It has finally come. President Donald Trump just revoked dozens of executive orders put into place by his predecessor, Joe Biden. He also implemented a federal hiring freeze and ordered government workers back to the office as part of the first tranche of official actions he’s signed since retaking office.
President Trump previewed the moves following an indoor parade procession at the Capital One Arena in Washington, after an inaugural address in which he vowed a dramatic overhaul of the federal government.
"I’ll revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration, one of the worst administrations in history," President Trump said.
The 78 Biden executive orders rescinded include an order setting a goal for half of US vehicles sold in 2030 to be zero-emission, the creation of a panel to reunite migrant families separated by the first Trump administration, and a recent move to remove Cuba’s designation as a sponsor of terrorism.
The immediate halt to all pending federal regulations is a standard move for the transfer of presidential power dating back to at least Jimmy Carter. It directs federal agencies to stop proposing or finalizing rules except in emergencies, and to withdraw any rules that haven’t yet been published.
The freeze will lift at each agency as soon as a Trump-appointed agency head arrives to approve new rules.
"It’s important because it lets the new administration get its people in place before its agencies start making new policies," said Jack Beermann, who teaches administrative law at Boston University. "It’s routine and it’s probably helpful to the transition. There’s nothing nefarious about it and the alternative would be worse."
The workforce executive actions – which included a hiring freeze across the government - are likely the opening salvo in an attempt to rein in the size of the federal government. President Trump indicated he would single out the Internal Revenue Service in particular.
"We will pause the hiring of any new IRS agents. We will also require that federal workers must return to the office in person," President Trump said.
President Trump also reinstated an order claiming broad authority to hire and fire high-level civil service workers. He had signed an order just before the 2020 presidential election, which created a new classification of federal workers known as "Schedule F." Biden revoked that first order on his third day in office, before it could go into effect.