Most say Biden should prioritize COVID-19 relief, poll finds. What else is important?
Most Americans say COVID-19 issues — including a new relief package — should be on President-elect Joe Biden’s list of top priorities when he takes office next year, a new poll found.
The Politico/Morning Consult national tracking poll of 1,990 registered voters, conducted Nov. 21-23, asked respondents how much priority they think a number of issues should take during Biden’s first 100 days as president after he’s sworn in on Jan. 20, 2021.
Biden was projected the winner of the presidential election by The Associated Press and other major media outlets on Nov. 7. He has 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232, according to The AP. The winner needs 270.
The number of respondents varied between questions, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Coronavirus-related issues
Issues related to the pandemic received the most “top priority” responses.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents answered that “controlling the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S.” should be a top priority during Biden’s first 100 days, while 67% said a new coronavirus relief package should be a top priority and 67% said “installing an effective distribution plan” for a future COVID-19 vaccine should be a top priority, the poll found.
Another 64% said “stimulating the economy to recover” from the pandemic should be a top priority.
Biden has said he will push for more states to implement mask mandates to curb the spread of COVID-19 but has promised not to enact a nationwide lockdown, The Associated Press reports. He’s pledged to prioritize state and local funding to fight the pandemic.
The president-elect has also said “there has to be prioritization” for distributing a vaccine when one is ready and emphasized the importance of coordinating with President Donald Trump’s outgoing administration to do so.
In terms of coronavirus relief, Biden says he’d support a package similar to the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion bill passed by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives in May, McClatchy previously reported. The Senate never voted on it, and a $2.2 trillion updated version of the bill was proposed in September. Senate Republicans have introduced their own relief bill, the $1 trillion HEALS Act.
The CARES Act, which sent $1,200 stimulus checks to most Americans, was passed in March. But Democrats, Republicans and the White House have been unable to reach an agreement on a second package, which Biden has urged Congress to do.
Health Care
Health care-related issues were also considered a top priority for many respondents.
Forty-two percent said passing a health care reform bill should be a top priority, and 35% said “adding a new public option health care plan” to the Affordable Care Act should be a top priority, the poll found.
Biden has said he’ll build on the Affordable Care Act, which went into effect during former President Barack Obama’s administration. The former vice president has proposed giving Americans a “public health insurance option like Medicare.”
Relationship with allies
“Amending relationships with U.S. allies” was another issue important to respondents, with 39% calling it a top priority, the poll found.
On Tuesday, the Biden-Harris transition team announced Biden nominated Antony Blinken for secretary of state. If confirmed by the Senate, Blinken would be a “leading force” in the Biden administration’s efforts to “reframe” the country’s relationships with the rest of the world, The AP reports.
Among his priorities would be re-establishing the U.S. as a “trusted ally” ready to rejoin the World Health Organization, the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal — all of which were dropped or opposed by President Donald Trump — and other global institutions, The New York Times reports.
Thirty-three percent of respondents said rejoining the WHO should be a top priority and 28% said the same of the Paris climate accord.
The Trump administration has formally signaled the U.S. will leave the WHO, but the withdrawal wouldn’t take effect until sometime in 2021, the Times reports. Trump has also formally withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Climate accord, an international agreement to strengthen the global climate change response, but the country can rejoin in the future, BBC reports.
Thirty-two percent of respondents answered that passing a bill to address climate change should be a top priority in Biden’s first 100 days.
Voting rights, economic inequalities
Other issues important to respondents included “passing a bill to reduce economic inequality” and strengthening the Voting Rights Act, both of which 30% of respondents said should be a top priority during Biden’s first 100 days.
Another 30% also said decreasing the federal deficit should be a top priority during Biden’s first 100 days.
Biden has pushed for strengthening the Voting Rights Act, which bans discriminatory voting practices, according to NPR.
He’s also pushed for the Federal Reserve to explicitly takes steps to close racial economic gaps, NPR reports.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Most say Biden should prioritize COVID-19 relief, poll finds. What else is important?."
