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Fundamental Change: 69 Executive Orders and Actions Already Put into Place by Joe Biden (Updated)

by www.breitbart.com Leave a Comment

President Joe Biden campaigned on promises to govern by “ consensus .” He devoted his Inaugural Address to “unity.” Yet he has issued more executive orders and actions in the first three weeks of his presidency than any president in U.S. history. As the Democrats prepare for the circus side show of impeachment focusing on the past, it’s interesting to look at what he’s already done to change the future.

Jan. 20

1. Memorandum : Regulatory review – This executive action froze many of President Donald Trump’s pending regulatory changes, including a regulation to lower the cost of insulin and epinephrine, which the pharmaceutical industry had opposed.

2. Announcement : COVID-19 proposal – President Biden introduced his controversial $1.9 trillion plan for coronavirus relief, though over $1 trillion of funding from previous proposals approved under President Trump had not yet been spent ,

3. Executive Action : Rejoining Paris Climate Agreement – President Biden announced that the U.S. was returning to the agreement, even though the treaty is unfair to the U.S, and the U.S. had lowered emissions after Trump withdrew.

4. Executive Order : ‘Equity’ as Policy Goal – Each federal agency must “assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups.” ( Update: This executive order also abolished President Donald Trump’s order establishing the 1776 Commission.)

5. Executive Order : Ending Trump Travel Bans – The Biden administration referred to the Trump travel bans on terror-prone countries as “discriminatory,” suggesting that they were motivated by anti-Muslim and anti-African prejudice.

6. Executive Order : Federal Mask Mandate – President Biden required everyone to wear masks “in Federal buildings and on Federal lands” — an order that he and his family promptly violated that evening during Inaugural celebrations.

7. Executive Order : Organizing New COVID Response – President Biden reorganized existing coronavirus response within the White House, creating the position of “Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response and Counselor to the President.”

8. Executive Action : Staying in World Health Organization – President Biden wrote to the United Nations to declare that the U.S. would not be leaving the WHO, despite concerns about China’s dominance and WHO’s failure on COVID.

9. Executive Order : Revoking Trump Immigration Policies – President Biden revoked President Trump’s interior immigration enforcement policy, including an executive order in which Trump had taken on “sanctuary” cities and states.

10. Executive Order : Revoking Trump Regulatory Reforms – President Biden revoked several of President Trump’s executive orders that had been aimed at reducing the number of regulations and streamlining existing federal regulations.

11. Executive Order : Including Illegal Aliens in Census – President Biden directed the Census to count the population of each state “without regard to whether its residents are in lawful immigration status” in redrawing congressional districts.

12. Executive Order : Revoking the Keystone XL Pipeline – President Biden revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. He also issued a moratorium on oil and gas leasing in ANWR and other federal lands as part of a regulatory review.

13. Executive Order : Imposing Transgender Agenda on Women’s Sports – The president declared: “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.”

14. Executive Action : Memorandum Promoting More Regulations – The Biden administration called for regulatory review to “ensure that regulatory review serves as a tool to affirmatively promote regulations” rather than discourage them.

15. Executive Order : Ethics Pledge Restricting Lobbying – Though senior members of the administration were deeply involved in lobbying, the pledge restricted administration staff from lobbying for a period of time after they leave.

16. Executive Order : Ending Border Wall Construction – President Biden declared: “It shall be the policy of my Administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall.”

17. Executive Action : Pausing Student Loan Payments – President Biden continued a pause on student loan repayments that President Trump enacted during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, as shutdowns kept people from working.

18. Executive Action : Memorandum Deferring Deportation for Liberians – President Biden allowed Liberians who fled civil war in their country to stay in the U.S., though the war ended long ago. President Trump had also extended this status.

19. Executive Action : Memorandum Preserving DACA – President Biden reversed President Trump’s policy, which had declared Obama’s unilateral Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals to be a usurpation of Congress’s legislative power.

Jan. 21

20. Executive Order : Mask-wearing on Domestic Transportation – President Biden expanded the mask mandate to forms of domestic transportation that cross state lines, including commercial air travel (where it was mandatory anyway).

21. Executive Order : Plan for More Coronavirus Therapies – In what was largely a reprise of existing policy under President Trump, President Biden ordered the federal government to investigate the best options for treating coronavirus.

22. Executive Order : ‘Data-driven Response’ to COVID – President Biden directed federal agencies to gather data on coronavirus, which they were doing already, but now led by the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator.

23. Executive Action : Memorandum on Federal Funding to National Guard for COVID – President Biden directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse 100% of the cost to states of using the National Guard in COVID.

