The first 100 days are an unofficial way to measure a new president’s success in setting their agenda. Former President Donald Trump’s 100 days ran from January 20 to April 30, 2017.
Both Biden and Trump issued a series of executive orders (EOs) during this period, which are recorded by the Federal Register.
Many of Trump’s early EOs focused on national security but his first took aim at the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known was Obamacare. That order reiterated a long-held Republican ambition to repeal ACA, though this was not achieved during Trump’s time in office.
The EO authorized federal agencies and heads of executive departments to waive, defer or delay ACA requirements if they could impose a “fiscal burden” on a state or costs on individuals, families, patients, health care providers and others in the healthcare industry.
Trump’s third EO focused on border security and committed to building a “physical wall” on the southern border, a key aspect of his 2016 presidential campaign. An order signed on January 30, 2017 sought to eliminate two regulations for every new regulation introduced, another long-standing Republican aim.
Many of Biden’s EOs have unsurprisingly focused on tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, while others rolled back some of Trump’s orders. His very first EO, issued on January 20, dealt with racial equality and sought to advance it through the federal government.
Biden’s third EO, also signed on inauguration day, addressed the pandemic and appointed a COVID-19 Response Coordinator to organize the White House and federal government approach. That coordinator is Jeff Zients.
As part of the response to COVID, Biden also introduced a mask mandate for federal properties. That order also encouraged mask-wearing across the country. On April 9, Biden fulfilled a campaign pledge by issuing an EO establishing a commission to study possible reforms of the Supreme Court.
Below is a list of both sets of EOs that give a snapshot of the administration’s differing agendas. EOs are often signed and published on different dates. This list uses the date the president signed the order and lists the EOs from earliest to most recent.
Joe Biden’s Executive Orders
Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal GovernmentEnsuring a Lawful and Accurate Enumeration and Apportionment Pursuant to the Decennial CensusOrganizing and Mobilizing the United States Government To Provide a Unified and Effective Response To Combat COVID-19 and To Provide United States Leadership on Global Health and SecurityPreventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual OrientationEthics Commitments by Executive Branch PersonnelProtecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate CrisisProtecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-WearingRevocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Federal RegulationRevision of Civil Immigration Enforcement Policies and PrioritiesEnsuring a Data-Driven Response to COVID-19 and Future High-Consequence Public Health ThreatsEnsuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and RecoveryEstablishing the COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board and Ensuring a Sustainable Public Health Workforce for COVID-19 and Other Biological ThreatsImproving and Expanding Access to Care and Treatments for COVID-19Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International TravelProtecting Worker Health and SafetySupporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education ProvidersA Sustainable Public Health Supply ChainEconomic Relief Related to the COVID-19 PandemicProtecting the Federal WorkforceEnabling All Qualified Americans To Serve Their Country in UniformEnsuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s WorkersReforming Our Incarceration System To Eliminate the Use of Privately Operated Criminal Detention FacilitiesPresident’s Council of Advisors on Science and TechnologyTackling the Climate Crisis at Home and AbroadStrengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care ActCreating a Comprehensive Regional Framework To Address the Causes of Migration, To Manage Migration Throughout North and Central America, and To Provide Safe and Orderly Processing of Asylum Seekers at the United States BorderEstablishment of Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of FamiliesRestoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New AmericansRebuilding and Enhancing Programs To Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on MigrationBlocking Property With Respect to the Situation in BurmaEstablishment of the White House Office of Faith- Based and Neighborhood PartnershipsRevocation of Executive Order 13801 (Trump EO on expanding apprenticeships)America’s Supply ChainsRevocation of Certain Presidential ActionsPromoting Access to VotingEstablishment of the White House Gender Policy CouncilGuaranteeing an Educational Environment Free From Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation or Gender IdentityTermination of Emergency With Respect to the International Criminal CourtEstablishment of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United StatesBlocking Property With Respect To Specified Harmful Foreign Activities of the Government of the Russian Federation
Donald Trump’s Executive Orders (January 20 to April 30, 2017)
Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending RepealExpediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals for High Priority Infrastructure ProjectsBorder Security and Immigration Enforcement ImprovementsEnhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United StatesProtecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United StatesEthics Commitments by Executive Branch AppointeesReducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory CostsCore Principles for Regulating the United States Financial SystemEnforcing Federal Law With Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International TraffickingPreventing Violence Against Federal, State, Tribal, and Local Law Enforcement OfficersProviding an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice (February 9)Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public SafetyEnforcing the Regulatory Reform AgendaRestoring the Rule of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the ‘‘Waters of the United States’’ RuleWhite House Initiative To Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesProtecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United StatesComprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive BranchRevocation of Federal Contracting Executive OrdersPromoting Energy Independence and Economic GrowthEstablishing the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid CrisisEstablishing Enhanced Collection and Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duties and Violations of Trade and Customs LawsOmnibus Report on Significant Trade DeficitsProviding an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice (March 31)Buy American and Hire AmericanIdentifying and Reducing Tax Regulatory BurdensPromoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in AmericaEnforcing Statutory Prohibitions on Federal Control of EducationReview of Designations Under the Antiquities ActImproving Accountability and Whistleblower Protection at the Department of Veterans AffairsEstablishment of the American Technology CouncilImplementing an America-First Offshore Energy StrategyAddressing Trade Agreement Violations and AbusesEstablishment of Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy
Trump went on to issue a number of other EOs over the the four years of his term and it’s likely Biden will do the same. Biden set a modern record for executive actions in his first week, but this included EOs and other measures.
