These are all of the executive orders Biden has signed in office

The Hill is keeping track of all of the executive orders taken by President Biden, who started using executive power to turn the page from the Trump years hours after his inauguration.

The new president signed 17 executive orders and other directives on the first day of his presidency in what administration officials have said is an initial wave of actions Biden will take in his first 10 days in office.

Below is a list of all the executive actions Biden has taken thus far.

March 8, 2021

Order establishing White House Gender Policy Council

Biden used an executive order to establish the Gender Policy Council within the White House to focus on uplifting the rights of women and address gender-based discrimination and violence.

Biden signed the order on International Women’s Day. The new council marks an update to the Obama White House’s Council on Women and Girls.

Order directing review of Title IX rule

Biden ordered a review of a Trump administration rule on how colleges handle sexual misconduct allegations.

The Department of Education under Trump bolstered the rights of those accused of sexual misconduct on campus. The Biden administration’s review is expected to take some time, but officials issued the order by stating that the president’s belief is that “all students should be guaranteed an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex.”

March 7, 2021

Order to promote voting access

Biden signed an order directing agencies to increase access to voter registration materials and reduce barriers to voting for certain groups, including military and overseas voters, Native Americans, and people with disabilities.
The president signed the order on the 56th anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Ala. 

Feb. 24, 2021

Order to review supply chains

Biden signed an order directing a 100-day review across federal agencies to address vulnerabilities in supply chains of pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, semiconductors and large-capacity batteries like those used to power electric vehicles.

The order also requires sector-specific reviews in the defense, information communications technology, energy, transportation, public health and food sectors.

Proclamation revoking Trump green card ban

Biden issued a proclamation reversing a Trump administration action that barred foreign nationals seeking a green card who are outside the United States from entering the country.

The former president imposed those restrictions in summer 2020, citing the pandemic’s impact on the labor market as a need to limit immigration.

Order reversing various Trump orders

Biden signed an executive order that in one swoop undid various actions by former President Donald Trump

Among those targeted were an order that set new standards for federal architecture, an order that directed agencies to review funding for “lawless zones” amid protests last summer, as well as measures that restricted labor rights for civilian Pentagon workers and rolled back regulations during the pandemic.

Feb. 14, 2021

Executive order establishing office for outreach to faith-based groups

Biden signed an executive order re-establishing White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The office was dormant under the Trump administration, as the former president never appointed a director and instead established a different office to deal with faith communities. The office serves as a liaison between the federal government and faith-based organizations.

Feb. 11, 2021:

Executive order sanctioning Myanmar

Biden signed an executive order declaring a national emergency to respond to a coup in Myanmar, which allowed him to impose sanctions on military officials, their families and some businesses. A military coup unfolding in the country led to the detainment of democratically elected officials.

Feb. 4, 2021

Feb. 2, 2021

Order establishing task force on family reunification

Biden signed an order creating a task force that will be focused on reunifying the hundreds of migrant families separated under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy who have yet to be reunited.

The task force will be led by the Department of Homeland Security and will aim to identify and reuniting minor children separated from their parents or guardians at the U.S.-Mexico border during the last four years. The group will also provide an update to Biden in 120 days outlining its progress and identifying ways to prevent future separations.

Order to address root causes of migration

Biden signed another immigration order intended to address the flow of migrants from Central America and the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in particular.

The order directs the heads of multiple agencies, including DHS, to “identify and prioritize actions to address the underlying factors leading to migration in the region and ensure coherence of United States Government positions.”

The order also directs the head of DHS to review for possible termination the Migrant Protection Protocols, a Trump administration policy that forced migrants to apply for asylum from Mexico rather than in the U.S.

Order to restore trust in immigration system

Biden’s third order on immigration called for a review of the public charge rule and other policies as part of a bid to restore confidence in the legal immigration process.

The order states that the Biden administration will review the Trump administration rule that limits immigrants’ ability to get green cards if they were deemed likely to rely on public services like food stamps or other social safety nets. Critics have decried the public charge rule as a wealth test.

