Richmond says Biden will put a 'down payment' on big policy goals in first 100 days

White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond on Thursday offered few benchmarks by which the American people should judge the opening months of the Biden administration, beyond pledging 100 million coronavirus vaccinations and a “down payment” on various broad policy areas.

“Over the next 100 days, we know what our challenges are,” Richmond, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, told POLITICO Playbook in an interview. “A hundred million vaccinations. Wrapping our arms around this pandemic. Putting a down payment on racial equity, on climate, on immigration. … And investing back into the American infrastructure, the American people.”

“Those are the things that we know we’re going to be judged on and do,” he said. “I can’t tell you — you know, quantify how many bills, how many executive actions, all of those things. But this is what I will tell you. In 100 days, people will know that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been busting their rear ends on behalf of the American people and not themselves.”

Since his swearing-in on Wednesday, President Joe Biden has signed a spate of executive orders aimed at undoing some of former President Donald Trump’s most controversial actions — including the so-called Muslim travel ban, the withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.

On Thursday, his first full day in office, Biden is expected to sign 10 more executive orders focused on the U.S. coronavirus response and the ongoing economic crisis. Biden, joined by Harris, will also deliver remarks from the White House on the pandemic.

The address comes as Biden administration officials have complained on Thursday about what they describe as an insufficient or nonexistent vaccine distribution plan left over by the Trump administration that could impede their goal of inoculating 100 million Americans over the next 100 days.