A look at some of the executive orders President Biden has signed
Since being in office for three weeks, President Biden has signed an array of executive orders. Newsweek reports that in his first 12 days, Biden has signed more executive orders than former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama.
The orders include immigration, climate change, the pandemic and more. Here is a break-down of some of the executive orders Biden has signed so far.
Immigration
Biden has signed many executive orders directed towards immigration. One of the orders will evoke the Trump administration’s plan to exclude non-citizens from the census count.
Construction on the border wall with Mexico has also since been halted. This order will terminate the national security declaration which helped fund it.
Biden signed three additional executive orders on Feb. 2 aimed at reversing former President Trump’s immigration practices as reported by CNBC.
One of the executive orders will reunite children separated from their families under Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy. A task force will be created and chaired by the secretary of homeland security under this order.
Another order would evaluate legal immigration programs. One of these programs includes the Central American Minors Program which began when President Obama was in office but was terminated in 2017. The program allowed lawfully present parents in the U.S. to request a refugee or parole status for their children.
This order will also review the “Remain in Mexico” policy which was started by the Trump administration. The policy has left asylum-seekers living in northern Mexico as they await court hearings to make their cases for protection in the U.S.
The third executive order will direct agencies to undertake their own review of asylum policy in the U.S.
Climate Change
Among some of President Biden’s top priorities, some were related to climate change. According to NBC News, an executive order signed Jan. 27 will elevate climate change to a national security priority, aim to conserve about 30% of federal land and water by 2030 and suspend leases on natural gas and oil development on federal lands and water.
“In my view, we’ve already waited too long to deal with this climate crisis,” Biden said before signing the executive order. “We can’t wait any longer.”
Biden also reversed other Trump administration policies by canceling the XL pipeline and has signed a letter to rejoin the Paris climate accords.
COVID-19
Starting his presidency off in the middle of a pandemic, Biden has signed orders aimed towards the coronavirus in the U.S. Biden signed an order appointing Jeffery D. Zients as the official COVID-19 response coordinator.
Biden is also restoring ties with the World Health Organization after the Trump administration withdrew the nation’s membership last year. Dr. Anthony Fauci will become the head of delegation to the WHO.
The New York Times reported that Biden is requiring social distancing and mask use on all federal property and by all federal employees. While there is no national mask mandate, Biden is launching a “100 Days Mask Challenge” which will encourage Americans to wear masks for 100 days.
Racial and L.G.B.T.Q. Equality
An executive order was signed on Biden’s first day of office to strengthen anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community. The order will prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Another order will reverse the Trump administration’s policy to ban transgender Americans from serving in the military.
Memorandums have also been made to condemn racism and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in response to the coronavirus, to direct agencies to mitigate racial bias in federal housing policies and to recommit the government to respect tribal sovereignty.
To see a full list of the executive orders Biden has signed, check out Biden’s executive orders: View the list (cnn.com)