After a lengthy and highly disputed election, Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States. Shortly after he entered office, Biden began working on completing many of his campaign promises, as well as trying to reverse much of the work of former President Donald Trump. So what has President Biden accomplished so far, and what are his plans for the future? 

On his first day in office, Biden mainly worked on reversing the laws and policies of Donald Trump through 17 executive orders. He proposed legislation that would help undocumented immigrants become citizens, and re-joined the Paris Climate Agreement. Additionally, he made sure to strengthen the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic by requiring masks on federal property and setting up a coronavirus office that reports directly to him. 

President Biden kept true to his word by acting on campaign promises during his first day. During his campaign, Biden promised to “immediately rescind the Muslim bans,” and he kept that promise by signing a proclamation repealing Trump’s travel ban immediately. Biden also promised to rejoin the World Health Organization, and he did just that on his first day when he signed an executive order to cease Trump’s WHO withdrawal. He has many more promises to get through before we can confirm that President Biden will stay true to his word, but according to The Poynter Institute’s Biden Promise Tracker, he has not broken a single promise thus far. 

After his first day, Biden did not hesitate to continue working towards his goals for the United States. His second day in office included strengthening the U.S. response to coronavirus, as well as focusing on the reopening of schools by distributing large numbers of vaccines to educators, and increasing public school funding. In the days and weeks following, Biden signed many executive orders that focused on a wide array of issues. These include but are not limited to: student loans, racial equity, DACA, and health care, his main focus remained on the coronavirus and environmental protections. 

A few of the executive orders that President Biden has signed so far include reversing the transgender military ban, expanding food assistance programs, assisting veterans with debt, ending reliance on private prisons, reaffirming commitment to tribal sovereignty, denouncing anti-Asian discrimination and xenophobia, and expanding access to reproductive healthcare. These orders highlight the matters that are most important to President Biden and his Cabinet. 

Although Biden has already achieved a substantial amount in his first few weeks as president, there are worries that he has too much on his plate for the first 100 days. Biden has the power to do lots through executive orders and directives to federal agencies, but there are pieces of his plan that will require congressional approval. Biden has introduced two packages that need congressional approval; one advocates for immigration reform, and the other proposes a 1.9 trillion dollar coronavirus relief bill. There are many Republicans that deem the bills as too extreme, saying the coronavirus relief bill is too expensive and will damage the economy, and the immigration reform bill will fail to close “loopholes” in the legal immigration system. With Democrats only having a narrow majority in both the House and Senate, getting the bills to pass may become more difficult than first expected.

There are both positive and negative views on Biden’s first few weeks as president, but overall, 58% of the general public approves of what he has done so far. For the most part, we are starting to see a trend in Biden’s actions. President Biden is not only reversing measures that Donald Trump took, but also taking countermeasures to ensure that his goals for the U.S. are backed by executive orders. Biden has made big promises, and the pressure to achieve his goals continues to pile up as he moves closer to his 100th day as president. 

As we move forward, the matter that still seems to be of utmost importance to President Biden is the pandemic. His seven step coronavirus response plan outlines the ways in which he will safely reopen the country, and make sure to stay prepared for future threats. Biden seems to be taking an aggressive approach to the beginning of his presidency, and only time will tell if his methods will be successful.