President Joe Biden Executive Orders and Presidential Actions – First Day

The White House (Shutterstock)
St. Croix resident Devin Boyd with former Vice President Joe Biden at Point Udall shortly after dawn, Jan. 1. (Devin Boyd photo provided by Alice Henry)
St. Croix resident Devin Boyd with former Vice President, now president, Joe Biden at Point Udall shortly after dawn, Jan. 1, 2019. (Devin Boyd photo provided by Alice Henry)

With a new president in office, a reader took note of what seems to be a lot of significant policy changes and actions on the first full day of his presidency. Biden, who likes to vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has issued orders impacting immigration, rejoining the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, rejoining the World Health Organization and requiring federal employees to wear masks, to name a few.

Here they are with links to the orders on the White House website:

Public Health, Environment, Restoring Science to Tackle Climate Crisis

Decennial Census / Accurate Apportionment

Revocation of Executive Orders on Certain Federal Regulations

Revision of Civil Immigration Enforcement

Letter to United Nations Retracting USA Request to withdraw from World Health Organization

On USA Covid Response

Requiring Federal Workforce Mask-Wearing

Ending Bans on Entry into the USA

Advance Racial Equity; Support Underserved Communities

Paris Climate Agreement Acceptance

Freeze on Pending Regulations Not Yet Published in Federal Register

Proclaiming a National Day of Unity

Preserving and Fortifying Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Reinstating Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians

“Pausing” Federal Student Loan Payments

Southern Border Wall Construction; Redirection of those Appropriated Funds

Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel

Modernize and Improve the Regulatory Review Process

Discrimination on Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation

Civil Immigration Enforcement Policy

Announcement of Federal Agency Leadership