WASHINGTON — In 17 executive orders, memorandums and proclamations signed hours after his inauguration, President Biden moved swiftly on Wednesday to dismantle Trump administration policies his aides said have caused the “greatest damage” to the nation.
Despite an inaugural address that called for unity and compromise, Mr. Biden’s first actions as president are sharply aimed at sweeping aside former President Donald J. Trump’s pandemic response, reversing his environmental agenda, tearing down his anti-immigration policies, bolstering the teetering economic recovery and restoring federal efforts to promote diversity.
Here’s a look at what the measures aim to accomplish.
On Racial and L.G.B.T. Equality
Mr. Biden will end the Trump administration’s 1776 Commission, which released a report on Monday that historians said distorted the role of slavery in the United States, among other history. Mr. Biden also revoked Mr. Trump’s executive order limiting the ability of federal agencies, contractors and other institutions to hold diversity and inclusion training.
The president designated Susan E. Rice, who is the head of his Domestic Policy Council, as the leader of a “robust, interagency” effort requiring all federal agencies to make “rooting out systemic racism” central to their work. His order directs the agencies to review and report on equity in their ranks within 200 days, including a plan on how to remove barriers to opportunities in policies and programs. The order also moves to ensure that Americans of all backgrounds have equal access to federal government resources, benefits and services. It starts a data working group as well as the study of new methods to measure and assess federal equity and diversity efforts.
Another executive order reinforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require that the federal government does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, a policy that reverses action by Mr. Trump’s administration.
President Biden signs slew of executive actions during first day. Here’s a look
EQUITY AND PREVENTING DISCRIMINATION
▪ Launching a government initiative: Biden will sign an executive order to establish “equity across federal policymaking and rooting out systemic racism and other barriers to opportunity from federal programs and institutions.” Under the order, Biden will also rescind Trump’s “1776 Commission,” which promoted “patriotic education” and will do away with his limits on diversity training in federal agencies.
▪ LGBTQ rights: Biden will sign an executive order to ensure Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is interpreted to prohibit “workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.” The order will also direct agencies to ensure “federal anti-discrimination statutes that cover sex discrimination prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ persons.” Read more via McClatchy