President Biden signed 17 executive orders on his first day in office to reverse Trump policies.
On Wednesday (Jan. 20), Biden signed 17 executive orders on his first day in office, rolling back many of the Trump Administration‘s policies and directives that the Biden team called “the most damaging. Biden also restored some Obama-era policies, saying they would set a “forward-looking” vision for his presidency.
Ending construction of border wall
Biden announced an “immediate end” to funding for border wall construction, ending the Trump campaign and administration’s commitment to “build the wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border. The move will result in an “immediate halt” to the construction of the border wall and will “determine how best to reuse the funds used by the previous administration to build the wall.
Biden also signed an executive order revoking President Trump’s previous order directing strict enforcement of immigration laws. Biden’s team said the move will allow the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to develop “civil immigration enforcement policies that best protect the American people” and are “consistent with our values and priorities.
Jake Sullivan, the incoming White House national security adviser, said, “The Biden Administration will take a very different approach to regional immigration.” He added that Biden would place “special emphasis” on addressing the root causes of migration in the region and “work to rebuild the nation’s sanctuary system.
Biden also plans to “protect and strengthen” the Obama-era DACA program, which allows people who came to the U.S. as minors to apply for extended immigration enforcement and work permits for two years. Since September 2017, the Trump administration has been working to end the program, sparking a series of federal lawsuits.
Ending the “Muslim Ban”
Biden also signed an executive order ending the Trump administration’s “Muslim ban. Sullivan said the ban stems from “religious hatred and xenophobia.
President Trump signed an executive order in 2017 suspending individuals from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, including Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Iran. It was later updated to add North Korea and Venezuela. The Trump administration expanded the ban again in January 2020, adding six more countries.
The Biden administration rescinded Trump’s order and directed the State Department to restart visa processing for the affected countries to “restore fairness and correct the harm caused by the ban.
Sullivan also said that Biden’s action will strengthen screening and vetting of travelers through “enhanced information sharing with foreign governments” and will further examine other “extreme vetting” by the Trump administration.
As for the Census, Biden signed an executive order reversing the Trump administration’s plan to exclude non-citizens from the Census and congressional representation. Biden’s move will also ensure that the Census Bureau “has Time” to complete an “accurate demographic count” for each state, which he will then submit to Congress.
Re-engaging with WHO
Biden also moved on Wednesday to re-engage with the World health Organization (WHO). Biden said his administration will “work with the WHO and our partners to strengthen and reform the organization to support a health and humanitarian response to the coronavirus and promote global health and safety,” following Trump’s decision to withdraw from the WHO in 2020 in the wake of the communist virus (coronavirus) pandemic.
The Biden team said Dr. Anthony Fauci will lead the Biden administration’s delegation at this week’s WHO Executive Board meeting.
The Biden administration could also revive the White House National Security Council’s pandemic unit, which Trump disbanded early in his administration.
In response to the pandemic, Biden launched a “100-day mask challenge” on Wednesday and signed an executive order requiring federal employees and contractors to wear masks and maintain social distance in all federal buildings and on federal lands.
Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement
Biden signed the document to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. The agreement was a global pact created by the Obama administration to address climate change, but the Trump administration formally withdrew from the agreement last year.
Biden’s national climate adviser, Gina McCarthy, said the move would be “an important step in regaining and strengthening America’s opportunity for leadership,” adding that Biden was “very clear” that climate change “poses an existential threat.
Biden also signed an executive order revoking the Trump administration’s environmental actions, including the revocation of President Trump’s affidavit. McCarthy called these “not in the national interest of the United States.
McCarthy said the move would also revoke President Trump’s permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, a plan to link the United States and Canada with an oil pipeline. He previously said Biden would sign a series of executive orders to reverse “more than 100 harmful policies of the last administration.
Affordable Housing
In response to the “unprecedented housing affordability crisis” caused by the plague pandemic, Biden suspended evictions and foreclosures until March 31, 2021.
Biden also asked the Department of Education to consider “immediately” extending the moratorium on interest and principal payments on federal loans for students until Sept. 30. Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, said Biden “supports immediate congressional action to eliminate the $10,000 per-person student loan debt.
Advancing “Affirmative Action” for All
Biden also signed an executive order that “defines equality as the consistent and systematic fair and equitable treatment of all persons,” including “those from underserved communities such as Black, Latino, Native and Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander and other people of color, LGBTQ+, religious minorities with disabilities, people living in rural areas, and others affected by persistent poverty or inequality.”
Biden also signed an executive order prohibiting discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity and directing agencies to take all lawful steps to ensure that federal anti-discrimination statutes prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender and protect the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.
Biden signed a memorandum on Wednesday extending the forced departure of Liberians who have lived in the United States for years until June 30, 2022. The memo also extends work permits for Liberians and directs the Department of Homeland Security to ensure “facilitated and timely adjudication” of Liberians’ applications for residency.
“Moral Commitment”
Biden signed an executive order to “restore and maintain public trust in government” and required each appointee in the executive branch to sign an “ethics pledge” to ensure that employees work for the benefit of the American people and not for personal gain.
Biden also issued a memo on Wednesday withdrawing the Trump administration’s regulatory process to “remove unnecessary barriers to regulation in the public interest.
The new White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, also issued a regulatory freeze memo on Wednesday, suspending any new regulations made by the Trump administration in the final days to give the Biden administration a chance to review them. He expects Biden to “announce additional executive orders to address these challenges” in the coming weeks.
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