After the calamity of the first few weeks of 2021, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were finally inaugurated on January 20th. Shortly thereafter, they began to follow through on their lengthy agenda – within just minutes of entering the Oval Office, President Biden began signing executive orders. Here is an overview of his first few weeks in office and some of the most notable actions he has taken.
On his first day in office, President Biden signed seventeen executive orders, including several aimed at tackling the coronavirus and assisting those most affected financially. His very first measure mandated masks and social-distancing on federal lands; this came after a year of controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s reluctance to do so. In addition, he rejoined the World Health Organization (WHO), a direct reversal of former President Trump’s decision to withdraw American membership. Another order created a COVID-19 response team, which coordinates with states and the federal government on vaccination programs, school reopenings, etc. This order also reestablished the National Security Council’s directorate for global health security and biodefense, which had been dismantled by the previous administration.
Other orders focused on aiding Americans struggling financially – foreclosure and eviction moratoriums were extended at least through the end of March, and student loan debt collection was frozen until at least the end of September.
Perhaps the most ambitious item in this category on President Biden’s agenda is his $1.9 trillion stimulus relief plan. This is still being hotly debated in Congress, as it is strongly opposed by GOP members.
In addition, Biden signed several executive orders unrelated to COVID-19 that reversed many of the Trump administration policies that were most scorned by Democrats. Among these were, most notably, orders rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, abolishing the infamous “Muslim ban,” halting construction of the border wall, banning discrimination against LGBTQ+ employees. His final act of January 20th was to freeze and block all Trump administration “midnight regulations” that were then in process.
Overall, President Biden’s orderly and traditional style of governing sharply contrasts that of his predecessor, which comes as a relief to many. “I’ve heard from more people in the last couple of days how nice it is to turn on the TV and not have to figure out the latest drama of the day,” said Representative Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Ohio. “It looks a lot like the George W. Bush White House — uneventful. It’s nice. . . . It’s just a guy getting up and doing his job.”
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