The order also calls for reviews to improve the naturalization process.

Jan. 28, 2021

Memo on protecting women’s health

Biden signed a memo aimed at reversing two policies implemented during the Trump administration that restricted women’s reproductive rights, domestically and internationally.

The memo rescinded the so-called Mexico City policy, which requires that foreign groups receiving family planning aid from the U.S. government agree not to provide or promote abortions, even with funding from other sources. The policy was first announced by Ronald Reagan in 1984, and it has been repeatedly reversed by Democratic presidents and reinstated by Republican presidents in the decades since.

The memo additionally directs agencies to review the Trump administration’s changes to the Title X family planning program, which provides contraception and other health services to low-income women and men. The Trump changes had required family planning providers participating in the program to stop providing or promoting abortions to remain eligible for funding.

Order strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act

Biden signed an executive order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to open a special enrollment period from Feb. 15 through May 15 allowing Americans to sign up for health coverage through the Affordable Care Act, the signature health care law signed during the Obama administration.

The order further directs agencies to review any policies that could restrict Americans’ access to health care through Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

Jan. 27, 2021

Order setting climate change goals

One of three executive orders Biden signed Jan. 27 on climate change asserts that “climate considerations shall be an essential element of United States foreign policy and national security,” a sharp departure from the Trump administration.

It also lays out goals, including conserving 30 percent of public lands and waters by 2030, halting the granting of leases on public lands or offshore waters and putting the U.S. on a path to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

Order establishing President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

Biden in another order established the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, which will consist of no more than 26 “distinguished individuals and representatives from sectors outside of the Federal Government appointed by the President.”

“These non-Federal members shall have diverse perspectives and expertise in science, technology, and innovation,” the order reads.

Memo bolstering ‘scientific integrity’

Biden issued a memorandum to the heads of all executive agencies and departments that “scientific and technological information, data, and evidence” should be “central to the development and iterative improvement of sound policies, and to the delivery of equitable programs, across every area of government.”

The memorandum was widely interpreted as a recognition of federal workers who had complained that their scientific work was obstructed during the Trump administration.

Jan. 26, 2021

Order eliminating federal use of private prisons

An executive order Biden signed Jan. 26 directs the Justice Department to phase out the federal use of private prisons.

The move specifically orders the department to not renew any of the contracts with private prisons that house federal inmates. About 14,000 federal inmates are held in private prisons.

“To decrease incarceration levels, we must reduce profit-based incentives to incarcerate by phasing out the federal government’s reliance on privately operated criminal detention facilities,” Biden wrote in the order.

Memo to combat housing discrimination

Biden signed a memorandum directing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to examine ways to eliminate systemic racism in the housing market.

HUD is being ordered to investigate areas where the Trump administration’s policies undermined fair housing laws and is being pushed to enforce the Fair Housing Act to the fullest possible extent.

Trump in July rolled back an Obama-era housing policy that mandated jurisdictions that receive federal funding to seek out patterns of housing discrimination and present a proposal on how to address the practices.

Memo condemning discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI)

Another memorandum directs the Department of Health and Human Services to work with the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force to “consider issuing guidance describing best practices for advancing cultural competency, language access, and sensitivity towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the context of the Federal Government’s COVID-19 response.”

The memorandum specifically cites the rhetoric of the Trump administration regarding the virus, which was widely panned as racist. Trump at times referred to the coronavirus as the “China virus” and the “kung flu.”

Memo ordering stronger relationships with indigenous tribes

Biden is ordering a government wide effort directing officials to strengthen relationships with indigenous tribes.

The memorandum says all departments and agencies should engage in “regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with Tribal officials in the development of Federal policies that have Tribal implications.”

Jan. 25, 2021

Order reversing Trump ban on transgender troops

Biden signed an executive order that repealed a ban on most transgender people serving in the military, which was imposed during the Trump administration.

The president signed an order that ensures “all transgender individuals who wish to serve in the United States military and can meet the appropriate standards shall be able to do so openly and free from discrimination.”

