Today, April 29, marks 100 days since President Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration.  In the first months of his presidential term, 136.6 million people received the COVID-19 vaccine and the administration made significant actions toward helping the environment and underserved communities.  Mr. Biden’s principal objectives are responding to racial inequity and combating both the coronavirus pandemic and climate change.

Since the beginning of his presidency, Mr. Biden has signed 40 executive orders, most of which focus on COVID-19, discrimination, the climate crisis, and immigration, according to federalregister.gov.  Mr. Biden passed more executive actions than former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald J. Trump.  While they singed 13, 34, and 38 respectively, Mr. Biden passed 50 executive actions, according to CNN.  

In his inaugural address, Mr. Biden shared his plans to bring racial equality to the United States. 

“A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us,” Mr. Biden said, according to The New York Times.  “The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.”

On his first day as president, Mr. Biden passed an executive order that promotes racial equity and aids underprivileged communities.  The purpose of the order is to provide unprejudiced and impartial opportunities for all Americans.  To achieve this goal, all federal and local agencies must work to rectify their discriminatory policies, according to whitehouse.gov.  Mr. Biden also signed four executive actions that remedy inequitable federal housing policies that lead to wealth disparities and terminate the United States Department of Justice’s use of private prisons.  These actions also endeavor to end the prejudicial treatment of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as a result of escalating discrimination during the coronavirus pandemic, according to nbc.news.  

Mr. Biden has also focused his efforts on fighting COVID-19 and its repercussions.  With the approval of Congress, he passed the American Rescue Plan March 11.  This $1.9 trillion bill combats the virus while also improving the nation’s economy, according to whitehouse.gov.  The American Rescue Plan allocated over $400 billion to fight coronavirus by aiding national vaccination programs and helping schools to safely reopen.  Additionally, this legislation granted $1,400 to eligible working families and $300 per week to the unemployed, according to cnbc.com.  The American Rescue Plan’s primary focus is to help middle-class Americans prosper. 

“This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country, and giving people in this nation, working people, middle-class folks, the people who built this country, a fighting chance,” Mr. Biden said, according to cnbc.com. 

One of Mr. Biden’s goals was to vaccinate 1.5 million people per day and administer 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines during his first 100 days in office, according to bbc.com.  He surpassed his goal as the government vaccinates 3.02 million people on average every day.  Additionally, 138.6 million Americans received the first dose of the vaccine and 87.6 million received the second dose, meaning they are fully vaccinated, according to The New York Times. 

Mr. Biden also signed executive orders to combat global warming.  On his first day in office, Mr. Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement, from which Mr. Trump withdrew November 4, 2020, according to bbc.com.  The Paris Agreement’s purpose is to diminish greenhouse gas emissions, according to state.gov.  In his efforts to fight climate change, the president also proposed the American Jobs Plan.  If Congress passes this bill, the $2 trillion plan will help improve the electric vehicle market as well as renovate the electric grid and infrastructure to make them able to withstand natural disasters.  In addition to helping the environment, this plan would grant jobs to many unemployed Americans, according to cnbc.com.  

In his first speech as president, Mr. Biden emphasized how he plans to unite Americans.  A poll published in March indicated that 70 percent of Americans, including 44 percent of Republicans, support how Mr. Biden is handling the coronavirus pandemic, according to apnews.com. 

“For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury,” Mr. Biden said, according to The New York Times.  “No progress, only exhausting outrage.  No nation, only a state of chaos.  This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward.  And, we must meet this moment as the United States of America.  If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail.”

Featured Image by Ana López del Punta ’23