Biden signs 30 decrees in three days to erase Trump’s passage through history

Joe Biden assumed the presidency of the United States on Wednesday, January 20, and in the first 72 hours of his presidency, he approved 30 executive decrees on different matters. Although he was sworn in just three days ago, he is clear about his primary goal: to erase the ‘legacy’ of his predecessor, Donald Trump.

On his first day in office, Biden displayed an urgency never before seen by a president-elect. Immediately, he signed 17 executive orders, memoranda and proclamations in the Oval Office on the same Wednesday.

The decrees approved this week fall into four categories that his advisers described as «convergent crises». These four themes are: pandemic, economic struggle, immigration and diversity issues, and environment and climate change.

In some cases, the new Biden administration unilaterally and immediately reversed Trump’s policies and procedures. But, in other cases he does not have enough authority and must start a long process to give them a new direction.

Among the Trump measures that he reversed, issues related to the pandemic, environmental agenda and immigration policy stand out. Likewise, he eliminated certain xenophobic travel bans and approved new economic actions to counter the current crisis.

As The New York Times puts it, Biden’s measures are intended to end «specific and egregious abuses by Trump over four tumultuous years». In other words, he wants to «reverse the most serious damage» inflicted on the country by Trump.

«We will move forward quickly and urgently, because we have a lot to do in this winter of danger and significant possibilities», Biden said during his inaugural address on Capitol Hill. «Much to repair, to restore, to heal, and much to build and gain». he added.

Anti-COVID-19 measures

The first decision was to reestablish the direction of global health security and biodefense in the National Security Council, a group that Trump had dissolved. The idea is that this instance must inform the president of everything concerning the global pandemic.

Similarly, he reversed Trump’s decision to leave the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, he sent Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top epidemiologist, to participate in the agency’s annual executive board meeting on Thursday.

The president signed an executive order that Trump flatly refused to issue during his tenure. This is the imposition of a national mandate that requires the use of masks and respect for physical distancing in all federal buildings, on all federal lands, and by all federal employees.

Migration policies

Biden signed another executive order that reversed Trump’s plan to exclude non-US citizens from the census count. He also issued a second order on the matter, aimed at strengthening the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects “Dreamers” from deportation.

Likewise, he suspended a program that forced migrants to wait in Mexico while their cases reached US courts. With this, according to a statement, he intends to imply that the border is no longer sealed to asylum seekers.

But, perhaps the blow that hurts Trump the most, is the decision to stop the construction of the border wall with Mexico. The White House explained that the president «will examine the legality of the wall, its financing and the signed contracts».

At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security announced a pause in the deportations of certain ‘non-citizens’, for a period of 100 days.

Biden and his new equality policies

The president repealed two of Trump proclamations prohibiting travel to the United States from some predominantly Muslim and African countries. In addition, he directed the State Department «to develop ways to address the harm caused to those who were prevented from entering the United States because of the ban».

Meanwhile, he opted to undo some Trump policies that – in his opinion – contribute to polarization and division. The president signed a broad executive order that orders federal agencies to review and eliminate systemic discrimination policies and reverse them.

In that vein, another executive order requires the federal government «not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity». He also struck down Trump’s measure that limited the ability of federal government agencies to promote training in diversity and inclusion.

The announced return to the Paris Agreement

An electoral promise of the new president was to revoke the US exit from the Paris Agreement on climate change. On this aspect, on the same Wednesday, he complied with it.

Then, he signed an executive order to revoke environmental policies under the Trump administration. This includes imposing a moratorium on oil and natural gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In addition, he revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and reestablished a working group on the social costs of greenhouse gases.

Measures to combat the economic crisis

To help Americans struggling with the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, he approved several measures. First, he extended a federal moratorium on evictions. Then he asked federal agencies to extend a moratorium on foreclosures until the end of March.

Another order was aimed at Americans with education debts. To do this, he immediately stopped federal student loan interest and payments of capital until the end of September. Biden also froze recent regulations imposed by Trump, to assess which ones should move forward and which ones should be repealed.

Here are the 30 executive orders signed by President Joe Biden in the first 72 hours of his term:

Coronavirus

• Launched the «100 Day Masking Challenge», which asks Americans to wear masks during that period. Requires face masks and physical distancing in federal buildings, federal land, and by government contractors; and urges state and local governments to do the same.
• Stopped the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization, and appointed Dr. Anthony Fauci as the head of the delegation to the WHO. He created the position of COVID-19 Response Coordinator, whose primary role will be to report directly to the President. He will also be responsible for managing efforts to produce and distribute vaccines and medical equipment.
• Ordered to accelerate the manufacture and delivery of supplies for vaccination, medical tests and personal protective equipment.
• Directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to extend the reimbursement to states to fully cover the cost of National Guard personnel and emergency supplies.
• Established the Pandemic Testing Board to expand America’s coronavirus testing capacity.
• Established a preclinical program to promote the development of therapies in response to pandemic threats.
• Ordered improvements in the collection, production, exchange and analysis of data on coronavirus in the country.
• Directs FEMA to create federally supported community immunization centers.

Education in times of pandemic

• Commissioned the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services to provide guidance to reopen and safely operate schools. This also includes child care providers and institutions of higher education.
• Urged the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to publish clear guidance on COVID-19. The OSHA must decide whether or not to establish temporary emergency standards. He also called for enforcing worker health and safety requirements.
• Ordered the mandatory use of masks in airports and other means of transport: trains, boats and intercity buses. International travelers must present proof of a negative COVID-19 test before traveling to the US.
• Created the Working Group on Health Equity and COVID-19. Its goal is to help ensure an equitable response and recovery from a pandemic.
• Ordered the restoration of US leadership, support the international effort to respond to a pandemic, promote resilience to future threats, and advance in the global health security and the global health security agenda.

Economy

• He extended the existing national moratorium on evictions and foreclosures until at least March 31, 2021.
• He extended the existing pause in student loan payments and interest for Americans with federal student loans. The measure will apply until September 30, 2021.
• Restored collective bargaining power and protection for federal workers. In his view, that should set the stage for the minimum wage to reach $ 15 an hour.
• He asked to establish financial aid for those struggling to buy food and have not received stimulus controls from the federal government or are unemployed.
• Ordered that the persons designated by the Executive sign an ethical commitment that prohibits them from acting in personal interest. It also requires them to defend the independence of the Justice Department.
• Ordered the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop recommendations to streamline the regulatory review and undo Trump’s regulatory approval process.

Environment

• He reincorporated the United States into the Paris Agreement on climate change, a process that will take at least 30 days.
• The construction of the Keystone XL pipeline was canceled. In addition, he ordered federal agencies to review and reverse more than 100 Trump actions against the environment.

Racial equality and immigration

• He annulled the 1776 Commission of the Trump administration. He also ordered agencies to review their actions to ensure racial fairness.
• He prohibited discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Ordered the inclusion of non-US citizens in the national census and in the distribution of congressional representatives.
• Strengthened the DACA project, following Trump’s efforts to undo protections for undocumented people brought into the country as children.
• Reversed the Trump administration’s restrictions on entry to the United States for passport holders from seven Muslim-majority countries.
• Undid Trump’s expansion of immigration law enforcement within the United States.
• Stopped the construction of the border wall with Mexico and ended the declaration of national emergency used to finance it.
• And extended the postponement of deportations of Liberians with safe haven in the United States, and offered them work authorizations. Biden’s measure applies until June 30, 2022.

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