Proclamation reimposing travel restrictions during the pandemic

Biden issued a proclamation restricting the entry into the United States of individuals coming from European Union member nations, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil or South Africa, citing the risks of transmission of the coronavirus.

The proclamation reimposed travel restrictions that were in place for much of 2020, until the Trump administration moved to lift them in its final days in office, and adds South Africa to the list.

The Biden administration’s restrictions do not apply to United States citizens and will remain in effect indefinitely. The administration has separately required proof of a negative test for those flying into the United States, regardless of citizenship.

Order reforming ‘Buy American’ requirements

Biden signed an executive order aimed at strengthening rules that require federal agencies to purchase goods from U.S.-based companies.

The order establishes a role within the White House Office of Management and Budget to oversee the implementation of the order, which would direct federal agencies to use the manufacturing extension partnership, a network of small and medium-sized businesses across 50 states and Puerto Rico, to ensure that agencies are connecting with new domestic suppliers. 

The order also tightens loopholes and strengthens restrictions on and calls for the creation of a website where waiver requests can be publicly viewed.

Jan. 22, 2021

Order to protect the federal worker protections

Biden signed an executive order revoking regulations implemented during the Trump administration that rolled back protections for federal employees. Among the rules that were scrapped was an October regulation implemented by Trump that made it easier to hire and fire civil servants who work on policy.

The order also directs officials to give Biden a report with recommendations to promote a $15 per hour minimum wage for federal workers.

Order to expand food assistance

Another executive order signed Jan. 22 seeks to expand food assistance to low-income Americans.

Benefits from the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer, a program that helps families cover costs for food that children would normally get at school, would increase 15 percent, and the Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, would also expand to include families that were previously deemed ineligible. About 12 million people will now be covered under that program.

Order directing government agencies to identify ways to mitigate the economic crisis

Biden signed an executive order directing all government departments and agencies to “promptly identify actions they can take within existing authorities to address the current economic crisis resulting from the pandemic.”

Order assisting veterans with debt

Another executive order signed Jan. 22 asks the Veterans Affairs Department to mull a pause on federal collections on overpayments and debts from about 2 million veterans.

Order easing delivery of direct stimulus payments

Biden asked the Treasury Department to take “a series of actions to expand and improve delivery of Economic Impact Payments,” including setting up an online portal Americans can use to claim their checks.

Order allowing workers to turn down work during the coronavirus

Biden is requesting the Labor Department consider a clarification to its rules that would allow workers to refuse employment if they fear their health will be jeopardized and still qualify for unemployment insurance.

Order establishing coordination of ‘benefit delivery teams’

Biden signed an executive order directing the formation of “a network of benefit delivery teams” that would work across state and federal agencies to expedite the delivery of federal aid during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jan. 21, 2021

Order mandating masks on various modes of transportation

Biden signed an executive order mandating mask-wearing on public transportation including in airports, on airplanes and on trains. It follows the order mandating face coverings on federal property.

Major U.S. airlines and companies like Amtrak have already required masks for passengers to get on their flights and trains.

Order to bolster access to treatments for COVID-19

Another coronavirus-related executive order directs the secretary of Health and Human Services to support research into “the most promising treatments for COVID-19 and future high-consequence public health threats.”

It also directs the government to “provide targeted surge assistance to critical care and long-term care facilities,” which have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.

Order to boost reliance on data in the administration’s coronavirus response

Another executive order on COVID-19 outlines efforts to increase the sharing of data within the administration as it puts its coronavirus plan into effect.

One aspect of the plan will direct several government departments to appoint a “senior official to serve as their agency’s lead to work on COVID-19” who will then “take steps to make data relevant to high-consequence public health threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, publicly available and accessible.”

Memo to support states’ use of the National Guard to respond to the coronavirus

Biden sent a memorandum to the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security ordering them to boost federal support for National Guard deployments, including directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to “fund 100 percent of the cost of activities associated with all mission assignments for the use of the National Guard…to respond to COVID-19.”

Order on ensuring strength of national supply chain

Biden directed various government departments to “review the availability of critical materials, treatments, and supplies needed to combat COVID-19” and send him a report.