24. Executive Order : Supplies for Fighting COVID Through Defense Production Act – President Biden ordered the federal government to review existing medical stockpiles and fill in the gaps by using the Defense Production Act.

25. Executive Order : Requiring ‘Equity’ in Coronavirus Relief and Response – President Biden created the “COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force” to make sure that coronavirus relief and intervention helped promote the goal of “equity.”

26. Executive Order : Creating Conditions for Schools to Reopen – President Biden declared his policy was ” to help create the conditions for safe, in-person learning as quickly as possible,” though schools in many major cities remain closed.

27. Executive Order : Promoting COVID Safety in the Workplace – President Biden directed the Secretary of Labor to ” use Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement to promote COVID safety in the workplace.

28. Executive Action : Memorandum to Strengthen Global Response to Pandemic – President Biden declared the U.S. would work with international partners and institutions on COVID, revoking sanctions against rogue regimes if necessary.

29. Executive Order : Creating COVID-19 ‘Testing Board’ – President Biden launched an effort to boost coronavirus testing and tracing, including the creation of a COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board to address bottlenecks in the system.

Jan. 22

30. Executive Order : Promoting Federal Government Help for the Economy – President Biden directed federal agencies to try to help the economy recover from coronavirus, including making relief programs more user-friendly and accessible.

31. Executive Order : Revoking Trump Order to Streamline Federal Workforce – President Biden revoked several of President Trump’s executive orders on the federal workforce and backed a $15/hr minimum wage for federal employees.

Jan. 25

32. Executive Order : Revoking Transgender Military Ban – “[T]here is substantial evidence that allowing transgender individuals to serve in the military does not have any meaningful negative impact on the Armed Forces,” the president said.

33. Executive Order : Buy American (without Trump protections for American workers) – President Biden ordered federal agencies to prioritize American companies in procurement but excluded Trump’s emphasis immigration enforcement.

34. Executive Action : Travel Ban on South Africa – President Biden, who opposed the China travel ban a year before as “hysterical xenophobia,” imposed a travel ban on South Africa, where a new variant of coronavirus was discovered.

Jan. 26

35. Executive Action : Memorandum Banning the Use of ‘China Virus’ – The Biden administration opposed anti-Asian discrimination, “including references to the COVID-19 pandemic by the geographic location of its origin.”

36. Executive Action : Memorandum Promoting Consultation with Tribes – President Biden expressed “respect for Tribal sovereignty and self-governance” and “commitment to fulfilling Federal trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations.”

37. Executive Order : Elimination of Private Prisons – As part of efforts to eliminate “systemic racism,” President Biden vowed to eliminate private prisons, though he did not demonstrate that they were connected to racial discrimination.

38. Executive Action : Systemic Racism in Past Federal Housing – President Biden declared that past federal housing policy had been racist, and restored an Obama-era rule considering “disparate impact” to be racial discrimination.

Jan. 27

39. Executive Order : Making Climate Change the Focus of National Security – “It is the policy of my Administration that climate considerations shall be an essential element of United States foreign policy and national security.”

40. Executive Order : Creating President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) – “[I]t is the policy of my Administration to make evidence-based decisions guided by the best available science and data,” the president said.

41. Executive Action : Memorandum Requiring ‘Evidence-based Decisions’ in Government Policy – President Biden declared: “Scientific findings should never be distorted or influenced by political considerations.”

Jan. 28

42. Executive Order : Expanding Obamacare During Coronavirus – President Biden created a special enrollment period for Obamacare to help those who may have lost their health insurance due to losing jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

43. Executive Action : Restoring U.S. Funding to Overseas Groups Providing Abortion – President Biden reversed a policy against funding groups that provide abortion counseling, calling his measure an effort to protect women’s health care.

Feb. 1

44. Executive Action : Proclamation Maintaining Tariffs on Aluminum from UAE – President Biden reversed President Trump’s decision to remove tariffs on aluminum from the UAE, which had been a reward for peacemaking with Israel.

Feb. 2

45. Executive Action : Memorandum Directing FEMA to Help with COVID – President Biden reaffirmed ongoing efforts and directed the Department of Homeland Security to use FEMA to assist state and local governments with coronavirus.

46. Executive Order : Reversing Public Charge Rule on Immigration – President Biden began reversing President Trump’s enforcement of a long-standing (but ignored) policy against immigrants that would become a burden on the state.

47. Executive Order : Addressing ‘Root Causes’ of Migration from Central America – President Biden vowed to work with “El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (the “Northern Triangle”) to address the root causes of migration.”

