Biden’s Day 1 Executive Actions.
President Biden has taken a much needed executive sledgehammer to Trumpism.
Joe Biden has rejoined the WHO, rejoined the Paris Climate Accord, sent out a federal mask mandate, extended the eviction ban, rescinded Trump environmental policies, scrapped the Muslim ban, revived DACA, and scrapped the Keystone pipeline, along other things, all by signing pieces of paper on day 1 on the Oval Office. Another promising development is a portrait of FDR has apparently just been put up.
This is all urgent, vital, and promising. The Biden administration is clearly determined to hit the ground running, and is taking immediate action on a scale not seen in decades. They’re clearly willing to wield executive power to the fullest to advance their priorities, let’s now see Leader Schumer do similar with the budget reconciliation process in the Senate.
The scrapping of the racist Muslim ban is a moment to rejoice and know getting Biden elected had at least one benefit. Rejoining the WHO and Climate Accord were always expected, and are of course welcome, although the WHO is in dire need of reform and the Climate Accord is not even close to going far enough.
Scrapping the Keystone pipeline is a great start for the Biden environmental agenda, showing a willingness to do things that’ll clearly upset various political actors and factions. Movement on student debt is shockingly inadequate, and we need to see Biden use the fullest extent of his executive authority to scrap the maximum amount of student debt possible within his power.
Reviving DACA is a step in the right direction, now let’s see the Biden administration learn the lessons of the Obama years and not have such a cruel system as the administration had in place then. Let’s see a pathway to citizenship for millions brought before congress and passed. Let’s see compensation for the children who have suffered and the families that have been ripped apart, and let’s see not capitulation to ICE by the Biden team.
Common sense moves like the eviction ban extension and a federal mask mandate are no brainers and come with having a degree of sanity back in the White House, even if it is sanity of the neoliberal imperialist variety.
Joe Biden has shown he’s willing to push on with an ambitious Presidency, and is communicating with the public the actions he’s taking to fight for them. Let’s see that maintained, let’s not loose that momentum, and let’s keep pressure for more up on the ground. Let’s change America.