Biden's First 17 Executive Orders

Hours after his inauguration, President Joe Biden signed 17 executive orders, memorandums and proclamations, overturning most of Trump's controversial administration policies like measures towards fighting the pandemic, altering his environmental agenda, anti-immigration policies, reinforcing policies for economic recovery, and promoting diversity. Press secretary Jen Psaki and a few other Biden officials informed the reporters that the inaugural day actions are only a part of the series of actions to undo Trump policies and implement Biden's campaign promises during his initial weeks in office.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

According to a draft of calendar document sent to the administration, Biden aims to follow Inauguration Day by focusing each day of the month on a specific theme. Measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic were addressed with the utmost urgency.

Biden's first full day in office on Thursday will be centered on taking action towards tackling with the pandemic. Executive actions have been signed to make masks mandatory on all federal grounds. Friday will highlight Biden's actions for economic relief, including restoration of federal employee's collective bargaining rights and directing agency action on safety net programs like Medicaid and unemployment insurance, followed by ‘Buy American' theme for the upcoming week.

The executive order on Monday would be focused on strengthening requirements for government purchases of goods & services from US companies, followed by equity on Tuesday, along with measures to eliminate private prisons; climate policies on Wednesday with an executive order setting up regulatory actions reestablishing President's Council of Advisors on Science & Technology and fighting climate change. Health care is on the agenda for Thursday, followed by immigration on Friday when Biden plans to sign executive orders regarding border processing and refugee policies and enforce a family reunification task force.February will be aimed towards ‘restoring America's place in the world' as per the calendar document.

LIST OF 17 EXECUTIVE ORDERS PASSED

In spite of an inaugural address claiming uniting and compromise, Biden's first actions taken as a President were mainly directing towards casting out most of the policies undertaken or initiated by the former President Donald Trump. Following is an insight to what the measures taken by Biden aim to accomplish:

3 orders on the Pandemic

As an effort to ‘aggressively' take charge of the nation's response towards the pandemic, Biden has signed an executive order appointing Jeffrey D. Zients as the official COVID-19 response coordinator who will report directly to the President. This executive order also reinstates the directorate for global health security and biodefense at the National Security Council, a committee Trump had dissolved.

The President has also started a ‘100 days masking challenge' urging the citizens to wear masks and state and local officials to also implement measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Social distancing and wearing of masks on all federal lands by federal employees is being mandated.

Ties with the World Health Organisation are also being reinforced after Trump's attempts to withdraw membership and funding last year. Dr. Anthony Fauci has been appointed as the head of U.S delegation to the organisation's executive board.

6 orders on Immigration and Visas

Biden has also fortified the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that protects immigrants brought into the State as children from deportation. Trump, during his term, sought to end the program protecting undocumented immigrants. The order also requires Congress to enact legislation providing permanent status and ease in holding citizenship for such immigrants.

A couple other orders passed revokes the Trump administration's plan to exclude non-citizens from the census count, and upturns Trump's executive orders that ensured search and deportation of unauthorized immigrants. Another such order extends deferrals of deportation and provides work authorization to Liberians residing in U.S.

A notable action taken is the overturning of the so-called Muslim ban, that blocked travel to the country from seven Muslim majority nations. Biden has directed the State Department to reinforce visa proceedings for individuals from the affected countries.

The construction of the famous Trump border wall with Mexico has also been put to a halt. The order includes an ‘immediate termination' of the funding provided by the national emergency declaration. The administration will be conducting ‘a close review' over the legality of the diversion of federal funds to the construction of the wall.

2 orders on Climate Change

Biden has signed a letter to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, which U.S will officially be a part of within 30 days. In 2019, Trump formally withdrew from the coalition of almost 200 counties working towards reducing consumption of fossil fuels.

Additionally, the administration has began reducing the slack in the environment policies caused under the Trump administration, including revoking permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, reversing rollbacks on vehicle emission standards, enforcing a temporary moratorium on oil & natural gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and reinstating a working group on the social costs of greenhouses gases.

The Republican Party, however, are particularly critical of Biden's decisions repealing the climate regulations set by Trump, stating that doing so would eventually lead to loss of jobs.

2 orders on Racial & LGBTQ equality

Biden has decided to put an end to the 1776 Commission instated by the Trump administration, releasing a report on Monday that historians claim to have distorted the role of slavery in U.S, along with revoking the executive order limiting the ability of federal agencies, contractors and other institutions to conduct diversity and inclusion training. Susan Rice has been designated as the head of Domestic Policy Council. The order requires the agencies to review and report on equity in their ranks within 200 days, involving a plan to ease opportunities in the policies and programs. The order ensures that Americans from all backgrounds have equal access to government resources, benefits and services.

Another order reinstates Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require that the government does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

2 orders regarding the Economy

The administration is moving to extend a federal moratorium on eviction and has requested agencies like Agriculture, Veterans Affairs and Housing & Urban Development Departments to extend a moratorium on foreclosures, regarding federally granted mortgages enacted as a response to the coronavirus pandemic, till March.

The President is also moving to pause the federal student loan interest and principal payments till the end of September, although a few congressional Democrats have insisted on going further by cancelling up to $50,000 in student debt per person.

2 orders regarding Government Accountability

Biden has established certain ethics rules for his administration aiming ‘to restore and maintain trust in the government.' All his appointees in the executive branch have been mandated to sign an ethics pledge.

Lastly, Biden administration has issued a hold on all new regulations put in action by his predecessor for his administration to thoroughly evaluate the policies to be implemented. The memorandum aims towards prevention of ‘midnight regulations.'

CONCLUSION

Biden's aggressive actions seem to be promising of undoing the rigid and conservative agendas implemented by Trump. However, to maintain and bring back economic stability under the pandemic may be a challenge to the new government.

DO YOU THINK BIDEN'S NEW AGENDA WOULD BRING ABOUT MORE IMPROVEMENT BY REVERSAL OF TRUMP'S POLICIES? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!!