A Look at the Biden-Harris Administration

Since the inauguration, members of the Biden-Harris Administration have been hard at work in the White House. Biden has passed a total of twenty-eight executive orders in under a month, seventeen of which he signed on his first day in office. Eighteen out of the twenty-eight orders reverse a policy put in place by the Trump administration, the majority of which regarded immigration, the coronavirus, equity, and the economy. He has also passed several acts regarding climate change, health care, and national security. 

Here is a summary of some important orders Biden has signed so far...

On Covid-19

• Created the position of Covid-19 Response Coordinator

• Rejoined the World Health Organization with Dr. Fauci as head of the delegation to the organization 

• Required masks and social distancing on all federal property 

• Launched a “100 Days Masking Challenge” to encourage all Americans to wear masks for 100 days

• Created a Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force to ensure an equitable response to and recovery from the pandemic 

• Made it mandatory to wear masks in airports and on other modes of public transportation, including trains, airplanes, boats, and buses

• Called for clear guidelines on Covid-19 and required worker health and safety requirements to be enforced 

• Ordered the Department of Education to provide guidelines on how to reopen schools safely and keep them functioning 

• Created community vaccination centers 

• Expanded the US testing capacity 

• Sped up manufacturing and delivery of PPE and supplies for vaccines

On Equity

• Prevented discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation in the workplace

• Revokes Trump’s 1776 Commission; all agencies must review their actions to ensure racial equity 

• Reversed Trump’s ban on transgender Americans in the military 

• Ordered the government to not renew federal contracts with private prisons

• Acknowledged the increase of discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and directs Health and Human Services to provide support and prevent hate crimes and harassment

• Ordered federal agencies to have regular and meaningful meetings with Tribal governments

• Reviewed Trump’s housing regulations and amended them to fit with the Fair Housing Act

On Immigration

• Blocked the deportations of Liberians who have been living in the US through 2022

• Stopped Trump’s construction of the border wall 

• Reversed Trump’s increased immigration enforcement in the US, which prioritized the deportation of criminals, including undocumented immigrants

• Reversed Trump’s immigration ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries

• Reinforced DACA, an organization that protects immigrants who were brought to the US as children from being deported

• Undid Trump’s order requiring immigrants to repay the government if they receive public benefits 

• Revoked Trump’s order justifying separating children from their parents at the border

• Created a task force to reunite families separated at the border

• Created organizations to protect asylum seekers and ensure that Central American asylum seekers have legal access to the US

• Directed agencies to ensure LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers have equal access to protection 

• Expanded the US Refugee Admissions Program that Trump had decreased in size

On Climate Change 

• Rejoined the Paris Climate Accord

• Canceled Trump’s Keystone XL pipeline 

• Forced agencies to reverse more than 100 of Trump’s environmental action guidelines 

• Ordered scientific integrity across all federal agencies 

• Reestablished the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

• Made climate change an essential priority/focus? of US foreign policy

• Ordered the development of a new emissions reduction target 

In addition to these acts, Biden has also named his cabinet members. Here are the individuals he selected for each position.