Roughly three weeks into his term, President Biden has already issued over two dozen executive orders, addressing issues ranging from COVID and climate change to LGBTQ+ discrimination and health insurance. How do executive orders work? What change can the president make without the help of Congress? And, perhaps most importantly, are these executive orders living up to the promises that Biden made to voters?
To fully understand the purpose of Biden’s executive orders, one must understand their power and function. Executive orders are aimed at the Federal Government, meaning they cannot impose a new law or create a mandate for the entire country. Rather, the President can order federal agencies to make policy changes, thereby affecting the citizens whom they serve. Federal agencies and their powers extend far beyond what one may think. This makes the executive order one of the best and most powerful tools that a president can utilize without the help of Congress.
So what has President Biden done with this power? As Biden’s administration made clear, the top priority is COVID-19. Most of his executive orders reflect this priority From a federal mask mandate to rejoining the WHO, Biden has made great headway in protecting our country. President Biden is also striving for a more fact-based coronavirus approach, as reflected by his recent executive order regarding COVID and data-driven information.
Despite the formality, the language of the policies provides an insight into the values and considerations of the new administration. It is evident that our leaders are acknowledging the issues facing our country and taking initiative to make change. The policies address the racial disparities in those affected by COVID-19 and explicitly mention climate change; this is a stark contrast to the last administration.
The following are some particularly notable executive orders.
Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety
This order requires the Secretary of Labor to ensure the safety of American workers across the country, by enacting a mask mandate or some other method.
Executive Order on Ensuring an Equitable Response to Pandemic Recovery
In this order, Biden acknowledges how the pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color and establishes a task force to execute appropriate relief efforts. Based on the language in the title and throughout the order, it seems the intention is to give a need-based response to the pandemic, helping the groups that have been hit the hardest.
Executive Order on Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act
Biden begins this order by discussing the issues within the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and proceeds to list policy changes that will allow the ACA to serve the community in a more productive manner. This includes eliminating policies that were introduced to combat the efficiency and effectiveness of the ACA, whether it be COVID-related or pertaining to other medical issues.
Beyond these, Biden has introduced new executive orders regarding immigration, as well as writing multiple memorandums and proclamations. Memorandums are similar to executive orders, though they aren’t published in the Federal Register.
An authority figure simply acknowledging a problem can reap great consequences. Thus, even if an executive order is only imposed upon federal employees, the impact can ripple much further.
It is important to note that this progress is only an illusion, as most of Biden’s orders are correcting the transgressions of the previous administration. We have taken a step forward after taking four steps back. We cannot be satisfied by this illusion of progress; we must continue to push for true change.
