EGN NEWS DESK
In the ultimate days of his time period, President Biden has issued a sequence of coverage choices supposed to cement his agenda and, in some circumstances, make it more durable for President-elect Donald J. Trump to place in place his personal.
The Eleventh-hour choices, a lot of them govt actions, embrace measures on environmental justice, jail reform, immigration and international relations. Some are supposed to protect Mr. Biden’s legacy, whereas others are last-ditch efforts to develop his method. Many are prone to be undone after Mr. Trump takes workplace subsequent week.
The actions have gotten the eye of Mr. Trump, who stated on social media earlier this month that Mr. Biden was “doing all the pieces doable” to make the transition course of “as troublesome as doable.”
“Fear not, these ‘orders’ will probably be terminated shortly,” Mr. Trump added.
White House officers stated Mr. Biden had directed his administration to make sure a clean transition of energy.
Here is a have a look at a few of the final main actions taken by Mr. Biden as he approaches the tip of his presidency.
Coastal Drilling
Mr. Biden final week introduced a ban on new oil and fuel drilling throughout greater than 625 million acres of U.S. coastal waters as a part of an effort to guard the atmosphere and guarantee public well being. Mr. Trump has known as the transfer “ridiculous” and promised to revoke the ban.
National Monuments
Mr. Biden created two nationwide monuments in California this month that collectively will stop mining and drilling — in addition to wind, photo voltaic and different power improvement — throughout greater than 848,000 acres of desert and mountainous land within the state.
Cuba
The Biden administration introduced on Tuesday that it might take away Cuba from a listing of state sponsors of terrorism and ease financial penalties on the nation as part of a deal that was anticipated to free protesters jailed by the Communist authorities. Mauricio Claver-Carone, who was lately named as Mr. Trump’s envoy for Latin America, stated the announcement favored “authoritarian anti-American regimes.”
Clemency
Mr. Biden final month commuted the sentences of almost all prisoners on federal dying row to life in jail with out the potential for parole. Mr. Trump helps the dying penalty, and through his 2024 presidential marketing campaign known as for an enlargement of it. Mr. Biden additionally final month commuted the sentences of 1,500 individuals who have been on house confinement, the biggest variety of commutations by a president in a single day.
U.S. Steel
The president blocked the $14 billion takeover of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel of Japan earlier this month on grounds that the sale posed a risk to nationwide safety. Mr. Trump has additionally stated U.S. Steel must be American-owned.
Artificial Intelligence
The Biden administration on Monday issued sweeping guidelines earlier this week to control how synthetic intelligence chips and fashions may be shared with international international locations.
Ukraine
Mr. Biden in November authorized the usage of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine for strikes inside Russia. Days later, Mr. Biden authorized supplying Ukraine with American anti-personnel mines. The United States earlier this month introduced new sanctions concentrating on Russia’s power sector. Mr. Biden has additionally tried to get congressionally authorized U.S. assist for Ukraine out of the door. Mr. Trump has been extremely skeptical of U.S. assist to Ukraine.
Student Debt
The Biden administration stated this week that it had canceled scholar loans for greater than 150,000 debtors, bringing the tally of Americans whose loans have been forgiven throughout Mr. Biden’s time period to greater than 5 million.
Deportation
The administration final week issued sweeping extensions of deportation protections for a whole bunch of hundreds of individuals from Sudan, Ukraine, El Salvador and Venezuela in a transfer that might make it virtually not possible for Mr. Trump to swiftly strip the profit. Mr. Trump has pledged to start mass deportations on the primary day of his administration.
Civil Servants
The Social Security Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees reached an settlement in December that might enable federal staff to proceed working remotely till 2029. Mr. Trump has stated he’ll go to courtroom to cease the coverage. Some of Mr. Trump’s advisers who’re centered on chopping the variety of federal civil servants have stated that requiring staff to return work in workplaces would end in voluntary departures.
Mr. Biden individually signed bipartisan laws that might give full Social Security advantages to a gaggle of public-sector retirees who at present obtain them at a lowered degree.
