On January 26th, President Biden undertook four executive actions related to diversity, race, and equity, spanning several issue areas. The President:
- Instructed the Department of Justice to not renew contracts with privately-owned prisons. This does not apply to other agencies such as DHS. Full Executive Order here.
- Instructed the Department of Housing and Urban Development to reassess changes made under the prior administration which made it harder for plaintiffs to prove unintentional discrimination in housing policies, and that HUD should implement the Fair Housing Act’s requirements in a way that prevents practices with an unjustified discriminatory effect. Memorandum here.
- Reaffirmed tribal sovereignty and directed agencies to submit plans to comply with Executive Order 13175 (November 6, 2000), requiring agencies to engage in regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with Tribal officials in the development of Federal policies that have Tribal implications. Memorandum here.
- Condemned racism and xenophobia towards Asian Americans, and required that agencies do not use xenophobic language with regards to COVID-19, and directed the Attorney General to expand anti-Asian hate crime reporting. Memorandum here.