As Joe Biden’s right-wing critics take aim at him early in his presidency, one of their top targets is his use of executive orders to set out an agenda for his presidency without (yet) submitting legislation.
Many of the orders he’s issued are focused on undoing policies Donald Trump introduced in exactly the same way, and while Mr Biden deployed a remarkable number of orders in just his first days, he will have to issue scores more before he catches up with most other modern presidents.
Here is a list of the executive orders the president has signed so far:
20 January
Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government -“Equity” has become part of the Biden administration’s signature lexicon; in this order, it’s defined as “the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals” – as opposed to “equality”, which can simply mean “treating everyone the same”. Mr Biden’s first order mandates his administration to identify ways the federal government can “promote equity” by allocating resources and gathering data on social and economic inequities. It also repeals two of Donald Trump’s executive orders, which were designed to “combat race and sex stereotyping” and establish the much-ridiculed 1776 Commission.
Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel – Orders that anyone appointed to an executive agency starting now must sign an ethics pledge banning them from accepting gifts from lobbyists or using the “revolving door” between lobbying and government work
21 January
A Sustainable Public Health Supply Chain – Directs several cabinet secretaries to order a review of supplies needed to combat the pandemic, including personal protective equipment and “the resources necessary to effectively produce and distribute tests and vaccines at scale”
22 January
Protecting the Federal Workforce – Orders the secretary of Labour to revise and upgrade guidance to protect federal workers from Covid-19, and to work with states to make sure all workers are properly protected
25 January
26 January
27 January
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology – Establishes a 26-member body of experts from outside the federal government to provide the best possible advice “on matters involving policy affecting science, technology, and innovation, as well as on matters involving scientific and technological information that is needed to inform public policy relating to the economy, worker empowerment, education, energy, the environment, public health, national and homeland security, racial equity, and other topics”
Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad – A long and detailed order covering broad areas of climate policy, spanning departments from the Treasury to Defense to State. Among other things, it establishes an interagency group to help communities suffering from the loss of fossil fuel-related jobs, and creates a new position, a Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. Former secretary of state John Kerry has been appointed the first one.
28 January
Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act – Orders the secretary of health and human services to “consider establishing a Special Enrollment Period for uninsured and under-insured Americans to seek coverage” on the federally facilitated health insurance marketplace, noting that groups hit especially hard by the coronavirus are also disproportionately uninsured
2 February
4 February
11 February
14 February
17 February
24 February
Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains – Orders a wholesale, multi-agency review of the integrity and security of US supply chains for various goods and commodities, including semiconductors and components for high-capacity batteries.
7 March
Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting – Signed on the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday”, when state troopers violently attacked civil rights protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, this order pushes back on Republican-led state-level attempts to make voting and voter registration more difficult. Among other things, it orders government agencies to find new ways to promote voter registration and to ensure that their employees get ample time to vote on election days.
This list will be kept updated.