Presidential Transition Resource Center

When President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office on January 20, 2021, the transition to a new administration will be complete. Incoming federal appointees will be tasked with a host of priorities including continuing a national pandemic response, stabilizing a challenged economy, confronting racial justice issues and addressing climate concerns — among many others. As you work to understand how the Biden administration’s agenda may impact your interests, Faegre Drinker is closely tracking these topics — as well as the remaining elections that will determine the composition of the 117th Congress. From cabinet appointments to lame duck session surprises, our attorneys and consultants provide clear- eyed analysis and advocacy to help you stay ahead on important matters. Our established government affairs team across our Washington, D.C.; Wilmington, Delaware; Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Des Moines offices is equipped to guide you through the early stages of the Biden administration and beyond.

The year ahead promises to bring significant attention to — and government action in — federal health policy. The Biden administration will look to make immediate strides in a pandemic response that has already mobilized policymakers, pharmaceutical companies and health care providers in unprecedented ways. It will also face a potential Supreme Court challenge to the Affordable Care Act and pressure to work with Congress on broader health care reform. We’ll track these developments and other health and life sciences issues throughout the transition and into the first year of the incoming administration.

The Biden administration and 117th U.S. Congress are expected to address issues and policies of importance to insurers and the insurance industry at large. From COVID-19 business interruption insurance claims to the threat of climate change, the incoming government will have opportunities to tackle the insurance industry’s most pressing concerns. The Biden administration will be tasked with reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program, and the Department of Labor is also expected to take up its own fiduciary rule dictating conduct for financial product sales. We’ll monitor and analyze these issues and more throughout the transition and into the first year of the Biden administration.

The past year has presented historic challenges to employers and the U.S. workforce, and how the incoming federal government addresses pandemic-related business interruptions, unemployment and workplace safety concerns will have immediate and far-reaching implications. Employers should also anticipate other changes to labor policy under President Biden, including revisiting Trump-era National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decisions, returning to Obama-era precedent in key areas and reshaping the NLRB itself. We’ll track and analyze these and other employment policy developments throughout the transition and into the first year of the Biden administration.

President Trump’s “America First” agenda represented a shift in U.S. trade policy characterized by bilateral trade deals, tariffs and measures to re-shore American manufacturing. The Biden administration is expected to restore a pre-Trump global trade order through a renewed emphasis on multilateral trade and reengagement with historic U.S. allies, while also pursuing measures to rebuild domestic production. U.S. businesses, trading partners and economic competitors will be awaiting insights into the first-term priorities that will shape the new administration’s trade agenda. We’ll track and analyze trade policy activity throughout the transition and into the first year of the Biden administration.