Joe Biden presidency is good for Britain claims Lisa Nandy
Joe Biden will today take office as President of the United States following a presidential campaign dogged by controversy and resistance from his predecessor. Mr Biden will be sworn into office this afternoon and immediately begin work according to aides. Incoming White House press secretary Jen Psaki said of Mr Biden: “He wants to roll up his sleeves and get to work as quickly as possible.”
Ms Psaki added some of the work will be to revoke some actions of his predecessor, President Trump, in a bid to achieve Mr Biden’s goals of “moving the country forward.”
The president aims to create a new White House office which will co-ordinate the coronavirus response, as well as revoke the permit granted to the contentious Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Mr Biden also wants to put an end to Mr Trump’s emergency declaration which helped fund a Mexico border wall, among other orders.
Ms Psaki said Mr Biden plans more executive orders during his first weeks as president, including removing Mr Trump’s restrictions on transgender troops and quashing a policy blocking US funds for overseas programs linked to abortion.
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Below are some of Mr Biden’s orders in more detail.
Climate change
Mr Biden will begin the process of re-entering the Paris climate accord which Mr Trump sensationally withdrew the US from in November 2020.
On the same note, Mr Biden plans to issue a sweeping order tackling climate change, which includes revoking the presidential permit granted to the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Rachel Cleetus, climate and energy policy director for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), said there are several opportunities in 2021 for Mr Biden to help push “a progressive climate agenda” on the world stage.
Immigration
Within a raft of orders addressing immigration, soon-to-be President Biden will revoke Mr Trump’s emergency declaration which helped fund the construction of a border wall and end a travel ban on some majority-Muslim countries.
Susan Rice, who will lead the White House Domestic Policy Council, said: “President Biden’s legislation will modernise our immigration system and prioritise keeping families together, growing our economy responsibly and effectively managing the border with smart investments, addressing the root causes of migration from Central America, and ensuring that the US remains a refuge for those fleeing persecution.”
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Mr Biden is to announce an “immediate termination” of funding for the border wall construction which will stop a key Trump campaign and administration promise to “build a wall” along the US-Mexico border.
An “immediate pause” will be issued on wall construction and then Mr Biden will “determine the best way to redirect funds that were diverted by the prior administration to fund wall construction.”
Ms Psaki added plans for day one in office were just the start of a flurry of executive actions Mr Biden would take.
She said: ”In the coming days and weeks we will be announcing additional executive actions that confront these challenges and deliver on the President-elect’s promises to the American people.”
Coronavirus
Mr Biden has vowed to up the response to the coronavirus pandemic, including a mask mandate on federal property and for federal employees.
The coronavirus pandemic in the United States reached grim milestones on Mr Trump’s final full day in office on Tuesday.
There were 400,000 US deaths and 24 million infections recorded – the highest of any country.
Millions of Americans are out of work because of pandemic-related shutdowns and restrictions.
Mr Biden has promised to use the full power of the federal government to tackle the crisis, including a more robust testing and tracing program and a massive vaccination drive.
His top priority is a $1.9 trillion (£1.39 trillion) plan which would enhance jobless benefits and provide direct cash payments to households.
However, this will need to be approved by a deeply divided Congress, where Democrats will hold slim advantages in both the House and Senate.
Mr Biden’s 17 day one orders
- Launch a “100 Days Masking Challenge” and Leading by Example in the Federal Government
- Re-Engage with the World Health Organization to Make Americans and the World Safer
- Structure Our Federal Government to Coordinate a Unified National Response [to Covid-19]
- Extend Eviction and Foreclosure Moratoriums
- Extend Student Loan Pause
- Rejoin the Paris Agreement on Climate Change
- Roll Back President Trump’s Environmental Actions in Order to Protect Public Health and the Environment and Restore Science
- Launch a Whole-of-Government Initiative to Advance Racial Equity
- Reverse President Trump’s Executive Order Excluding Undocumented Immigrants from the Reapportionment Count
- Preserve and Fortify Protections for Dreamers
- Reverse the Muslim Ban
- Repeal of Trump Interior Enforcement Executive Order
- Stop Border Wall Construction
- Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians Presidential Memorandum
- Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation
- Executive Branch Personnel Ethics Executive Order
- Regulatory Process Executive Order and Presidential Memorandum
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