Graphic by Jessica Sciabica
President Joe Biden was inaugurated on Jan. 20, making him the 46th president of the U.S. and making Kamala Harris the first Black and South Asian vice president. The Biden-Harris administration has already sent out a shower of over 50 executive orders and 19 reversals as soon as their four-year term commenced.
Undoing many of former President Donald Trump’s policies was the main focus of Biden’s executive orders and memorandums. Other focuses included newer legislations from the current administration. These executive orders were primarily geared toward the topics of immigration, environment, coronavirus and equity.
The sheer number of executive orders didn’t seem to surprise Stephen Caliendo, dean of the college of arts and sciences and professor of political science.
“It is not uncommon for incoming presidents to issue a number of executive orders, particularly if they are from a different political party than their predecessor; Joe Biden’s campaign centered heavily on a repudiation of Donald Trump’s record,” said Caliendo. “Part of his ability to deliver on campaign promises involved undoing some of the policies he found problematic from the last administration.”
Immigration
On the first day in office, Biden signed over 15 executive orders, which included multiple reversals on immigration-related policies. These reversals included a halt on the construction of the southern border wall by terminating its funds. Biden also reversed the Trump administration’s restriction on passport entry into the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Likewise, Biden signed more reversals in the form of executive orders on Feb. 2 and Feb. 4. He worked to provide protection and legal access into the country for asylum seekers and gave similar protection to LGBTQ+ refugees. Along with this, President Biden revoked the Trump administration’s order that aimed to justify families being separated at the border. Biden then assigned a special task force just to aid himself by recommending ways to reunite these broken families.
Equity
Biden focused on equity over the past few weeks of executive orders signed within 30 days of commencing his term as president. For example, he signed an executive order that barred discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Following these efforts, Biden also reversed Trump’s ban on transgender soldiers in the military. In addition, Biden is working to discontinue federal contracts with private prisons.
Meghan Steinbeiss, professor of political science, spoke on the topic of private prisons and executive orders focusing on equity.
“I was not expecting an executive order on moving toward abolishing private prisons; we know that the prison population is disproportionately Black Americans and (they are people with) low socioeconomic statuses and private prisons are not known to treat their prisoners very well because profit is the bottom line,” said Steinbeiss. “There is a greater equity issue here.”
Environment
Biden sent out executive orders overturning more than 100 of Trump’s actions on the environment. As of Jan. 20, he chose to rejoin the Paris climate accord within the next 30 days. Biden has highlighted the topic of climate change as an essential component of foreign policy in yet another set of executive orders.
Putting science and reason above it all, on Jan. 27, Biden charged the office director of Science and Technology Policy with ensuring scientific integrity across all federal agencies. He has also reestablished the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and formed the National Climate Task Force.
“As a political scientist, I’m looking forward to seeing more actual governance. The temperature in American politics has been really high the past four years; it’s been a very divisive four years and while I don’t know that that polarization will go away, I’m hopeful that we will be able to focus on (more) important issues ahead,” said Steinbeiss.
COVID-19
Lastly, the largest section of executive orders signed by Biden was concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. From Jan. 20-21, Biden halted the withdrawal of the U.S. from the World Health Organization. To promote the use of masks, he also launched a ‘100 Day Masking Challenge’ for Americans. President Biden required masks to be worn in all federal buildings to set an example.
Biden also established the Pandemic Testing Board to expand the U.S. capacity for testing. He directed the Department of Education to provide guidance on the reopening of schools and higher education institutions. Finally, Biden accelerated the manufacturing and delivery of supplies for PPE, testing and vaccinations.
“I think that many of the executive orders that President Biden has signed so far are well-intentioned,” said Helen Ruiz, ’24. “Taking history into consideration, many leaders do not hold onto their promises, but I truly hope that the new president holds onto his promise of uniting this very politically divided country.”
Less than a month in office, Biden has already shown that he is willing follow through on his promises. There is a major focus on science and logic in the Biden-Harris administration. There is also an ongoing dialogue on how the executive orders play into this and help us to establish a safer and better America in the days to come.