48. Executive Order : Task Force to Reunite Families – President Biden created the “Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of Families,” to help children apprehended at the border (the policy presumes they arrived with “families”).

Feb. 4

49. Executive Order : Expanding Refugee Program for Impact of Climate Change – President Biden expanded U.S. refugee programs, including the future “resettlement of individuals displaced directly or indirectly from climate change.”

50. Executive Action : Memorandum on ‘Revitalizing’ Foreign Service – President Biden offered an effective paean to the “Deep State,” praising the “remarkable professionals and patriots … “whose expertise has too often been sidelined.”

51. Executive Action : Memorandum Restructuring National Security Council – President Biden issued guidelines for the structuring of the National Security Council, which President Trump had streamlined.

52. Executive Action : Memorandum Promoting ‘LGBTQI’ Rights Worldwide – President Biden ordered a global effort to decriminalize homosexuality, an existing policy under President Trump. (The new “I” is for “intersex.”)

Feb. 11

53. Executive Action : Terminating Southern Border Emergency – President Biden wrote to Congress to inform it that he had ended the national emergency on the southern border, ending the construction of President Trump’s border wall.

54. Executive Action : Extending National Emergency in Libya – President Biden wrote to Congress to extend the national emergency regarding Libya — a war dating to the first term of the Obama-Biden administration — by a year.

55 . Executive Action : National Emergency on Burma Coup – President Biden wrote to Congress to inform it that he had ordered various actions blocking economic activity relating to Burma in response to the recent military coup there.

Feb. 14

56. Executive Order : Establishment of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships – President Biden took a page from George W. Bush’s book and linked faith-based organizations with service delivery.

Feb. 16

57. Executive Action : Reversing the “Remain in Mexico” Policy for Asylum Applicants. Despite an agreement forged by Trump with Mexico, Biden announced that asylum applicants would soon be able to await adjudication in the U.S.

58. Executive Action : Forbearance and Foreclosure Protections for Homeowners. President Biden extended a program to protect homeowners, begun under the Trump administration, that was set to have expired in March.

Feb. 17

59. Executive Order : Revoking Trump’s Order on Apprenticeships. Trump signed an order with bipartisan support to address a skills gap by letting industries train apprentices. Unions opposed it and wanted more government control.

Feb. 24

60. Executive Action : Continuing the National Emergency Regarding Cuba and Maritime Traffic. President Biden continued a 25-year-old national emergency relating to Cuba — despite Obama-Biden’s past effort at “normalization.”

61. Executive Order : America’s Supply Chains. President Biden directed government departments to study the U.S. supply chains on batteries, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, rare earths, and other materials manufactured in China.

62. Executive Order : Revoking Several Trump Executive Orders. President Biden revoked a slew of Trump-era executive orders, from orders involving the financial system, to orders dealing with the widespread riots of 2020.

63. Executive Action : Revoking Proclamation Restricting Immigration During Coronavirus for Economic Reasons. President Biden revoked Trump’s proclamation limiting immigration during America’s recovery from the pandemic.

Mar. 3

64. Executive Actions: Continuing National Emergencies on Global Hot Spots. Biden sent letters to Congress notifying the legislature that he was keeping national emergency status in place on Zimbabwe , Ukraine , and Venezuela .

65. Executive Action : Interim Strategic Guidance Document. The Biden administration issued a new national security document that described “nationalist and nativist trends,” “misinformation,” and “systemic racism” as a security threats.

Mar. 5

66. Executive Action : Continuing National Emergency on Iran. Despite its apparent desperation to restart talks with Iran on a nuclear deal, the Biden administration advised Congress that it was maintaining an emergency regarding Iran.

Mar. 7

67. Executive Order : “Promoting Access to Voting.” Biden’s executive order directed federal agencies to encourage voter registration, including for vote-by-mail, and encouraged agencies to “combat misinformation,” enacting H.R. 1 by fiat.

Mar. 8

68. Executive Order : Education and Sex/Sexuality/Gender Discrimination. Biden directed the Department of Education to ensure non-discrimination in the above categories, and to review the state of regulations on campus sexual misconduct.

69. Executive Order : White House Gender Policy Council. Biden created a committee to “coordinate Federal Government efforts to advance gender equity and equality” and to counteract what it described as “systemic biases and discrimination.”

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His newest e-book is How Not to Be a Sh!thole Country: Lessons from South Africa . His recent book, RED NOVEMBER , tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak .

