By Aiyeku Timothy
In his first few hours in office, President Joe Biden has signed 17 executive orders to wipe his predecessor’s legacy.
After being sworn in on Wednesday, Biden began signing a flurry of executive orders, memorandums and directives to agencies, his first steps to address the coronavirus pandemic and undo some of former President Donald Trump’s signature policies.
“There’s no time to start like today,” Biden told reporters in the Oval Office as he began signing a stack of orders and memoranda. “I’m going to start by keeping the promises I made to the American people.”
Some of the executive orders include launching of a “100 Days Masking Challenge” to tackle coronavirus by asking Americans to wear masks for 100 days.
The order also mandate US citizens to wear masks and observe physical distancing in federal buildings, on federal lands and by government contractors, while urging states and local governments to do the same.
The United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization has now been stopped on the directive of the executive order and this led to the appointment of Dr. Anthony Fauci as the head of the delegation to the WHO.
Still on the curtailing the pandemic, a Covid-19 response coordinator would be created and the office holder will report directly to Biden and managing efforts to produce and distribute vaccines and medical equipment.
In order to put the the economy in better stead, the executive orders extended the existing nationwide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures until at least March 31. This adds to extending the existing pause on student loan payments and interest for Americans with federal student loans until at least September 30.
On the environment, the US will rejoin the Paris climate accord in the next 30 days as directed by the executive order and will discontinue the Keystone XL pipeline.
Relevant agencies have also been mandated to review and reverse more than 100 Trump actions on the environment.
Other directives are on Equity, which is to rescinded the Trump administration’s 1776 Commission, embark on a review to ensure racial equity as well as strengthen workplace discrimination laws regarding sexual orientation or gender identity.
Census was also not left out of the directive as non-citizen will now be counted and apportionment of congressional representatives.
It further fortified DACA after Trump’s efforts to undo protections for undocumented people brought into the country as children.
A major highlight is the order to reverse the Trump administration’s restrictions on US entry for passport holders from seven Muslim-majority countries.
The executive orders undid Trump’s expansion of immigration enforcement within the United States and halted construction of the border wall by terminating the national emergency declaration used to fund it.
This adds to the extended deferrals of deportation and work authorizations for Liberians with a safe haven in the United States until June 30, 2022.
More so, the executive orders has ordered the executive branch appointees to sign an ethics pledge barring them from acting in personal interest and requiring them to uphold the independence of the Department of Justice.
The OMB director has been directed by the executive orders to develop recommendations to modernize regulatory review and undo Trump’s regulatory approval process.
However, on Thursday, Biden’s first full day in office, will be focused on the coronavirus pandemic, and Friday will highlight Biden’s push for economic relief — including executive orders restoring federal employees’ collective bargaining rights and directing agency action on safety net programs, including Medicaid and unemployment insurance.
February will focus on what’s identified in the calendar document as “restoring America’s place in the world.” and many more agendas Biden has to restore America’s image and integrity.
