In a clear departure from the usual proceedings of a president’s inauguration, January 20 saw President Joe Biden hit the ground running with a series of executive orders and directives.
As my colleague Ryan Ford outlined , the first 15 of these ran the gamut from climate change to the nation’s COVID-19 response to immigration to racial and LGBTQ+ equality measures. Among the most notable of these were orders for the United States to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization, with Dr. Anthony Fauci representing the nation in the latter case.
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But it was also clear from that round of executive orders that more would be soon to come and they have already doubled by his third day of office.
While Biden’s first day in office saw him deal with a wide variety of issues affecting Americans, his orders on January 21 were entirely focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to PBS News Hour , the president’s plans for vaccine distribution featured heavily in these orders as they called for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up vaccination centers with a target of 100 created within the next month.
Another order requires FEMA to reimburse states for any National Guard supplies, PPE, and personnel used for this purpose.
One of Biden’s first orders of the day expands upon a previous mandate requiring face masks on all federal property.
As PBS News Hour reported , this means that masks will now be required on planes, trains, intercity buses, maritime ships, and public transportation.
It also requires travelers to provide proof of testing negative for COVID-19 before entering the United States.
Although these two executive orders are likely to attract the most attention, the day also saw eight of them addressing further gaps in infrastructure and guidelines relevant to the pandemic.
In a comprehensive list of Biden’s presidential measures so far, CNN identified orders calling for the expansion of the nation’s testing capacity, enhancements of existing efforts to collect and share coronavirus data, and the ramping up of vaccine, PPE, and testing equipment development among them.
These orders also directed the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to provide guidance on how to safely open and operate schools, child care centers, and other educational institutions. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was also called on to do the same for American workplaces.
At the time of this writing, Biden has unleashed 30 executive orders within his first three days in office.
Although January 22 has only seen two new orders so far, they’re both intended to address the nation’s economic downturn in the wake of the pandemic.
As CNN reported, one of them calls for assistance programs for the unemployed, those who are struggling to find the means to feed themselves and their families, and those who never received any stimulus checks over the past year.
CNN identified the other economic order as being a reversal of a policy enacted by former president Donald Trump.
This would see the restoration of the collective bargaining powers of federal employees, as well the protections they would have previously been entitled to.
This order was also intended to serve as the foundation for a $15 hourly minimum wage.
Should any further executive orders be announced before the day is out, they will likely also address the American economy.
h/t: PBS News Hour , CNN
