WASHINGTON (AP) – In his first hours as president, Joe Biden wants to hit the core of President Donald Trump’s policy legacy by signing a series of executive actions reversing the orders of his predecessor on immigration, climate change and dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden will end construction on Trump’s border wall between the United States and Mexico on Wednesday, end the ban on travel from some Muslim-majority countries and rejoin the Paris climate agreement. and the World Health Organization and revoke the approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, their assistants said Tuesday. The new president will sign the orders almost immediately after taking the oath of office at the Capitol, quickly turns from its well-rounded inauguration ceremony to the entry into force of its agenda.
The 15 executive actions are an attempt to essentially flush the past four years of federal policy back with striking speed. Only two recent presidents have signed executive actions on their first day in office – and each has signed only one. But Biden faces the debilitating coronavirus pandemic, intends to demonstrate a sense of urgency and competence that, according to his predecessor, is lacking.
“I think the most important thing to say is that tomorrow begins a new day,” said Jeff Zients, Biden’s choice to lead a new White House office that would coordinate the overhauled response to the federal government’s pandemic. .
In fact, Biden began the day by signaling that he would return to the Washington traditions and normality that his predecessor had maintained. As Trump, who did not want to attend Biden’s inauguration, left Washington on Wednesday morning, Biden and his family made their way to St. John’s Cathedral. Matthew the Apostle, the historic church where John F. Kennedy’s funeral was held. The president-elect has joined the service by Democratic and Republican congressional leaders, a nod to the bipartisan he hopes to inspire in the fight against the pandemic.
Biden’s first actions go far beyond the current health crisis. He plans to order a review of all Trump regulations and executive actions that are considered harmful to the environment or public health. He will order federal agencies to prioritize racial equity and review policies that reintroduce systemic racism. He will repeal a Trump order that seeks to exclude non-citizens from the census and will order federal employees to take an ethical pledge that commits them to upholding the independence of the Department of Justice.
Susan Rice, Biden’s incoming domestic policy adviser, said the new president would also repeal the recently issued report by Trump’s 1776 commission “to promote” patriotic education. “
These actions will be followed by dozens more in the next ten days, aides said, as Biden wants to divert the country without going through a Senate that controls the Democrats by the smallest margin.
In particular, the opening actions did not include immediate steps to reconnect with Iran’s nuclear power, which Trump abandoned and Biden promised to reinstate. Jen Psaki, the incoming White House press secretary, said that although they were not included in Biden’s Day One orders, the new president announced the Pentagon’s ban on military service by transgender Americans as well as the so-called Mexico City in the coming days. will revoke. policy, which prohibits U.S. funding for international organizations that perform or refer women for abortion services.
Psaki said the actions to be taken on Wednesday were focused on providing “immediate relief” to Americans.
In another attempt to signal a return to the time before Trump, Psaki said she would hold a news conference late Wednesday as a symbol of the government’s commitment to transparency. Trump’s White House notified daily the use of reporters.
Biden will sign the actions during his first visit to the Oval Office in four years. Since then, action in the presidential order has often been marked by clumsy announcements and confusion. Trump’s team was forced in their first days in office to rewrite executive orders through a court order, and assistants took days to figure out how the White House intercom could be used to warn press about events. The repeatedly canceled plans to bring about new building programs – called ‘Infrastructure week’ – have become a national point. By contrast, Biden assistants want to demonstrate that they are prepared for the job right outside the gate.
Senior assistants to Biden, led by Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, and Stef Feldman, head of campaign policy, began planning the executive action plans in November, a few days after Biden won the presidency and the draft began in December. The final documents were reviewed by career staff at the Legal Advice Office over the past few weeks before Biden swore to ensure they would pass the legal opportunity.
Biden’s team began taking the reins even before the Marine Band completed its version of “Greetings to the Head” after the new president took the oath of office.
Aid workers would begin entering the White House complex by noon, when Biden officially took office, to oversee national security roles. The urgency was hastened by security concerns surrounding the inauguration following the US Capitol uprising.
Restrictions on COVID-19, coupled with the strict security around the inauguration, have severely curtailed the number of helpers in Biden’s West Wing. According to an official, assistants were told to pack snacks in their offices due to pandemic protocols.