Washington holds its breath as Biden prepares to tear up Trump agenda
Joe Biden’s inauguration will take place in a city braced for unprecedented political violence, writes Griffin Connolly
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Your support makes all the difference.Washington residents are telling each other “Be safe!” as a standard goodbye cordiality. They’re not talking about Covid.
The National Mall is locked down.
More than 10,000 members of the National Guard have already arrived, with 10,000 more expected by Wednesday.
Two people have been arrested trying to talk their way past law enforcement officers at security checkpoints around the “green zone” that’s been established to protect President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
One of the men arrested was carrying two guns and more than 500 rounds of ammunition in his truck.
With the Biden inauguration just two days away, Washington is a city on edge.
The Senate doesn’t return until Tuesday, when it is expected to receive a ratified article of impeachment from the House.
That’ll trigger another trial for Donald Trump, the outgoing president who stands accused of inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on 6 January that has put federal law enforcement agencies and state governments on watch for any copycat violent protests around the country this week.
The FBI has warned of armed protests in several states and told local police departments to be vigilant for explosives around the seats of state legislatures. At least 19 governors have called in the National Guard.
Mr Biden and his camp have cruised under the radar about the ongoing national security crisis that has emerged from within, as radicalised Trump supporters who believe they are resisting a “stolen election” prepare to take to the streets.
The incoming president is hyper-focused on combating the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – remember that? – and his senior staff circulated a memo on Capitol Hill over the weekend outlining plans for his first 10 days in office.
They revolve around four “compounding crises” the country currently faces: the Covid crisis; the resulting economic crisis; the climate crisis; and the racial equity crisis.
“In his first ten days in office, President-elect Biden will take decisive action to address these four crises, prevent other urgent and irreversible harms, and restore America’s place in the world,” the president-elect’s chief of staff, Ron Klain wrote in the memo.
While he plans to sign dozens of executive orders to address those crises and reverse Trump administration policies, Mr Biden knows he can only make lasting change to US policy by codifying his agenda in legislation.
The president-elect will send several proposals to Congress on Day One (Wednesday), including comprehensive immigration legislation, a package for economic growth, and other bills related to voting rights, the minimum wage, and combatting violence against women.
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