President Biden
Joe Biden’s startling presidency Hill’s Morning report: Biden and McConnell agree on vaccines, infrastructure clash Republican battle with MLB intensifies MORE carefully raises expectations about the launch of the coronavirus vaccine, announcing Tuesday that all adults will be eligible to receive a dose in the next two weeks and that the “vast majority” will have received a dose by the end of May.
The White House has been diligent in setting achievable goals for Biden’s response to the coronavirus, which has allowed the president to subsequently exceed or raise expectations.
After initially pushing states to allow all adults to receive vaccines before May 1, Biden announced Tuesday that all adults could sign up to receive a dose on April 19. one vaccine, while others had established plans to vaccinate all adults on or before April 19.
Biden also announced that the U.S. has administered more than 150 million doses of vaccine since he took office, far exceeding the initial goal of 100 million doses in his first 100 days in office that Biden has doubled since then.
“The way Biden has been operating at the policy level is underpromised and excessive returns. It wants to set modest and reasonable expectations and then do everything possible to exceed those expectations,” said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University. “I think this is smart from a public point of view because it keeps people in mind that we have to keep being careful … and that we have to be patient and wait our turn.”
Polls consistently show that the solid majority of the public approves of Biden’s treatment of the coronavirus, an issue that is on the minds of many Americans. Democrats are likely to take home the message they delivered about vaccines and economic relief to increase their chances in the 2022 midterm elections.
“It sets the tone for everything,” Josh Schwerin, a Democratic strategist, said of the virus’s response. “The pandemic is the most important issue for voters everywhere, and that is across party lines and any demographic division, it will always be the main issue. Handling it well is the most important thing Biden can do. That doesn’t mean he can sit back and relax and do nothing else, but it absolutely sets the tone for the rest of his first term and the midterm elections. ”
The Biden administration faces real challenges as new variants and a further increase in coronavirus cases threaten progress. Officials are also struggling to vaccinate Americans who are hesitant to get the vaccine, including some in minority and Republican communities.
Biden made confrontation with the pandemic a central focus of his successful presidential campaign and has spent his first 75 days in office focused on tackling the coronavirus.
The Biden administration has worked to accelerate the production and delivery of U.S.-authorized vaccines, two of which were approved by the Trump administration and one by Biden, and to work with states and local officials to expand the access to these. The White House says there will be enough vaccines for all Americans by the end of May.
“Even at the record speed we are at, we are not even halfway vaccinated for more than 300 million Americans,” Biden said Tuesday while stressing continued surveillance against the virus. “This will take time.”
Biden’s approach to setting lower expectations has diverged from the previous one President Trump
Donald Trump The Amazing Presidency of Joe Biden The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden and McConnell agree on vaccines, clash over infrastructure Republican battle with MLB intensifies MORE, who regularly set high virus-related targets that were not met. For example, Trump, who has claimed credit for the vaccines, predicted it could be delivered on election day.
“The most important thing is not the rhetoric. It’s that people can see and feel a difference in their lives, “said Schwerin.
The White House hopes the new goal of April 19 will bring clarity and allow a faster rate of vaccinations, according to the White House press secretary Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiOn The Money: Manchin says it will not support the 28% corporate tax hike | Yellen calls for global minimum corporate tax War on voting laws further erodes confidence in election Easter Bunny surprise visit to White House meeting room MORE He told reporters on Tuesday, though officials have noted that Americans who become eligible should not expect to receive a dose on April 19.
The White House is also well aware of the highly contagious coronavirus variants circulating in the U.S. against which the most powerful weapons are vaccines.
“The general issue here is that it is recognized that we are in a race, a race between vaccines and variants,” said Anand Parekh, chief medical adviser at the Center for Bipartisan Policies. “The way out of this is to vaccinate the American public as quickly as we can.”
Biden and his team are finding obstacles to persuade all American adults to receive the vaccine, with data showing hesitation among ethnic and racial minority groups as well as Republicans.
“It’s one thing to achieve universal eligibility for vaccines. Another thing is to get universal vaccine coverage, and I think that’s where their weakness lies. This is where the vulnerability of the United States lies, ”said Gostin. “We should be happy that everyone will be eligible, but we can’t hit our backs because the real goal is the immunity of the herd, and we can’t get there unless people show up and get the vaccine “.
The Biden administration is investing about $ 10 billion in the coronavirus relief plan to expand access to vaccines through community health centers and increase vaccine uptake by supporting plans such as outreach leads to door.
In early April, the administration announced a wide network of 275 organizations, including sports leagues, business and religious groups, participating in a grassroots effort to instill public confidence in vaccines.
And with the $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue plan approved, the administration wants to do more to address the adverse economic impact the virus has had on American households and businesses.
“The response to the virus is the number one concern of voters. It was in the 2020 elections, it will be in the 2022 elections and probably also in the 2024 elections, ”said Zac Petkanas, a former senior assistant at Hillary Clinton
Will Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton Ocasio-Cortez challenge Biden or Harris in 2024? What G. Gordon Liddy Taught Me About the Civil Disagreement Hillary Clinton: The Filibuster Should Be Raised by Voting Rights Legislation MORE. “There is a huge political imperative for Democrats to not only make the health aspects of the virus response right, but also get the right economic response.”