President Joe Biden has been in office for less than a week and Americans are already satisfied with the work he’s doing thus far.
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According to a survey carried out by ABC News and Ipsos, more than half of Americans approve of Biden’s immediate response to the coronavirus pandemic. The results revealed two-thirds of Americans (69%) approve of how POTUS is handling COVID-19. Of those questioned, four in five (81%) support federal mask requirements. The data shared nearly all Democrats (99%) and a majority of Republicans and Independents (59% and 83%, respectively) support the new administration’s mandates.
As theGrio reported, Dr. Anthony Fauci announced renewed US support for the World Health Organization (WHO) after the Donald Trump administration pulled out. Biden also announced a mask mandate for interstate travel including airplanes, airports, buses, trains, and other forms of travel.
People arriving from foreign nations and territories will now be required to have negative COVID tests before traveling to the United States and must quarantine upon arrival. Masks are now required in federal buildings and properties.
Despite his plans and actions being well received by the public, some of his political peers disagree. According to Politico, a bipartisan group of senators opposed one of the elements of Biden’s COVID-19 plan – an additional stimulus check. The news outlet reported the group asserted the proposed checks would give $1400 to some Americans who do not need the money.
“I was the first to raise that issue, but there seemed to be a lot of agreement … that those payments need to be more targeted,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), according to Politico. “I would say that it was not clear to me how the administration came up with its $1.9 trillion figure for the package.”
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As Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris work to approve their virus relief efforts, the commander-in-chief signed other executive orders during his first days in office. According to the ABC News and Ipsos survey, 77% of people showed support for a government-wide approach to civil rights and racial justice. And 83% supported prohibiting workplace gender and sexual orientation discrimination.
Black leaders, including Marc Morial, the head of the National Urban League, said Biden’s executive orders are only the first step.
“We can’t have a growing economy with 15% of Black America not working with 10% of America not working or in the labor force,” he remarked according to a Grio report.
In his first days in office, Biden is also expected to lift the controversial band on transgender people in the military installed by the Trump administration.
“I support the president’s plan or plan to overturn the ban,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, per theGrio in response to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. “I truly believe, Senator, that as I said in my opening statement, that if you’re fit and you’re qualified to serve and you can maintain the standards, you should be allowed to serve. And, you can expect that I will support that throughout.”
The ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted Jan. 22 to Jan. 23, 2021. The poll was based on a nationally representative probability sample of 504 general population adults age 18 or older. It was conducted using KnowledgePanel, the leading online probability-based panel. The study was conducted in both English and Spanish and data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education.
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