President Joe Biden, during his first two weeks in office, has signed a rash of executive orders on everything from immigration to health care to the environment.
His 40 executive orders and actions set a record for the most actions signed by a president after just nine days in office.
Biden had previously made critical comments about overusing executive orders, likening it to the actions of a dictator.
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What A Difference An Election Makes
In October, then-candidate Joe Biden during an ABC News Townhall did not seem to be high on the excessive use of executive actions.
Biden told host George Stephanopoulos that there are “things you can’t do by executive order unless you’re a dictator.”
“I have this strange notion. We are a democracy. Some of my Republican friends, and some of my Democratic friends even, occasionally say, ‘Well if you can’t get the votes, by executive order you’ve gotta do something.’ … Things you can’t do by executive order unless you’re a dictator. We’re a democracy. We need consensus.”
On Thursday, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell responded on the Senate floor by saying,”In one week he’s signed more than 30 unilateral actions. And working Americans are getting short shrift.”
According to Fox News, a White House source defended the unilateral actions, saying, “The executive actions are previews, and happening in parallel, to what he is pushing in Congress. These are things he can do instantly, but show what he is going to pursue, and in some cases, already is pursuing, in Congress.”
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Overturning The Trump Years
Many of the executive orders signed by Biden this week have been aimed at overturning many of former President Donald Trump’s policies.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that, “These are steps, including overturning some of the harmful, detrimental, and, yes, immoral actions of the prior administration that he felt he could not wait to overturn, and that’s exactly what he did.”
One of the most anticipated executive orders was the canceling of permits by Biden for the Keystone Pipeline XL project.
This came as a huge blow as the cancelation means the loss of over 10,000 jobs, many of those jobs being those of union workers.
In a Fox news report, the International Labor Organization (ILO), says that globally, over 6 million jobs will be lost in the energy sector as a result of rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, which Biden also did by executive order.
.@ClimateEnvoy Kerry: The stakes on climate change couldn't be any higher than they are right now. pic.twitter.com/nGXr7iSNhc
— Department of State (@StateDept) January 28, 2021
Yet another executive order addressed the issue of “racial justice and equity.” White House Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice was instrumental in introducing these actions that will advance “racial justice and equity” that will build a “more equitable” economy that is “essential” to economic growth.
On his first day in office, Biden instructed Rice to “coordinate efforts to embed equity principles, policies, and approaches across the federal government.”
Check it out: Susan Rice on Biden's plan for racial equity: 'Investing in equity is good for economic growth' https://t.co/nyLVuHGYT3
— Heather Boushey (@HBoushey) January 27, 2021
According to NBCnews.com, this is a complete list of Biden executive orders thus far.
Presidential Executive Orders By The Numbers
Psaki defends Biden's record number of executive orders in his first week, saying he's acting "immediately to address the pain and suffering" Americans feel, which includes overturning "detrimental, harmful and at times immoral policies and actions of the prior administration" pic.twitter.com/eVtPnNozJW
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 28, 2021
The numbers don’t lie. President Joe Biden has indeed signed more executive orders in his first week than any other president going back to Jimmy Carter.
Here is the breakdown:
President Joe Biden: 22
President Donald Trump: 4
President Barack Obama: 5
President George W. Bush: 0
President Bill Clinton: 2
President George Bush Sr.: 1
President Ronald Reagan: 0
President Jimmy Carter: 1
The White source is more than likely right. It is just a preview of what’s to come.