On Jan. 20, 2021, President Joe Biden took office and quickly began instituting new policies. By the end of the day, he had put in place 15 executive orders. He continued on this pace the following days and continued to pass several more. In total, he passed twenty-six orders, five proclamations and three memorandums.

Actions taken on Jan. 20:

Federal Mask Mandate, 100 Day Mask Challenge, New COVID-19 Correspondent

One of the most prominent actions taken by Biden was to introduce a mask and social distancing mandate on all federal grounds. In addition to this, he began his “100 day mask challenge,” encouraging Americans to wear masks for 100 days to stop the spread of COVID-19. He also appointed Jeffery D Zients as the official COVID-19 correspondent for the president. His last pandemic-related order was to restore ties with the WHO (World Health Organization).

Paris Climate Accord, Halting Keystone XL Pipeline and Border Wall

An additional major order released was to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, which is scheduled to pass on Feb. 19, 2021. In addition to this, he began to reverse several decisions made by former President Trump, such as revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and terminating the construction of the Mexican-American border wall.

Preservation of DACA, Non-U.S. Citizens Included in Census, Removal of Travel Ban

Another immigration order was passed, one to preserve DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which prevents the deportation of illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. He also passed an order to revoke the Trump Administration’s plan to exclude non-U.S. citizens from the census count. In addition to this, Biden released an order to re-open travel to and from several Muslim and African countries.

Preventing Evictions and Loan Appreciation, Government Ethics

Biden also moved to extend an act preventing evictions and the appreciation of student loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of this, Biden is currently being pressed to relieve a portion of student loan debt. Biden added an order to keep his administration ethical to his already long day one list.

Removal of 1776 Commission, Reinforcing Title VII, Regulatory Freeze

An additional order instituted by Biden was to remove the 1776 Commission, a commission founded by the Trump Administration designed to oppose the 1619 Project, a New York Times directed effort to explore the central role of slavery in U.S. history. Biden also pushed forward an order to reinforce Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prevents discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. Finally, Biden “froze” all new regulations proposed by the Trump Administration to assess whether the Biden Administration wants to move forward with them.

Actions Taken on Jan. 21:

COVID-19 Safety Executive Orders

Jan. 21 hit COVID-19 safety regulations hard. Biden signed many orders relating to COVID-19 safety. The first executive order passed on Jan. 21 was an order to advise safety when traveling during the pandemic. Next, Biden passed an order to improve and expand access to care and treatments during the pandemic and an order to ensure any action taken in response to COVID-19 was backed up by data. He also passed an executive order to establish a COVID-19 testing board and an order to protect workers for the duration of the pandemic. Finally, he passed an order to ensure the federal government’s response to COVID-19 will be equitable among all Americans.

Support for National Guard, Public Health Supply Chain, Schools

On Jan. 21, Biden also signed a memorandum to both extend his support for the Governor’s use of the National Guard in response to the pandemic and to increase the federal reimbursement and other assistance provided to the states. Next, he signed an order to ensure a sustainable public health supply chain, meaning the consumption of resources by the pandemic matched the production. Lastly, he passed an order giving his support to schools reopening and staying open.

Actions taken on Jan. 22:

Economic Relief during COVID-19, Protecting Federal Workforce

Biden passed two executive orders on Jan. 22, one of which was an order to protect federal workers during the pandemic and to serve as a model employer for other businesses to mimic as COVID progresses. The other order passed was an economic relief package. Don’t get excited, this merely asked businesses to identify actions they can take to support their workers and promptly take those actions.

Actions taken on Jan. 25:

Transgenders in the Military, COVID-19 Immigration Control, America’s Future

The first order passed allows any qualified Americans to serve in the Armed Forces. This includes transgender individuals, reversing an action taken by former President Trump. The next action taken was a proclamation to prevent entry to immigrants and tourists from certain UK countries and from the Republics of Brazil and South Africa. His final order for Jan. 25 was to encourage American businesses and workers to thrive.

Actions Taken on Jan. 26:

Combating Racism and Xenophobia, Nation-to-Nation Relationships, Prison Reform, Redressing History of Discrimination

The first order passed by Biden was a proclamation condemning and preventing institutionalized racism, xenophobia and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Another proclamation made was to strengthen nation-to-nation relationships with American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Nations. Another action taken by Biden was choosing not to renew contracts with privately owned, for profit prisons in an attempt to reduce the amount of people who are incarcerated. The final action taken was to address the U.S.’s history of discriminatory practices and to reform any current discriminatory policies.

Actions Taken on Jan. 27:

Tackling Climate Crisis, Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Restoring Government Trust

On Jan. 27, Biden passed three orders, the first of which was to combat the current climate crisis in both America and abroad. The next order passed was to establish a council of advisors in Science and Technology. This council will terminate two years from its establishment. The final action taken was a memorandum to restore trust in the U.S. Government by beginning to make policies based on evidence and restoring scientific integrity.