Congresswoman Barbara Lee Applauds President Biden’s Day One Executive Orders
Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) today released a statement applauding the Executive Actions taken by President Joe Biden on his first full day in office:
“Yesterday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in, giving us all hope for a brighter future for our country.
“On his first day in office, President Biden singed dozens of executive orders aiming to crush the coronavirus, provide financial relief to struggling families, meet the challenge of the climate crisis by rejoining the Paris Climate agreement, and advance racial equity.
“As we continue to fight a deadly pandemic that has taken over 400,000 lives, communities of color continue to be the most impacted. On day one, the Biden administration launched a science-based plan that addresses racial equity through establishing a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force and filling supply shortfalls for vaccines, testing supplies, and PPE, especially in communities of color.
“A “100 Days Masking Challenge,” requires masks and physical distancing in federal buildings, on federal lands, and by federal employees and contractors. The administration is also making it a top priority to re-engage the World Health Organization and address the health and economic impacts of this crisis around the globe.
“Our country is seeing overlapping economic, health, and climate crises that have exacerbated inequality and highlighted the costs of systemic racism. In order to unite our country and build back better, tackling our country’s legacy of racism must be at forefront of this administration’s agenda. I applaud President Biden for launching a whole-of-government initiative to promote racial equity and defeat white supremacy and domestic terrorism.
“Addressing the global climate crisis will require the U.S. to take multilateral action. Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement and rolling back the Trump administration’s harmful policies is an important first step. The federal government must continue to strengthen climate policies and further environmental justice.
“I am also pleased to see the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to honoring our country’s diverse communities and heritage by protecting dreamers, TPS, and DED recipients, repealing the xenophobic and cruel Muslim Ban and taking action against LGBTQ+ discrimination.
“I will continue work with the administration to ensure that communities of color and undeserved communities are prioritized in our response to these converging crises.”
A full summary of the President’s executive orders can be found below:
- Executive actions to change the course of the pandemic and protect public health, including by launching a “100 Days Masking Challenge,” requiring masks and physical distancing in all federal buildings, on all federal lands, and by federal employees and contractors and re-engaging the World Health Organization.
- Asking federal agencies to extend eviction and foreclosure moratoriums and the pause on student loan payments to provide economic relief and support to working families who are struggling during these crises due to no fault of their own.
- Actions to tackle climate change, create good union jobs, advance environmental justice by rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement and rolling back President Trump’s environmental action in order to protect public health and the environment, and restore science.
- Actions to advance racial equity and support under-served communities. The president-elect’s equity agenda is grounded in advancing racial justice and building back better for communities who have been underserved. Everyone across America benefits when we take steps to be a more just society. The president-elect is launching a whole-of-government initiative to advance racial equity, beginning the work of embedding equity across federal policymaking and rooting out systemic racism and other barriers to opportunity from federal programs and institutions.
- And, actions to uphold President-elect Biden’s promises to preserve and strengthen protections for Dreamers, reverse the Muslim Ban, and stop border wall construction. The president-elect will also revoke the prior Administration’s orders setting out an unlawful plan to exclude noncitizens from the census and apportionment of Congressional representatives