Biden's cleaning up after Trump just like he promised — and the GOP is outraged

Congressional Republicans are complaining that President Joe Biden has issued a large number of executive orders in his first week in office. They fail to mention the fact that many of Biden’s orders undo some of the 220 executive orders issued by Donald Trump during his time in the White House.

While the lawmakers’ counts have varied, the outrage has been consistent.

“President Biden is setting records and breaking promises,” complained Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) on Thursday. “Biden has signed more executive orders in his first week (22) than any other president in history (on pace to sign more than 4,500 EOs in four years).”

“Joe Biden issued 33 executive orders in his first week – President Trump only issued four,” said Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) on Thursday.

“Joe Biden in October: ‘Things that you can’t do by executive order unless you’re a dictator. We are a democracy. We need consensus,'” wrote Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) on Wednesday. “Joe Biden in January: 21 executive orders.”

“30 executive orders and actions signed in only 3 days’ time,” tweeted Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Tuesday. “@POTUS, you can’t govern with a pen and a phone.”

“In his first three days in office, Joe Biden signed 30 executive orders,” Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) wrote Monday. “Barack Obama only issued five and Donald Trump only issued one. Biden is using expansive executive authority to push the left’s policy agenda. So much for unity.”

Biden’s orders are largely about cleaning up the damage done by Trump.

Over Trump’s four years in the White House, he issued 220 executive orders, plus other executive actions and directives. Republicans in Congress rarely objected to Trump’s use of executive authority to ban travel from several mostly-Muslim nations; redirect money allocated by Congress to military families to pay for a massive wall on the border between the United States and Mexico; unleash discrimination against LGBTQ Americans; and withdraw from international agreements.

Biden was elected in November in part on a promise to begin rescinding Trump’s actions “on day one.”

Since Jan. 20, he has kept that promise, issuing executive orders and actions to start that process.

In addition to signing orders to establish strong ethics rules for his appointees, implement a national strategy for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and protect Americans against discrimination, Biden has been able to undo many of the moves Trump himself made through the use of his executive authority.

1. Rejoining the Paris climate agreement, an Obama-era environmental agreement from which Trump withdrew the United States.
2. Rejoining the World Health Organization, which Trump sought to abandon in the middle of the pandemic.
3. Ending Trump’s ban on travel from majority-Muslim nations.
4. Ensuring an accurate census by halting Trump’s plans to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count.
5. Revoking the Keystone XL oil pipeline permit, which Trump issued despite climate and safety concerns about the project.
6. Ending Trump’s racist 1776 Commission, which aimed to eliminate education about America’s history of racism.
7. Halting Trump’s immigration policies of turning away refugees and asylum-seekers and separating families.
8. Stopping construction of the border wall, which Trump falsely promised would be paid for by Mexico.
9. Revoking last-minute regulations Trump issued just before leaving office.
10. Rescinding Trump’s ban on transgender Americans serving in the military.
11. Phasing out Justice Department contracts with private prisons, thereby restoring an Obama-era policy Trump overturned.
12. Reviewing Trump’s policies concerning fair housings, which reversed decades of civil rights policy.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.