- On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed more than a dozen executive actions, some of which reverse decisions made by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
- Several executive actions will make changes to the U.S. response to COVID-19 and try to ease some of the financial strain on Americans resulting from the pandemic.
- Other executive actions directly target and undo Mr. Trump’s actions on the environment, immigration, the U.S. census, and regulatory changes.
- Mr. Biden signed three executive orders in the presence of reporters.
- They are implementing a mask mandate on federal property, increasing support for underserved communities and rejoining the Paris climate accord.
15 executive orders
Below is CBS News’ breakdown of Mr. Biden’s first 15 executive orders and the two executive actions he was expected to signed on Wednesday:
Start a “100 Days Masking Challenge,” calling for a nationwide face mask and social distancing mandate in federal buildings, on federal lands and by federal employees and contractors.
Restructure federal government coordination to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden White House is bringing back an Obama-era position called the “Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense,” which was organized with additional staff within the National Security Council after the 2014 Ebola epidemic.
Rejoin the World Health Organization (WHO), which the Trump administration was in the process of leaving. Mr. Biden is also looking to reestablish the U.S. as an active leader at the WHO.
Financial relief for Americans
Extend eviction and foreclosure moratoriums. To do this, Biden will call on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to re-implement and extend the already defunct moratorium until at least March 31.
The new president will also call on the Departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, and Veterans Affairs to extend the foreclosure moratoriums for their federally backed mortgages.
Continue “pause” on student loan payments until September 30. The Biden advisers continue to assert Biden still supports his campaign pledge to cancel $10,000 of student loans, but this will take time as it has to go through Congress.
Environment
Rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. The Paris climate negotiations took place under the Obama administration and were led by incoming climate change czar John Kerry when he was secretary of state. This will take 30 days to go into effect.
End Keystone XL pipeline and revoke oil and gas development at national wildlife monuments. To do this, Biden’s climate adviser Gina McCarthy explained the Biden administration will discard or redo more than 100 “harmful” presidential proclamations, memoranda or permits signed by the Trump administration that the new administration views as detrimental to the environment.
Human rights
Actions to advance racial equity through the federal government. Incoming Domestic Policy Adviser Susan Rice explained President Biden wants every federal agency to review equity in their programs and actions.
Count non-citizens in U.S. Census again. This reverses President Trump’s order in July 2020 to not count undocumented Americans, which would affect federal allocation of money and federal representation.
Strengthen workplace discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. At agencies, this broadens the federal protections against sex discrimination to include LGBTQ Americans.
Immigration
Defend “Dreamers” program for undocumented young Americans. Mr. Biden, in this executive order, calls on Congress to grant permanent status and a path to citizenship to Dreamers — almost a million undocumented young people who were brought to the country as children and shielded from deportation by President Obama. The Trump administration challenged the law but the Supreme Court upheld it.
End so-called “Muslim travel ban,” which in 2017 restricted travel and immigration to the U.S. from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, before adding Eritrea, Nigeria, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, and Tanzania in 2020. The State Department is also instructed to restart visa applications for these countries.
Change Trump’s arrest priorities for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This executive order will repeal the changes Mr. Trump made in the first week of his presidency in 2017 to make interior immigration enforcement much stricter.
Stop border wall construction. Mr. Biden will end the national emergency declaration cited by the Trump administration to divert money to the building of the southern wall.
Keep protections for a group of Liberians in the country. Liberians who have been in the United States for many years will be able to remain longer.
Regulation
Freezing last-minute Trump administration regulatory actions. Technically, White House chief of staff Ron Klain will be charged with carrying out this out, and a presidential memo will formally state the regulations to be frozen.
Ethics
Formulate Executive Branch ethics doctrine. Mr. Biden wants every executive branch appointee to sign an ethics pledge. The pledge also demands federal employees promise “to uphold the independence of the Department of Justice,” the executive order outline states.
Did you subscribe to our newsletter?
It’s free! Click here to subscribe !
Source : CBS News
