On Wednesday January 20, Joe Biden was elected president of the United States, and Kamala Harris became the first Black and South Asian woman to be elected Vice President of the United States. Some GS students are elated about this transition.

“I believe Joe Biden will attempt to resolve some of the COVID-19 issues and bring people back to some sense of normal, he will work on a positive agenda for the environment, and will try to increase taxes on the top 1% to benefit all Americans more. “ said a GS student.

When asked about what could be expected from Biden’s presidency, GS student Sean Cunningham said, “I expect safety precautions to be boosted in help of aiding the protection against the virus yet I have concern for the future of small businesses, overall economy, and increased minimum wage.”

Some students aren’t so happy with the transition of power.

“It was a fraudulent election, Trump is the real winner” said another GS student.

“He (Biden) will be led by the radical left into policies that are not good for the USA.” said an anonymous GS student.

Nathaniel Smith, a GS student, is particularly concerned about Biden’s age. “He will have a year in office, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, he leaves and Kamala is appointed president. She implements harsh, very liberal views, putting our government and its people further in debt, all while we pay other countries millions of dollars for them to flourish.”

Biden and Harris are also in a unique position where they, as Democrats, have control of the Senate, with newly elected Senators Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock from Georgia. With this comes the implementation of numerous policies.

Despite this, during his first day in office, Biden took action to implement and target some of former President Donald Trump’s initiatives.

Here are, so far, some of what Biden has done his first day in office:

1. Rejoined the World Health Organization and announced Dr. Anthony
2. Fauci would serve as the head of the US delegation
3. Ended the previous administration’s travel restrictions on several Muslim majority countries
4. Swore in nearly 1,000 new administration appointees via Zoom
5. Cancelled permits for the Keystone XL oil pipeline
6. Created a new presidential appointee role, the COVID-19 Response Coordinator to assist with national vaccine distribution efforts
7. Launched the “100 Days Mask Challenge,” including an executive order mandating mask wearing on federal grounds and encouraging Americans to wear masks for 100 days
8. Extended the nationwide eviction and foreclosure moratorium until at least the end of March
9. Strengthened the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program via executive order
10. Rescinded the 1776 Commission, created under the Trump administration to help reshape how public schools teach the history of slavery
11. Rejoined the Paris Climate Accord via executive order
12. Reversed components of immigration enforcement expansion under previous administration via executive order
13. Paused student loans payments and the accruing of interest on all federal student loans until at least the end of September
14. Halted the construction of new border security installations along the US-Mexico border
15. Announced new executive orders for school and business reopening plans
16. Ordered the inclusion of non-US citizens in the Census
17. Implemented new ethics pledges for executive branch employees
18. Signed executive order preventing workplace discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation
19. Extended work authorizations and deportation deferrals for select immigrants until at least June 2022
20. Held the first White House press briefing led by Press Secretary Jen Psaki
21. Announced new executive orders to expand Covid-19 testing
22. Created plans to host congressional leaders this week from both parties at the White House
23. Prepared plans to overturn key Trump administration abortion policy restricting funding for overseas abortion providers
24. Ended the Trump administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols Policy, otherwise known as the Remain in Mexico policy
25. Sent a comprehensive immigration bill to Congress to further undo the previous administration’s legacy
26. Placed a moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
27. Added gender-neutral pronoun options to the online White House contact form
28. Fired Trump-appointed labor board general Peter Robb
29. Announced intention to revoke transgender military ban
30. Designated Domestic Policy Council Susan Rice to spearhead “robust, interagency” effort towards “rooting out systemic racism” in federal agencies.
31. Proposed new COVID-19 national strategy