How do presidents decide what issues to address first?

The First 100 Days in office set the tone for the president's term. A lot happens behind the scenes to ensure success in a president's early months. During the transition period, a policy team aids the president-elect in setting priorities and laying the foundation for keeping promises from the campaign.

What does the policy team do to aid the president?

• The policy team identifies the key proposals outlined during the campaign and records promises the president-elect made.

• Next, the policy team chooses which issues from the campaign matter most. These priorities influence timing of initiatives, as well as who-does-what in the administration.

• Working groups focus on specific policy areas. Of the last two sitting presidents, Donald Trump had 14 policy working groups and Barrack Obama used 7.

• Policy groups create plans that lay out the actions needed to pass policies, then implement them once they're adopted.

• The policy team also assembles a budget for the US government. By law, every president must submit a comprehensive budget to Congress in early February, even those who have just arrived on the scene.

• The policy team creates a management agenda. This involves evaluating the outgoing administration's policies and orders and developing plans to advance or stop any regulations under development.

• Finally, the policy team identifies executive orders and and other actions the president may take immediately, without consulting Congress. An early slate of executive orders allow the incoming president to build momentum by enacting change quickly.

This process outlines just a few of the many behind-the-scenes processes taking place in a new administration. To dig deeper into how presidential transitions work, visit the Partnership for Public Service's Presidential Transition Guide.