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President Joe Biden signed decrees on housing and ending the Justice Department’s use of private prisons on Tuesday as part of what the White House calls its “racial equity agenda.”
The big picture: Biden needs congressional support to push through police reform or new voting rights legislation. The executive orders serve him as a down payment to immediately tackle systemic racism while he focuses on the pandemic.
Details: Biden will ask the Department of Housing and Urban Development to examine how previous administrations have undermined fair housing policies and laws, according to senior officials.
- Another decree orders the Attorney General not to renew the contracts of the Ministry of Justice with private criminal detention facilities. Home Policy Czar Susan Czar confirmed at a press briefing that the ordinance does not apply to private immigration establishments, which fall under the Department of Homeland Security.
- An executive order calls for “restoring federal respect for tribal sovereignty” after years of tension between tribal governments and former President Trump.
- Biden also ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to examine how Trump’s rhetoric on COVID-19 could have led to discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
The plot: The Biden administration said the executive orders were a preview of what would follow his racial equity agenda as he drew up legislative proposals to tackle discrimination and poverty.
The bottom line: Biden’s first steps on racial fairness are a major change in tone from Trump, who has often praised Confederate General Robert E. Lee, denounced slavery and racial justice research, and ordered agencies to end diversity training.
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