PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- President Joe Biden lost no time getting to work on Wednesday. He issued a series of executive orders, proclamations, memoranda and directives that will point the country in a decidedly new direction.
Biden is fulfilling campaign promises with his first actions. He has rejoined the Paris climate agreement and issued an executive order on restoring the use of science to combat climate change. He reversed restrictions on entry to the U.S. from countries that are majority Arab and Muslim.
He reinstated the Dream Act to provide citizenship for immigrants who arrived as children. He stopped construction of the wall on the border with Mexico, reimposed ethics commitments in the executive branch, and set mandates for prohibiting gender discrimination and advancing racial equity. He ordered accurate census apportionment and reversed late-hour Trump administration regulations.
Biden's actions underscore that his campaign was cautious, with limited in-person events, not for a lack of energy, but because he takes COVID-19 seriously. And now that he can do something about, he has hit the ground running.
He has already rejoined the World Health Organization and issued a mask mandate, which went into effect on Wednesday. He also reimposed an eviction moratorium and a pause on student loans
It was a busy day, and there's more to come.
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On Thursday, the president is expected to sign 10 executive orders -- among them, one invoking the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of personal protective equipment, testing supplies and vaccines, and another to order FEMA to start working on his goal of 100 million vaccination shots in his first 100 days.
The president will address the nation at 2 p.m. on Thursday.