First things first: Biden must tackle the COVID-19 pandemic

Graphic+by+Ethan+Gullett

Ethan Gullett

Graphic by Ethan Gullett

Christopher Perez, Contributing Writer

As President Joe Biden begins his term, he faces a tough road ahead. A divided United States; protests for police reform; an ever-growing climate crisis; and a never-ending pandemic are some of the largest issues Biden will have to confront from day one.

Biden has planned to address a few of the aforementioned issues during his first 100 days of his presidency. Topping the list should be providing more Coronavirus relief for Americans in order to get back to some sense of normalcy.

Making the Coronavirus vaccine more readily available is extremely important in establishing strong leadership as the pandemic continues. Many people, mainly young adult minorities, have found themselves out of a job or are working far less hours than they normally work. In the fourth quarter of 2020, 16% of African Americans between the ages of 20 to 24 are filing for unemployment, 10.6% of Hispanics of the same age group, and 11.3% of Asians. This has caused millions of Americans, mainly minorities and children, to fall into poverty. Giving people some financial leniency can ease the stress of having to figure out how to pay their bills and other necessities. 

When looking at former President Trump’s Cabinet, diversity and capability seemed to be the last item on the list. Luckily, Biden has already nominated an experienced group of individuals that represent the United States more accurately for Cabinet positions. Along with the newly nominated Cabinet members comes many firsts in American history. The first Black Secretary of Defense; the first Latino to lead the Department of Health and Human Services; the first openly gay Cabinet member; the first Native American Cabinet secretary; and the first South Asian American to act as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to name a few.

Being Latino, it is great to be represented in government with people like Alejandro Mayorkas, who will be the first Latino to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Moreover, I would also like to see programs young voters want and what poverty-stricken people need. For example, universal healthcare would allow more people to afford medical help and procedures.

If Biden can’t gain control of this pandemic, millions of Americans, mainly minorities, might fall into poverty. If Biden can’t pass legislation favored by Generation Z voters and Millennial voters he runs the risk of allowing conservatives to gain momentum in government once again.