It also empowers them to “take appropriate action using all available legal authorities, including the Defense Production Act, to fill” any shortfalls they find.

Order to work to mitigate inequities caused or exacerbated by COVID-19

Another executive order directs the creation of a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force that would be made up of officials from the Department of Health and Human services and outside experts to address systemic inequalities that existed before or have broken open during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Addressing this devastating toll is both a moral imperative and pragmatic policy. It is impossible to change the course of the pandemic without tackling it in the hardest-hit communities,” the order reads.

Order directing guidance to state and local governments on how to reopen schools

The Education Department is being directed to work with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide “evidence-based guidance to assist States and elementary and secondary schools in deciding whether and how to reopen, and how to remain open, for in-person learning; and in safely conducting in-person learning.”

“Addressing this devastating toll is both a moral imperative and pragmatic policy. It is impossible to change the course of the pandemic without tackling it in the hardest-hit communities.”

Order to boost protections for workers in the workplace

The Labor Department is being directed to issue new guidance to employers on how to boost workplace safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

It also directs the agency to determine if any new emergency temporary standards must be implemented regarding mask-wearing and to issue them by March 15 if they are deemed necessary.

Order to create coronavirus testing board

Biden is creating a “COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board” that will be chaired by Zients that will focus on coordinating “efforts to promote COVID-19 diagnostic, screening, and surveillance testing.”

It will also make recommendations to Biden on how to prioritize federal aid to state, local, tribal and territorial governments to expand access to testing.

Directive to increase support for international pandemic response efforts

Biden issued a directive ordering the government to bolster its participation in international efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Among the actions ordered are increasing cooperation with the WHO, reviewing “current and planned future deployments of public health, health security, and health diplomacy personnel overseas focused on the COVID-19 response,” developing a diplomatic outreach plan and examining if existing sanctions are “unduly hindering responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Jan. 20, 2021

Order establishing the position of coordinator of the COVID-19 response

Biden signed an executive order establishing the position of coordinator of the COVID-19 response and counselor to the president, known as the COVID-19 response coordinator.

Jeff Zients will fill that role in a move Democrats and other Trump critics said was a long overdue step in bolstering the federal response to the pandemic.

“The COVID-19 Response Coordinator shall report directly to the President; advise and assist the President and executive departments and agencies (agencies) in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic; coordinate all elements of the COVID-19 response; and perform such duties as the President may otherwise direct,” the order reads.

Order on mask-wearing on federal property

Biden is mandating that people wear masks on federal property and socially distance in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

He does not have the authority to issue a mask mandate nationally but said Wednesday he is taking the authority to require one where he can. 

Order reversing US withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO)

Biden signed an executive order reversing the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO that was triggered by former President Trump.

Trump said last year the U.S. would leave the body due to complaints over its response to the coronavirus, but withdrawal takes a year to go into effect and would not have formally occurred until July.

“The WHO plays a crucial role in the world’s fight against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic as well as countless other threats to global health and health security.  The United States will continue to be a full participant and a global leader in confronting such threats and advancing global health and health security,” Biden wrote in a letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. 

Order extending moratorium on evictions and foreclosures

The Department of Agriculture will extend a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures to the end of March in an effort to help struggling families during the coronavirus pandemic. 

“USDA recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an almost unprecedented housing affordability crisis in the United States,” the Agriculture Department said in a statement.

Order extending pause on student loan payments

The Education Department will extend a pause on federal student loan payments and collections through the end of September, per an executive order from Biden. Interest rates for such payments will also be kept at zero percent.

Biden has vowed to cancel up to $10,000 in student debt per person, though progressives have lobbied him to up that amount to $50,000.

Order rejoining the Paris Climate Accords

Biden signed an executive order putting the U.S. back in the Paris climate accords, fulfilling a top campaign promise that was a key part of his plan to combat climate change.

The international treaty, from which Trump withdrew the U.S., sets goals for nations to limit their carbon emissions to “limit global warming to well below” 2 degrees Celsius.

