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President Joe Biden is ending his spell in office in a similar fashion to how he started, with a flurry of executive decisions aimed at marking a clear distinction from both his predecessor, President Donald Trump, and his successor.
President Biden’s actions have had a significant impact across multiple government areas, and his efforts will likely continue right up until the end of his term, according to government representatives. As some White House staff were preparing to leave their offices on Friday afternoon, preparations were underway for additional executive decisions that were still in the works.
The US President is considering steps to support the Equal Rights Amendment, which aims to ban sex-based discrimination, according to individuals who are informed of these plans but wish to remain anonymous. Additionally, the President is weighing the possibility of issuing pardons in advance to individuals who may face retaliation from the incoming Trump administration.
Outgoing presidents often leave office with a series of last-minute actions, such as granting pardons or issuing proclamations, but Biden’s final efforts have been unusually broad and intense, a sign of his concern that Trump poses a peril to America’s time-honored values.
The iechnology required to move towards more advanced artificial intelligence, which is found in computer chips and other innovation, is also in need of a significant overhaul.
The US Food and Drug Administration is now mandating that labels be placed on the front of food and drink packaging in an effort to inspire healthier choices among Americans. Additionally, the Biden administration has introduced a proposal to significantly decrease nicotine levels in cigarettes.
Several recent developments are a consequence of months of groundwork laid after Biden stepped out of the presidential re-election race in July. The planning has gained momentum since it became apparent on November 5 that he would transfer power to Trump, replacing Vice President Kamala Harris.
When President Biden met with his Cabinet in September, he asked department heads to take steps that would strengthen his record and prevent any possible future Trump administration from amending or eroding it.
“And we’ll continue to push forward because the vice president and I are committed to ensuring the democratic process delivers the results the American people are seeking and promised.”
He emphasized that this includes going forward with the laws we’ve already established and taking on further government projects with investments, as legislated by the nation’s history.
Congress had already earmarked funds for these projects before the Trump administration could try to seize the money or let it go unspent.
Congress has the ability to reject new federal regulations for a period not exceeding 60 days.
pass laws, pending approval, to pass once an approved model is safely deployed, outside that window security, to ensure that regulations take hold
Activity that had increased in the fall mysteriously slowed down as the year came to a close, but picked up quickly after the election in December.
It remains unclear how much energy and resources the Trump administration will invest in undoing and re-evaluating the regulations put in place by the Biden administration. Initially, Trump is expected to prioritize and tackle his highly publicized campaign promises, including large-scale deportations and significant trade tariffs.
The advantage a president has is being able to take the first step,” said Andrew Rudalevige, a professor at Bowdoin College with a focus on executive actions. “They can establish new standards, and in Washington, established norms carry significant weight. No action is generally the preferred option in the nation’s capital over taking action.
He noted, ‘It’s appealing to outgoing presidents when they can influence those changes.’
The incoming president will not be able to cancel the clemency that Biden has given to the majority of federal prisoners on death row or write off the pardons he has given to other inmates. It’s likely that he would also face court challenges if he tried to take away the temporary protections that Biden granted to immigrants from El Salvador, Venezuela, and other countries.
In addition, President Biden’s administration aimed to put into place a series of regulations before the end of their term, covering everything from workplace safeguards to medical confidentiality, thereby solidifying them before the next administration takes office.
I think it’s sensible to prioritize your preferences and make them as hard to reverse as possible,” Rudalevige said. “A lot of these one-sided actions are delicate, so they’re only effective within certain limits.
In recent times, the president has taken additional steps towards environmental conservation. For instance, in January 6, Biden issued a ban prohibiting the launch of new oil and gas drilling operations in most coastal waters under U.S. jurisdiction. This action is part of a broader goal to preserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. The White House proudly announced that Biden has protected more than 670 million acres of land and water, surpassing any other U.S. president on record.
Trump immediately disputed the decision, stating that it would be reversed.
The President’s move to ban offshore drilling will be overturned,” he stated. “I will take action to overturn it right away. This will be done immediately, and we will proceed with offshore drilling.
Additionally, many other actions taken by Trump could be easily reversed or significantly diminished.
Biden’s presidency has been overshadowed by rising inflation, a surge in migrant-related crimes, and a perceived decline in the US’s global influence,” Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition team, stated. “Fortunately, in just five days, President Trump will begin a new era of American prosperity and fulfill his promise to make America wealthy, safe, and great once again.
Biden and Trump also see eye to eye in a few rare instances. For instance, last week, Biden delated Japan’s Nippon Steel from purchasing US steel maker U.S. Steel, calling their $14.9 billion bid for the company “prohibited.”
Donald Trump had previously expressed opposition to the takeover, posting on his Truth Social platform that “As President, I will prevent this deal from taking place. Buyer beware!!!”
In the final days of his tenure, President Biden has worked to solidify his stance on international relations. With the aid of Trump’s representatives, Biden negotiated a fragile truce in the Middle East. He has also authorized Ukraine to launch long-range missile strikes against Russian targets and has implemented new economic penalties targeting Russia’s energy industry.
Biden has taken more executive actions than most of his closest predecessors in the White House, scholars point out, and has carried out a significant number of commutations and pardons, protected more land, and put more regulations in place.
“‘Biden is not going far beyond the typical standards.’
The Biden team’s late actions seem like an intentional move to solidify his policy goals and lasting impact, which is actually pretty normal for a politician in this day and age.
Between Election Day 2016 and Inauguration Day 2017, outgoing President Barack Obama aimed to solidify his legacy as Donald Trump’s presidency was poised to take office.
Former President Obama worked to expand healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act, including promoting enrollment in health insurance, and protected sections of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans by restricting oil drilling. He also designated two national monuments, the Bears Ears in Utah and the Golden Butte in Nevada, which Biden also designated.
Along with another Utah landmark, Grand Staircase-Escalante.
The president managed to secure more vetoes in their term than Obama did in either of his four year terms, which was also more than George W. Bush approved in his second term before handing over power to Obama.
President Trump signed 220 executive orders in his first term, exceeding any other president’s total in a four-year period since President Jimmy Carter.
Biden’s last days as President are, in a sense, similar to his first days in office. Upon taking office, he made various executive decisions that reversed many policies that Trump had implemented and set a new direction for the federal government.
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When Trump assumes office on Monday, he is expected to once again turn back some of those actions — and many more to follow.
