Prior to this Inauguration Day, Joe Biden had spent decades in the United States Senate and two failed presidential campaigns preparing for his first day as President. Given the time he spent preparing for this moment, it comes as no surprise that he spent a portion of Wednesday issuing executive actions. Thus far, the President has issued 17 executive actions during his first day in office.
“I thought there’s no time to wait. Get to work immediately,” Biden told reporters in the nation’s capital on Wednesday.
“There’s no time to start like today.”
BREAKING: Joe Biden signs executive action to rejoin Paris Climate Accord "as of today." https://t.co/qjeUynJUdz #InaugurationDay pic.twitter.com/7aBLn6R8Lq
— ABC News (@ABC) January 20, 2021
From reforming immigration policy to addressing the student debt crisis, many of Biden’s executive actions reversed motions put forth by his predecessor, Donald Trump. Most notably, he moved to have the United States rejoin the Paris Climate Accord.
“A cry of survival comes from the planet itself, a cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear,” he said.
Entering his first day in office, President Biden will have a number of challenges ahead. A looming impeachment trial and a raging pandemic present problems for a President looking to reverse the effects of the previous President.