A few hours after being sworn into office, US President Joe Biden immediately moved for the reversal of former President Donald Trump’s controversial policies focusing on controlling the pandemic, providing economic relief, tackling climate change, and advancing racial equity
Among the first executive orders to be signed is the stoppage of the travel ban from Muslim-majority countries. He also signed an order nullifying the declaration of a national emergency order used to justify funding the construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border.
As part of his efforts to undo the policies that were previously implemented by Trump, the 46th President of the United States also declared his intent to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization and revoked the approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Mere hours after he took his oath as POTUS, some 17 executive orders and national directives were signed on day one in an effort to rewind the policies implemented during the tumultuous four years of the Trump administration.
Setting his political agenda as well as placing importance in the urgency of addressing the coronavirus pandemic, Biden also signed a directive that required masks and physical distancing on national government offices and by federal employees.
“Wearing masks isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a patriotic act that can save countless lives. That’s why I signed an executive order today issuing a mask mandate on federal property. It’s time to mask up, America,” Biden said on his first day in office.
To further show his commitment to addressing challenges posed by the pandemic, he also extended the federal eviction freeze to aid those struggling from the economic fallout as a result of the ongoing pandemic.
President Joe Biden also created a new federal government office designated to coordinate the national response to the virus while consequently restoring the White House’s National Security Council directorate for global health security and defense which Trump had ordered closed.
“We don’t have a second to waste when it comes to getting this virus under control. That’s why today, I’ll be signing executive actions to expand testing, administer vaccines, and safely reopen schools and businesses,” Biden said.
During his inaugural speech, Biden paused for a few seconds in silent prayer for thousands of Americans who have died of COVID-19, one of the most deadly epidemics that have struck the country in over a century.
“To those 400,000 fellow Americans – mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends, neighbors, and co-workers: We will honor them by becoming the people and nation we know we can and should be. Let us say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives, for those they left behind, and for our country,” Biden said in his inaugural speech.
Together with Vice-President Kamala Harris, the first female, black, and South Asian to become vice-president, Biden took his Oath of Office in an inauguration snubbed by his predecessor Donald Trump.
The inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was a star-studded event with celebrities like Lady Gaga singing the US National Anthem, Jennifer Lopez singing “America the Beautiful” and “This land is Your Land” and country legend and known Republican Garth Brooks singing “Amazing Grace” in a sparsely attended event due to the ongoing pandemic. Also taking the limelight was 22-year-old poet Amanda Gorman who captivated the inaugural crowd and the nation with her reading of the uplifting poem “The Hill We Climb.”
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