President Biden is not one for procrastination! After a spectacular inauguration, made dazzling by the eloquent words of poet Amanda Gorman and the historic nature of Vice President Kamala Harris’s position, as well as the unifying themes spoken by the President himself, President Biden wasted no time before signing more than a dozen executive orders. These calls for legislative change will undo much of what the previous administration boasted about accomplishing and will work to dismantle the legacy of the former president. 

On Wednesday alone, the day of Biden’s swearing in, the President went into the Oval Office to begin his work by signing 17 executive orders. They are as follows:

Ban Workplace Discrimination Against LGBT Employees- In one of the most progressive acts in terms of LGBTQ+ rights in recent memory, this executive order makes it so workplace discrimination is also prohibited on the basis of sexual orientation.

Freeze Trump’s “Midnight Regulations”- All of the regulations pushed forth by Trump that are still in process will be frozen until the Biden-Harris team reviews them and makes a decision on their future from that point.

Implement an Ethics Pledge For All Executive Branch Officials- Those in the executive branch must sign a pledge swearing their allegiance to justice and putting the interests of this country before their own.

-Require Masks on Federal Property- Already setting a new tone for how the Biden administration will be handling the Covid pandemic, President Biden has ordered all federal properties require mask-wearing. This is an important step in working to combat the pandemic, further showcasing how Biden differs from the flippancy often expressed by his predecessor for the virus. 

-Rejoin the World Health Organization- As a direct reversal of a previous Trump order, Biden has put an end to Trump’s plan to withdraw from WHO (the World Health Organization). Biden has also expressed his trust for infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, whom Trump had previously dangled the threat of firing, by sending the doctor to WHO’s virtual board. 

-Establish a Covid Office That Will be in Direct Correspondence With the President- Furthering his devotion to defeating Covid is the creation of a White House Covid-19 response team that aims to distribute gloves and masks to areas in the country where it is scarce, divvy out vaccines at an efficient rate and how to most appropriately reopen businesses.

-Extend Foreclosure and Eviction Moratoriums- Several notable agencies have been instructed to keep up the current halt on federal evictions and foreclosures, at the very least to the end of March.

-Freeze Student Debt Collection- The Education Department has been ordered to continue the freeze of monthly payments and interest on the majority of federal student loans for the time being.

End the 1776 Commission- The short lived 1776 Commission created by the Trump team has been terminated. The commission, which wished to enforce a conservative and often inaccurate school curriculum that pushed patriotism as opposed to truth, as well as pressuring federal contractors to cease any diversity training, is no longer.

Reverse Trump’s Alterations to the Census- This order will undo the previous rule that undocumented immigrants not be accounted for in the U.S census.

Make Protections for “Dreamers’ ‘ Stronger- Former President Obama’s executive order of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) will continue to be built upon and strengthened under the Biden-Harris team.

Abolish the “Muslim Ban”- One of the most controversial actions in a presidency riddled with them, the “Muslim Ban”, which worked to ban immigrants from several majority-Muslim countries, has been abolished by President Biden. 

Stop the Interior Enforcement Rule- In addition to pausing deportations, President Biden is reversing the order which made the category for who was viable for deportation much broader.

Temporarily Stop the U.S-Mexico Border Wall- Biden has ceased border-wall construction while his team best figures out where to carry on from here with their immigration policies.

Provide Deportation Protections for Liberians- In response to the threats of Trump to end the DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) which jeopardize thousands of Liberians, this executive order will extend the designations for eligible Liberians, preventing the threat of deportation temporarily.

-Rejoin the Paris Climate Accords- Boasted by Trump as one of his proudest achievements while in office, President Biden immediately went to work on undoing this by sending the United Nations a document pledging the United States’ allegiance to rejoining the group that works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

-Revoke the Permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline and Cancel Other Trump Energy Projects- The Keystone Pipeline, which would serve to transmit fossil fuels from Canada to the US, has been denied its permit. This accompanies several other cancellations of Trump’s initiatives, such as prohibiting drilling at a few national parks.