Joe Biden's Immediate Executive Orders in First Days of Presidency

 In the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, he and his staff have released their plans for the actions and legislative proposals Biden intends to take immediately once his term begins, including a mask mandate, undoing all 100 of President Trump's environmental protection rollbacks, and rejoining the Paris Climate Accords.

During his presidential campaign in 2020, Biden emphasized that his highest priority was getting the COVID-19 pandemic under control. In the first days of his presidential term, the former VP promises to impose a national mask mandate on federal lands and interstate transportation in order to promote personal safety and hygiene. In contrast to President Trump's strategy of saving COVID vaccines in order to provide for eventual second doses, Biden will place an emphasis on rolling out as many doses of the vaccine as quickly as possible. He promises to invoke the Defense Production Act to produce vaccines and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. He will also extend the moratorium on federal student loan payments and restrictions on evictions related to the pandemic, as well as re-establishing the commitment of the United States to the World Health Organization.

The worldwide climate crisis is also a top-priority concern for the Biden Administration. First, Biden plans to officially declare the climate crisis a national emergency. He promises to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, which the United States left after President Trump stalled global warming action for years. He then plans to rejoin the Iran Nuclear Deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Biden has also stated that he intends to undo every environmental protection rollback instated by the Trump Administration. His admin plans to establish an environmental/climate justice division in the Department of Justice. Biden's most controversial actions on climate change come in the form of a nationwide ban on fracking on federal lands.

Another important matter for Biden is the American immigration process. One of his most significant campaigning points was promising to create a task force to reunite deported immigrants with their family, an emphasized mission during the Obama presidency. Speaking of the Obama presidency, Biden also intends to reinstate Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In the first days of his presidency, Biden will map out his new eight-year immigration process.

President-elect Biden's inauguration comes during a time of great tension and division within America. According to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, only about half of Americans say they have a favorable impression of Biden, but a majority think he will do more to unite the country than to divide it. Hopefully, for the greater good of America and its people, the Biden presidency can bring peace and unity to America during this turbulent time.

Robert Ferguson - Period 5