Order revoking permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and stopping oil and pausing gas leasing at Arctic refuge

Biden signed an executive order scrapping a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, the controversial 1,200-mile structure that carried oil from Canada to the U.S., and placing a temporary pause on oil and gas leasing activities at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Climate activists have panned both projects, saying the Keystone pipeline would carry oil made from tar sands — whose production is carbon intensive — over sacred indigenous lands and the leasing in the refuge could endanger grizzly bears, polar bears, gray wolves and more than 200 species of birds.

But the Keystone decision in particular was quickly slammed by Republicans and some business groups, likely foreshadowing an initial battle for the Biden administration.

Proclamation cutting off funding for the border wall

Biden signed a proclamation Thursday terminating funding for the border wall that was being built under Trump.

The move revoked the emergency proclamation that sped construction of a wall on the Mexican border, the building of which was a top promise from the Trump administration and one of its most divisive immigration moves.

Memo strengthening the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program

Biden issued a memorandum to the Justice and Homeland Security departments strengthening the Obama-era DACA program that was a top target of the Trump administration.

The memorandum allows the government to accept new applications for the DACA program and orders the two agencies to “take all actions … consistent with applicable law, to preserve and fortify DACA.”

The program protects immigrants brought to the country illegally as minors from deportation.

Order ending Trump’s travel ban

Biden signed an executive order ending the Trump administration’s controversial travel ban, which barred admissions into the country from several majority-Muslim countries. 

Scrapping the ban was another campaign promise after Trump’s move came under an avalanche of criticism from Democrats who said the prohibition on entry was Islamophobic.

Order mandating undocumented immigrants be counted in the census

Undocumented immigrants will be counted in the decennial population count, according to another executive order.

Trump had pushed to strike immigrants in the country without authorization from the count, but he faced a flood of court challenges. 

Order to revoke Trump’s strict immigration policies

Biden issued an executive order revoking an order under the Trump administration that pushed broad efforts to find and deport undocumented immigrants.

Memo reinstating deportation protections for Liberian immigrants 

Biden sent another memorandum to the departments of State and Homeland Security reinstating deportation protections for some Liberian immigrants. 

The memorandum approved deferred enforced departure for Liberians. Recipients of the deferral will be able to live and work in the U.S., similar to those protected under a temporary protected status.

Order to promote racial equity

Biden is ordering his government to establish administration-wide policies to promote racial equity across the U.S.

The president used an executive order to direct his Domestic Policy Council to “coordinate efforts to embed equity principles, policies, and approaches across the Federal Government.” 

“This will include efforts to remove systemic barriers to and provide equal access to opportunities and benefits, identify communities the Federal Government has underserved, and develop policies designed to advance equity for those communities,” the order reads.

The order also scraps Trump’s controversial 1776 Commission.

Order barring discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation

One of the Wednesday executive orders mandated that government agency heads take stock of policies and regulations from their departments that prevent discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

They will then be empowered to, in consultation with the attorney general, implement any policy that would further that effort in the first 100 days or rescind any rules that they believe would enable discrimination.

“Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love,” the order reads.

Order requiring ethics pledge for government appointees

All government appointees will have to sign an ethics pledge, according to one of the new executive orders.

The pledge institutes a prohibition on accepting gifts from registered lobbyists, lobbying for two years after leaving government or lobbying for any foreign government.

“I commit to ethical choices of post-Government employment that do not raise the appearance that I have used my Government service for private gain, including by using confidential information acquired and relationships established for the benefit of future clients,” the executive order reads. 

Memo ‘modernizing’ regulatory review

Biden issued a memorandum ordering the director of the Office of Management and Budget to work with other officials to produce “a set of recommendations for improving and modernizing regulatory review.”

“These recommendations should provide concrete suggestions on how the regulatory review process can promote public health and safety, economic growth, social welfare, racial justice, environmental stewardship, human dignity, equity, and the interests of future generations,” the memorandum reads. 

The memorandum also issues a freeze on new regulations implemented at the end of the Trump administration to process which ones the new White House will pursue.