Page 2 - aruba-today-20201110

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 10 November 2020
family.
George W. Bush, the only
living Republican former
president, called Biden "a
good man, who has won
his opportunity to lead and
unify our country."
But other Republicans, in-
cluding Sen. Lindsey Gra-
ham of South Carolina,
urged Trump to continue
pursuing legal challenges
related to the election,
making a bumpy transition
more likely.
Transition planning also
may hinge on two Sen-
ate races in Georgia that
have advanced to a Jan. 5
runoff. If Republicans hold
those seats, they'll likely re-
tain the Senate majority
and be in a position to slow
confirmation of Biden's top
Cabinet choices and com-
plicate his legislative goals,
including calls for expand-
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence arrive for a campaign rally at Cherry Capital Airport, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, ing access to health care
in Traverse City, Mich., with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, right. and bolstering the post-
Associated Press pandemic economy with
green jobs and infrastruc-
Continued from Front missioner Dr. David Kessler defeating this virus." pertise in a number of ar- ture designed to combat
The advisory board of the and Dr. Marcella Nunez- In his statement announc- eas, including Eric Goosby, climate change.
nonpartisan Center for Smith, a Yale University as- ing the task force, Biden who was President Barack That could test Biden's
Presidential Transition also sociated professor and said that tackling the pan- Obama's global AIDS coor- campaign pledge to move
urged the Trump adminis- associate dean whose re- demic is "one of the most dinator. past the divisiveness of the
tration to "immediately be- search focuses on promot- important battles our ad- Biden was also launch- Trump era and govern in a
gin the post-election transi- ing health care equality for ministration will face, and I ing agency review teams, bipartisan manner.
tion process and the Biden marginalized populations, will be informed by science groups of transition staffers While Biden's aides ac-
team to take full advan- are its co-chairs. and by experts." that have access to key knowledged it would be
tage of the resources avail- Biden pledged in remarks "The advisory board will agencies in the current ad- easier for him to get his
able under the Presidential Monday to work with "gov- help shape my approach ministration. They will col- proposals enacted with
Transition Act." ernors and local leaders of to managing the surge in lect and review informa- Democrats controlling the
Biden, who was elected the both parties" to craft a re- reported infections; en- tion such as budgetary and Senate, Stef Feldman, the
46th president on Saturday, sponse to the coronavirus suring vaccines are safe, staffing decisions, pending policy director on his cam-
is taking steps to build a pandemic and called on effective and distributed regulations and other work paign, said Biden has been
government despite ques- Americans to "put aside the efficiently, equitably and in progress from current known for working with Re-
tions about whether Trump partisanship and the rheto- free; and protecting at-risk Trump administration staff publicans to move legisla-
will offer the traditional as- ric that's designed to de- populations," he said. at the departments to help tion.
sistance. monize one another" and There are also 10 members, Biden's team prepare to "The president-elect's plan
He is focusing first on the come together to fight the including two former Trump transition. will remain the president-
virus, which has already virus. administration officials: Rick But that process can't be- elect's plans regardless of
killed nearly 240,000 people "It's time to end the po- Bright, who said he was gin in full until the GSA rec- who wins the Senate ma-
in the United States. Biden liticization of basic respon- ousted as head of the Bio- ognizes Biden as president- jority, and he will work with
on Monday announced sible public health steps, medical Advanced Re- elect. The definition of what colleagues across the aisle
details of a task force that like mask wearing, social search and Development constitutes a clear election in order to get it done," she
will create a blueprint to distancing," he said. "We Authority after criticizing winner for the GSA is legally said. Those close to Biden
attempt to bring the pan- have to come together to the federal government's murky, making next steps say he will navigate the
demic under control that heal the soul of this country response to the coronavi- unclear, especially in the period ahead by harness-
he plans to begin imple- so that we can effectively rus, and Luciana Borio, who short term. ing his sense of empathy
menting after assuming the address this crisis as one until last year was a biode- The GSA's leadership is that became a trademark
presidency on Jan. 20. country, where hardwork- fense specialist on the Na- supposed to act indepen- of his campaign. Biden of-
Former Surgeon General, ing Americans have each tional Security Council. dently and in a nonpartisan ten spoke of the pain he
Dr. Vivek Murthy, ex-Food other's backs, and we're The remainder of the panel manner, and at least some experienced following the
Drug Administration Com- united in our shared goal: includes experts with ex- elements of the federal deaths of his first wife and
government already have young daughter in a 1972
begun implementing transi- car crash, and son Beau's
tion plans. Aviation officials, 2015 death from brain
for instance, have restricted cancer. "My brother knows
the airspace over Biden's how to feel," said Valerie
lakefront home in Wilming- Biden Owens, Biden's sister
ton, Delaware, while the and longtime top adviser.
Secret Service has begun "Joe's strength has been re-
using agents from its presi- silience and recovery, and
dential protective detail for that's what we need as a
the president-elect and his country."q