reaffirms actions my Administration has already taken to place the climate crisis at the forefront of this Nation’s foreign policy and national security planning, including submitting the United States instrument of acceptance to rejoin the Paris Agreement.  In implementing — and building upon — the Paris Agreement’s three overarching objectives (a safe global temperature, increased climate resilience, and financial flows aligned with a pathway toward low greenhouse gas emissions and climate‑resilient development), the United States will exercise its leadership to promote a significant increase in global climate ambition to meet the climate challenge.

PART II — TAKING A GOVERNMENT-WIDE APPROACH TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS
Sec. 201.  Policy.  Even as our Nation emerges from profound public health and economic crises borne of a pandemic, we face a climate crisis that threatens our people and communities, public health and economy, and, starkly, our ability to live on planet Earth.  Despite the peril that is already evident, there is promise in the solutions — opportunities to create well-paying union jobs to build a modern and sustainable infrastructure, deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050.

Sec. 202.  White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy.  There is hereby established the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy (Climate Policy Office) within the Executive Office of the President, which shall coordinate the policy-making process with respect to domestic climate-policy issues; coordinate domestic climate-policy advice to the President; ensure that domestic climate-policy decisions and programs are consistent with the President’s stated goals and that those goals are being effectively pursued; and monitor implementation of the President’s domestic climate-policy agenda.  The Climate Policy Office shall have a staff headed by the Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor (National Climate Advisor) and shall include the Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Climate Advisor.  The Climate Policy Office shall have such staff and other assistance as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this order, subject to the availability of appropriations, and may work with established or ad hoc committees or interagency groups.  All agencies shall cooperate with the Climate Policy Office and provide such information, support, and assistance to the Climate Policy Office as it may request, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.
Sec.203.  National Climate Task Force.  There is hereby established a National Climate Task Force (Task Force).  The Task Force shall be chaired by the National Climate Advisor.

White House.gov. 01/27/2021.

There’s more…

PART II — TAKING A GOVERNMENT-WIDE APPROACH TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS
Sec. 201.  Policy.  Even as our Nation emerges from profound public health and economic crises borne of a pandemic, we face a climate crisis that threatens our people and communities, public health and economy, and, starkly, our ability to live on planet Earth.  Despite the peril that is already evident, there is promise in the solutions — opportunities to create well-paying union jobs to build a modern and sustainable infrastructure, deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050.
Sec. 202.  White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy.  There is hereby established the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy (Climate Policy Office) within the Executive Office of the President, which shall coordinate the policy-making process with respect to domestic climate-policy issues; coordinate domestic climate-policy advice to the President; ensure that domestic climate-policy decisions and programs are consistent with the President’s stated goals and that those goals are being effectively pursued; and monitor implementation of the President’s domestic climate-policy agenda.  The Climate Policy Office shall have a staff headed by the Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor (National Climate Advisor) and shall include the Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Climate Advisor.  The Climate Policy Office shall have such staff and other assistance as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this order, subject to the availability of appropriations, and may work with established or ad hoc committees or interagency groups.  All agencies shall cooperate with the Climate Policy Office and provide such information, support, and assistance to the Climate Policy Office as it may request, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.
Sec.203.  National Climate Task Force.  There is hereby established a National Climate Task Force (Task Force).  The Task Force shall be chaired by the National Climate Advisor.

Sec. 204.  Policy.  It is the policy of my Administration to lead the Nation’s effort to combat the climate crisis by example — specifically, by aligning the management of Federal procurement and real property, public lands and waters, and financial programs to support robust climate action.  By providing an immediate, clear, and stable source of product demand, increased transparency and data, and robust standards for the market, my Administration will help to catalyze private sector investment into, and accelerate the advancement of America’s industrial capacity to supply, domestic clean energy, buildings, vehicles, and other necessary products and materials.

Sec. 205.  Federal Clean Electricity and Vehicle Procurement Strategy.  (a)  The Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, the Administrator of General Services, and the Director of the Office and Management and Budget, in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of other relevant agencies, shall assist the National Climate Advisor, through the Task Force established in section 203 of this order, in developing a comprehensive plan to create good jobs and stimulate clean energy industries by revitalizing the Federal Government’s sustainability efforts.

White House.gov. 01/27/2021

There is more and to read it all, you can follow the links…

Executive Order on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology provided by the White House.

 Section 1.  Policy.  As directed in the Presidential Memorandum of January 27, 2021 (Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking), it is the policy of my Administration to make evidence-based decisions guided by the best available science and data.  Officials and employees across my Administration shall seek from scientists, engineers, and other experts the best available scientific and technological information and advice.

Sec. 2.  Establishment.  (a)  There is hereby established the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).  
(b)  The PCAST shall be composed of not more than 26 members.  The Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (the “Science Advisor”) shall be a member of the PCAST.  The Science Advisor, if also serving as the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, may designate the U.S. Chief Technology Officer as a member.  The remaining members shall be distinguished individuals and representatives from sectors outside of the Federal Government appointed by the President.  These non-Federal members shall have diverse perspectives and expertise in science, technology, and innovation.

(c)  The Science Advisor shall serve as a Co-Chair of the PCAST.  The President shall also designate at least one, but not more than two, of the non-Federal members to serve as a Co‑Chair, or Co-Chairs, of the PCAST with the Science Advisor.  The Science Advisor may designate up to three Vice Chairs of the PCAST from among the non-Federal members of the PCAST, to support the Co-Chairs in the leadership and organization of the PCAST.

