Since President Joe Biden was inaugurated January 20, 2021, he has used executive orders to make changes that involve reversing the effects of Trump’s presidency and working towards goals for his term. Biden has signed over 35 executive orders in the past few weeks, addressing issues such as reentering the Paris Accord, racial equality, LGBTQ+ rights, the COVID-19 response and changing immigration policies.
Biden’s policies have not been put into place as a compromise, which was unexpected after his inaugural speech that focused on unity. Instead, Biden focused on removing the policies made by the Trump administration. This has led to support from the Democratic Party, but it has also caused complaints from conservative leaders.
“It seems as though Biden is off to a good start to promote his agenda — it helps that Democrats control both the House and the Senate. I expect Biden will be successful at getting the economic relief passed and coordinate a successful vaccination effort that carries over from the previous administration,” said Michael Robbins, history teacher at Athens Drive.
One of Biden’s main goals is creating an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. His orders involving the health crisis address safety requirements based on health guidelines, boosting the collection and analysis of data related to the coronavirus in the U.S., and wide-spread distribution of the vaccine. Biden has also given orders related to the economic effects of the pandemic, which includes helping people who are struggling to buy food, missed out on stimulus checks, or are unemployed.
“I think the historic use of executive order in recent years is a powerful tool but as we can see it does not have a long-lasting impact. I think that President Biden will work with Congress and the leaders of the political groups to ensure long-lasting change,” said Sarah Shouse, history teacher at Athens Drive.
Despite the many changes Biden has made so far, they will be easily changed in the future if they do not get the support of Congress. However, with a Democrat-led House and Senate, it will be easier for him to push his policies through Congress and make them more permanent.
“[Biden] has been given a lot on his plate to tackle. The issues with climate change, immigration, economic problems and of course a pandemic are each large enough to cause a president to stress,” said Shouse.
