(Bloomberg) -- President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to take action “on Day One” to fulfill a wide range of campaign promises, including on climate change, immigration and taxes.
But the “Day One” part is largely a rhetorical flourish, meant more to underscore a readiness to take office than an actual to-do list.
After all, President Donald Trump also promised “executive actions on Day One,” which he actually took on day four, day nine, day 11, day 68, day 89 and day 112.
While some of Biden’s promises can be accomplished with the stroke of a pen, others will require him to prod the bureaucracy to act. Some will rely on his ability to strike deals with Republicans in Congress. And still others are likely to be dead on arrival.
Biden’s mandate to govern got a boost when two Georgia Democrats won runoff elections, giving the Senate a narrow Democratic majority with the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.
But the new president will also face a Congress still traumatized by the mob assault on the U.S. Capitol, and deciding when to begin a trial for Trump’s impeachment. That will be a factor in how quickly the Senate can turn to Biden’s legislative priorities, including the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package he unveiled Thursday night.
A scorecard of some of what Biden has promised — and what it will take to keep those promises:
The economy and taxes
Only Congress can set tax law and spend federal money, so Biden will need to work with Capitol Hill to get just about anything done on the economy. With their new majority, Democrats can use the budget reconciliation process to bypass the filibuster and pass fiscal policy on a simple majority vote — but there are limits on how many times Congress can use that tool.
Climate, energy and the environment
The president has considerable influence over environmental policy, but it’s often slow and indirect. He can negotiate nonbinding agreements with other countries. He can also order regulatory change; it just takes a little time.
Immigration
The president has authority over how the immigration laws are enforced — Obama, for example, made a priority of the deportation of violent criminals and deferred action on so-called “Dreamers” who entered the country illegally as children. Wholesale changes in citizenship would take an act of Congress, but Biden can undo Trump’s executive orders on enforcement.
Health
The coronavirus pandemic has put an unprecedented focus on the president’s power over public health. But public health remains primarily a state function, so the federal role has been largely limited to encouraging personal safety measures and the development of a vaccine.
National security
The president’s role as commander-in-chief gives him broad powers to run the military and conduct foreign relations, and Congress has largely delegated to him the authority to impose economic sanctions on other countries.
Domestic policy
Domestic policy is largely the province of Congress, but the president does have some tools at his disposal.