Sec. 3.  Functions.  (a)  The PCAST shall advise the President on matters involving policy affecting science, technology, and innovation, as well as on matters involving scientific and technological information that is needed to inform public policy relating to the economy, worker empowerment, education, energy, the environment, public health, national and homeland security, racial equity, and other topics.

White House.gov. 01/27/2021.

Memorandum on restoring trust in government through scientific integrity and evidence-based policy making as seen at White House.gov.

Section 1. Role of the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (Director) shall ensure the highest level of integrity in all aspects of executive branch involvement with scientific and technological processes. This responsibility shall include ensuring that executive departments and agencies (agencies) establish and enforce scientific-integrity policies that ban improper political interference in the conduct of scientific research and in the collection of scientific or technological data, and that prevent the suppression or distortion of scientific or technological findings, data, information, conclusions, or technical results. In implementing this memorandum, the Director shall, as appropriate, convene and confer with the heads of agencies and with personnel within the offices of the Executive Office of the President, including the Office of Management and Budget.

Sec. 2. Task Force on Scientific Integrity. (a) The Director shall convene an interagency task force (the “Task Force”) of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) to conduct a thorough review of the effectiveness of agency scientific-integrity policies developed since the issuance of the Presidential Memorandum of March 9, 2009.

Sec. 3.  Agency Scientific-Integrity Policies.  (a)  Heads of agencies shall ensure that all agency activities associated with scientific and technological processes are conducted in accordance with the 6 principles set forth in section 1 of the Presidential Memorandum of March 9, 2009, and the 4 foundations of scientific integrity in government set forth in part I of the Director’s Memorandum of December 17, 2010.

Sec. 4.  Publication of Scientific-Integrity Policies and Ongoing Biennial Reporting.  (a)  The Director shall publish on the OSTP website, and disseminate via social media, information about this memorandum, related OSTP and NSTC reports on scientific integrity, and links to the scientific-integrity policies posted on agency websites, to ensure such information and policies can be easily accessed by the public.

Sec. 5.  Evidence-Based Policymaking.  (a)  Heads of agencies shall ensure that the scientific-integrity policies of their agencies consider, supplement, and support their plans for forming evidence-based policies, including the evidence-building plans required by 5 U.S.C. 312(a) and the annual evaluation plans required by 5 U.S.C. 312(b).

Sec. 6.  Agency Chief Science Officers and Scientific Integrity Officials.  (a)  Within 120 days of the date of this memorandum, the heads of agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee scientific research shall, to the extent consistent with applicable law, designate a senior agency employee for the role of chief science officer, science advisor, or chief scientist (“Chief Science Officer”), who shall:
(i)   Serve as the principal advisor to the head of the agency on scientific issues and ensure that the agency’s research programs are scientifically and technologically well-founded and conducted with integrity…

Sec. 7.  Scientific Advisory Committees.  (a)  Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, heads of agencies shall review their current and future needs for independent scientific and technological advice from Federal advisory committees, commissions, and boards.  The review should include an evaluation of those advisory bodies established by law, and should consider both current and anticipated needs.

White House.gov. 01/27/2021.

Tweets not related to climate change.

3:43 p.m. D.C., time.

5. Shares his statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

His full statement:

Today, we join together with people from nations around the world to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day by remembering the 6 million Jews, as well as the Roma and Sinti, Slavs, disabled persons, LGBTQ+ individuals, and many others, who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Shoah. We must never forget the truth of what happened across Europe or brush aside the horrors inflicted on our fellow humans because of the doctrines of hatred and division.

I first learned about the horrors of the Holocaust listening to my father at the dinner table. The passion he felt that we should have done more to prevent the Nazi campaign of systematic mass murder has stayed with me my entire life. It’s why I took my children to visit Dachau in Germany, and why I hope to do the same for each of my grandchildren — so they too would see for themselves the millions of futures stolen away by unchecked hatred and understand in their bones what can happen when people turn their heads and fail to act.

We must pass the history of the Holocaust on to our grandchildren and their grandchildren in order to keep real the promise of “never again.” That is how we prevent future genocides. Remembering the victims, heroes, and lessons of the Holocaust is particularly important today as Holocaust deniers and minimizers are growing louder in our public discourse. But the facts are not up for question, and each of us must remain vigilant and speak out against the resurgent tide of anti-Semitism, and other forms of bigotry and intolerance, here at home and around the world.

The horrors we saw and heard in Charlottesville in 2017, with white nationalists and neo-Nazis spewing the same anti-Semitic bile we heard in the 1930s in Europe, are the reason I ran for president. Today, I recommit to the simple truth that preventing future genocides remains both our moral duty and a matter of national and global importance.

The Holocaust was no accident of history. It occurred because too many governments cold-bloodedly adopted and implemented hate-fueled laws, policies, and practices to vilify and dehumanize entire groups of people, and too many individuals stood by silently. Silence is complicity. As my late friend and Holocaust survivor Tom Lantos so frequently reminded us: “The veneer of civilization is paper thin. We are its guardians, and we can never rest.”

When hatred goes unchecked, and when the checks and balances in government and society that protect fundamental freedoms are lost, violence and mass atrocities can result. The United States will continue to champion justice for Holocaust survivors and their heirs. We are committed to helping build a world in which the lessons of the Holocaust are taught and in which all human lives are valued.

White House.gov. 01/27/2021.

8:30 p.m. D.C., time.

8. Celebrates his first week in office.

And with that, we are back to the present time.


Live Feed for the daily press briefing scheduled for 12:30 p.m. D.C., time.

The White House.

This is an Open Thread.

Everyone have a great weekend, catch you on the flip-side!

About the opinions in this article…

Any opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this website or of the other authors/contributors who write for it.

About Tiff 2521 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.