So, What Has Joe Biden Done So Far?
Graphic by Sam Adkins
Before President Biden and Vice President Harris were formally sworn in, they began laying out their plans to rebuild the country and combat the coronavirus. Hours after their inauguration, President Biden began signing dozens of executive orders to help better the nation. Now after several weeks in office review President Biden’s most notable accomplishments in his first weeks in office.
After the inauguration, Biden got to work by signing 17 executive orders, most of which reversed the actions of Donald Trump. According to CNN, Biden’s executive orders combat a range of topics such as Coronavirus, ethics, regulations, immigration, equality, environment, and economy. Since the inauguration, President Biden has signed a total of 30 orders–some of which have been talked about a lot in the news.
On January 20, one of Biden’s first orders was halting the construction of the border wall that separated the United States and Mexico. According to The White House, they will discontinue all work on the border wall for the foreseeable future and use the money collected from American taxpayers for other projects that need funding.
Along with the discontinuation of the border wall, Biden’s new executive order allows unauthorized immigrants the right to be counted in the U.S. census, according to the White House. With this order, states may be eligible to gain extra seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. So, states that have a high number of uncounted immigrants––like Texas––have the potential to add two more seats in the House. More seats in Congress means more representation for American citizens.
President Biden made equality a priority in his presidential race and later in his executive orders. On his first day in office, he set an order in place that prevents LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The order is also designed to allow children equality in school. In the order––listed on WhiteHouse.Gov––it states, “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.” The order continues to say adults should be able to express themselves at work without the possibility of being fired or demoted.
One of Biden’s most notable executive orders has been surrounding the environment. The executive order will end construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. According to BBC News, the Keystone XL is an oil pipeline that runs from Alberta––a Canadian providence––to Steele City, Nebraska. Back in 2015, the Obama administration rejected this idea, however, Trump supported the idea and allowed construction to begin. Since the construction of the pipeline, it’s had waves of disapproval because of how harmful it is to the environment.
In addition to canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, Biden also made rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement a priority on his to-do list. The agreement was curated to combat climate change and global warming. Countries that signed the agreement are supposed to cut their toxic emissions into the air to help reduce global warming. The U.S. first joined the agreement in 2016 under the Obama administration, but the Trump administration withdrew from the agreement in 2017. However, the Biden administration prioritized climate change by rejoining the agreement hours after the inauguration.
The new president also signed a slew of orders regarding the Coronavirus pandemic. One of the most essential orders being, stopping the United States from withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO). President Biden signed orders requiring Americans to wear masks in airports, public transportations, and in federal buildings.