Good start by Joe Biden rolling back travel ban and rejoining the Paris Agreement

The Biden Presidency began with over 17 directives being signed which included re-joining the Paris Agreement, repealing the ban on travel from Muslim nations among others, reports NITYA CHAKRABORTY.

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PRESIDENT Joe Biden has given a great start to his four-year tenure as the head of the United States of America by announcing a massive programme that rolls back some of the Trump regime's racial and anti-people policies and includes a few pro-people policies that are of immediate importance to the common American people.

BLIZZARD OF ORDERS SIGNED

President Joe Biden signed a blizzard of executive orders Wednesday on the coronavirus, immigration, and climate change – launching a 10-day cascade of directives reversing his GOP predecessor's policies as Democrats pushed for even more prompt legislative action.

The measures were made keeping in mind the urgency of the issues.

The President urged Americans to wear masks or don face coverings for the next 100 days as they revive the global health unit in the National Security Council which went dormant during the Trump Administration. They will oversee the pandemic preparedness and response.

BACKING THE WHO

The 46th President also began to reverse several steps taken by former President Donald Trump by embracing the World Health Organization, revoking the Keystone XL pipeline's permit and re-joining the Paris climate agreement. The United States will officially be part of the 189-country climate agreement in 30 days.

Biden, who entered the White House amidst the unprecedented crisis, said he wants to quickly address the country's big, urgent problems with a spirit of unity and national purpose.

The pandemic has killed over 400,000 Americans, the economy has shed millions of jobs, and just two weeks ago, thousands of rioters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the November 3 elections.

RACIAL HARMONY

The new Biden administration organised the inauguration ceremony conveyed the message of racial harmony and the feeling that American democracy is finally rooting for its holistic character, which is the essence of the American constitution. The four years of Trump's rule was an aberration, and Biden has the mandate to run a unified nation that will move towards the left of former President Obama in terms of policy implementation.

Most of the 17 directives that Biden signed Wednesday had been hinted at previously by Biden or staff members.

Taken together with the two legislative plans he has sent to Congress – coronavirus relief and an immigration overhaul – the orders highlight Biden's immediate priorities while sending a message that his administration plans to reengage on the global stage.

In fact, 15 executive actions and two additional agency directives issued on the first day were far more than what Trump did on his inaugural day in 2017.

LARGER RELIEF PACKAGES

White House officials have emphasised the need for Congress to approve his larger relief package, which would extend unemployment benefits; dole out an additional $1,400 in stimulus payments for millions of Americans; and devote tens of billions of dollars to economic needs such as rental, housing and food assistance, among other measures.

Further, Biden asked the Education Department to consider extending a freeze on both interest and principal payments for federal student loans until September 30, while requesting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extend a moratorium on evictions that expires soon.

He also asked three key agencies – the Department of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development – to extend foreclosure moratoriums for federally backed mortgages under their purview through at least the end of March.

This is intended to give time to the affected people and the administration so that the intervening period is used to work out a suitable policy in the interest of the concerned people.

TRAVEL BAN LIFTED

On immigration, Biden signed an order repealing the ban on travel from several majority-Muslim nations, while nullifying the Trump administration's directive that attempted to exclude the counting of noncitizens from the U.S. census. This helps the Democratic Party establish its non-discriminatory attitude to the religious minorities and facilitate the process of restoring the confidence of the Muslims who were feeling threatened during the Trump era.

Another action called on the Department of Homeland Security to continue an Obama-era initiative protecting "dreamers" from deportation and issuing them work permits as long as they qualified under the requirements laid out when the program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, began in 2012. Biden will also end the national emergency over the border that Trump declared to circumvent Congress when lawmakers would not grant him funding for his wall. This action will be of relief to thousands of immigrants, including those from India.

The coming executive actions will revoke the ban on transgender people from serving in the military and reversing the so-called global gag rule that blocks U.S. aid to organisations abroad that perform abortions or offer counseling on the procedure. The LGBTQ community hailed the Biden victory and many of the elected Congress members of the Democratic Party who are active supporters of the gays. They expect more affirmative action by the Biden regime in support of their demands.

FOREIGN POLICY CHALLENGES

The Biden regime's test will be in terms of foreign policy, especially concerning Cuba, Venezuela, and other Latin American countries.

The Sanders group in the Democratic Party is now very powerful in the policymaking committee of the Party. Sanders played a vital role in working on the domestic programme. His medicare for all will be taken up as one of the upcoming agenda.

To what extent, the Left asserts in the policy committee regarding foreign policy, will determine the course of future action by the Biden administration. For the Sanders group, the battle has started well, but many more are still left to be done. (IPA Service)