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Category: COVID-19

Further Executive Actions Related to Race and Equity

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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.

Yellen Confirmed as Treasury Secretary

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By a vote of 84 – 15, Janet Yellen was confirmed yesterday as Treasury Secretary by the Senate.  She becomes the first woman to head Treasury in its history.  In her role, she will play a critical role in the Biden Administration’s COVID recovery plans.

Texts of Biden Executive Actions Now Available

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As noted earlier yesterday, President Biden was expected to take a number of executive actions on a host of issues on his first day, including COVID-19, DACA, and student loan repayments, among others.  He did take those executive actions after being sworn in and the  texts of those executive actions are now available.

  • The text of the Presidential Memorandum on “Preserving and Fortifying DACA” is available here.
  • The text of the Presidential Proclamation ending the “Muslim ban” is available here.
  • The text of the Executive Order on a review of regulations that negatively impact the climate issued during the Trump Administration is available here.
  • The text of a memo from the White House Chief of Staff to agency heads halting “midnight regulations” is available here.
  • A statement regarding student loan repayments is available here.  The Education Department has already updated its website to reflect an extension on the repayment pause through September 30.

Texts of other executive actions taken by the new President are available here.

CDC Updates COVID-19 Entry Requirements for the United States

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued an order requiring all air passengers arriving into the US to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 3 days of departure, or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 within the last three months. The test results or documentation must be presented to airline staff upon departure from the foreign country.

Those passengers utilizing documentation of recovery must show the positive test result and a letter from a healthcare provider indicating they are cleared to travel.

The order applies to all air passengers regardless of citizenship status or whether they have been vaccinated. The new rules go into effect on January 26th, 2021.

Read the CDC’s FAQ here. Members of the UW community with specific questions should contact International Student Services or the Office of Academic Personnel, depending on their affiliation.

Update 01/19/21: As a result of this CDC order, President Trump has lifted travel restrictions for the Schengen Area, UK and Ireland, and Brazil in a proclamation dated January 18, 2021. Travel restrictions remain in place for China and Iran.