Busy Biden’s First Days and the Promises Kept

By Ava Aschettino

The 46th President of the United States had an eventful day on January 20th, 2021. Following the historic inauguration of the oldest president and first female, black, and South Asian vice president, President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hurried back to the White House. Rather than enjoy a full day of celebration, the duo made haste, with President Biden signing 17 executive orders on his first day and 30 executive orders in his first 48 hours. After an action-packed first day, the newly elected President and First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, gazed upon an impressive display of fireworks, commemorating a new day in the United States. 

In his first days in office, President Biden secured the support of his followers. President Biden fulfilled many promises he made. Ten of President Biden’s executive orders reversed Trump Administration implementations.
​All information regarding President Biden’s executive orders is summarized in the chart below and obtained from CNN.

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Can President Biden simply reverse implementations by the Trump Administration? Yes, he can. The President can issue executive orders in order to faithfully execute the laws. These orders do not carry the same weight as laws passed by Congress, and they can be overturned quickly and easily from one administration to the next. While they are enacted by a president, they can easily be undone by the next administration because they are not congressionally passed laws. According to the University of California Santa Barbara, President Trump issued 220 executive orders over his four years in office. However, the policies of the Trump Administration can be reversed by President Biden because of their executive order classification.

​President Biden’s reversals on President Trump’s executive orders align with many of his campaign promises. He vowed he would put the Covid-19 pandemic, the environment, and equality for all at the forefront of his administration. Support swelled from his base as President Biden commenced with reversals of controversial Trump-issued orders.

However, prior administration reversals are simply not enough to keep the country at ease. President Biden issued 20 of his own executive orders with an emphasis on combating the Covid-19 pandemic.
The information regarding President Biden’s non-reversal orders is again referenced from CNN. 

Why is the immediate action crucial to the Biden Administration? It proves to the American people that President Biden is a man of action and promise. He is not full of false promises; Biden placed the issues his supporters elected him to address at the front of his administration, acting upon them on his Inauguration Day. While the Biden administration is not perfect, an administration that keeps its word is important following the Trump Administration, which left the United States with disunity. 

On his first day in office, President Biden declared, "Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn't have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated, and even manufactured." 

​His words are ever so important today. Whoever the elected official is, he, she, or they is to work for the American people, not for their party. This is what President Biden promises: to fight for a United States of America.

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