Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
On his first day in office, United States President Joe Biden is working to finalise 17 executive moves, some of which directly reverse policies put in place by former President Donald Trump.
Rolling back controversial 'Muslim travel ban'
Just hours after his official inauguration on Wednesday (Jan. 20), Biden signed various executive orders, agency directives, and presidential memoranda.
One of the executive orders he signed rolled back the final version of Trump's controversial policy restricting travel for nationals from seven, mostly Muslim-majority, countries. The countries are Iran, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Venezuela and North Korea.
Biden has also revoked another immigration ban that mostly affected people from four African countries.
Addressing Muslim communities directly on his campaign trail previously, Biden said they were "the first to feel Donald Trump's assault on black and brown communities in this country with his vile Muslim ban", Axios reported.
He also attributed the "unconscionable rise in Islamophobia" to Trump.
There is no time to waste: Biden
Some other actions Biden addressed included wearing masks and safe distancing measures, rejoining the Paris Climate agreement, ceasing the U.S.' withdrawal from the World Health Organisation, and halting the construction of the border wall.
In a video posted by the White House on YouTube, Biden was seen sitting at the Resolute Desk next to a stack of documents. He said:
"I thought with the state of the nation today, there is no time to waste, get to work immediately."
He also added that he will be signing a number of executive orders over the next several days to week.
The first executive action he signed was to mandate the wearing of masks, and physical distancing on federal property and interstate commerce.
9 out of 17 actions reverse Trump's policies
According to CNN, here are the nine out of 17 executive orders that Biden issued which directly reversed Trump's policies:
- Stops the United States' withdrawal from the World Health Organization
- Rejoins the Paris climate accord, a process that will take 30 days
- Cancels the Keystone XL pipeline, a controversial oil project, and directs agencies to relook at and reverse more than 100 Trump actions on the environment
- Cancels the Trump administration's 1776 Commission, directs agencies to review their actions to ensure racial equity
- Requires non-citizens to be included in the Census and apportionment of congressional representatives
- Reverses the Trump administration's restrictions on US entry for passport holders from seven Muslim-majority countries
- Undoes Trump's expansion of immigration enforcement within the United States
- Halts construction of the border wall by terminating the national emergency declaration used to fund it
- Directs OMB director to develop recommendations to modernize regulatory review and undoes Trump's regulatory approval process
Other executive actions Biden issued included creating the position of Covid-19 Response Coordinator who would oversee the distribution of vaccines and medical equipment, preventing workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and extending the pause on student loans.
Related story:
https://mothership.sg/2021/01/biden-us-president-1st-day/
Listen to our podcast here
Top screenshot via The White House/YouTube