Republicans are politicizing the border and children’s lives

by edition.cnn.com Leave a Comment

Julián Castro is a former presidential candidate, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama and former mayor of San Antonio, Texas. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion articles on CNN.

(CNN) Like the children arriving at our border every day, my grandmother came to the US from Mexico at seven years old seeking a better life. She worked as a maid, a cook and a babysitter to provide for her family. Two generations later, one of her grandsons is serving in Congress and the other had the opportunity to serve in President Barack Obama’s cabinet.

Julián Castro

Julián Castro

The children arriving at our border today are seeking the same safety and opportunity she sought. Instead of treating them like national security threats, we should treat them humanely, and work to improve the conditions in their home countries so that more families aren’t compelled to follow in their footsteps.

Over the last month, several Republicans in Congress have traveled to our southern border to try to draw attention to an increase in asylum seekers presenting themselves to border patrol. Texas officials like Sens. Ted Cruz, John Cornyn and Gov. Greg Abbott have used these trips to fear-monger constituents about children seeking asylum and gaslight Americans about who really created the challenge at our border today.

They’re spreading lies about what’s happening on the border, about migrants spreading Covid-19, and about which president is to blame for the current influx of unaccompanied children seeking refuge. Their hypocrisy is disturbing and detached from reality, but it’s not at all surprising.
Republicans’ trips, floor speeches, and statements are nothing more than cynical political stunts that attempt to rewrite the history of former President Donald Trump’s failed immigration agenda. Republican lawmakers and leaders in Congress and in Texas, like Abbott, are selling a bill of goods that, unfortunately, many in the media have been eager to buy.
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As a lifelong Texan and as the grandson of immigrants, I won’t be gaslit into forgetting the damage Trump did to our immigration and asylum systems. For four years, the Trump administration worked against providing asylum, attacked documented and undocumented immigrants, froze aid to Central America, and reduced our capacity to care for those seeking refuge from violence and disaster. And what did Republicans leading the current outcry do? Nothing. They were with Trump every step of the way.
In 2018, Republicans supported Trump’s “Zero Tolerance” policy, which mandated that all migrants be criminally prosecuted and thousands of children be separated from their parents. That same year, Trump instituted the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, officially known as Migrant Protection Protocols, that directed non-Mexican asylum seekers to return to Mexico as they awaited hearings in the US.
Also in 2018, the Trump administration enacted metering policies to grind the asylum process to a halt and leave thousands of refugees in tent cities along our border. I saw the human tragedy of these policies when I traveled to Matamoros, Mexico, in 2019. I spoke to a mother with a 20-day-old baby on her lap, who told me the story of her long journey to the United States while she swatted flies off of her newborn. And the inhumanity didn’t stop there.
In 2019, Trump froze hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to Central America, a decision that then-former Vice President Joe Biden said would “increase migration to our Southern border, not reduce it.” Last year, while Trump bungled the federal response to the coronavirus, he used the pandemic to invoke Title 42, an obscure public health provision allowing US Customs and Border Protection to turn away over thousands of migrants at our border. Trump used the resource to expel more than half a million would-be asylum seekers without due process according to a Los Angeles Times analysis, including 15,000 children who arrived alone seeking our protection. It was unprecedented, immoral, and ruled illegal by a federal judge who ordered the Trump administration in November to accept minors seeking asylum. The Biden administration has continued expelling most single adults and families at the southern border, but it is admitting migrant children.
However, the same Republicans, including Abbott, who are demagoguing our border did not make a peep in Trump’s last nine months in office, when there was a 359% increase in border encounters and a 690% increase in unaccompanied minors seeking asylum . While some immigration reporters may have called attention to the increases at the time, there was no wall-to-wall cable coverage or debates about the use of the word “crisis.” The increase in asylum seekers only got attention when Republicans started attacking President Biden, and many in the media bought their misinformation and fear-mongering hook, line, and sinker.
The truth is: the Biden administration is picking up the pieces of a humanitarian catastrophe Trump left at our doorstep. While combating a global pandemic, an economic recession and a dramatic rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, the Biden administration is reassembling our asylum system and replacing Trump’s cruelty with compassion and common sense.
Instead of expelling children and leaving asylum seekers in tents along our border, they’re working to build capacity at the Department of Health and Human Services facilities, standing up asylum systems in Central America so families aren’t forced to journey to the border, and they’re more quickly vetting sponsors so unaccompanied migrant children can be placed in loving homes as fast as possible.
As Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said , the conditions in CBP facilities are unacceptable, and I believe the media should have better access to ensure the administration is keeping true to its word. Additionally, I’m hopeful that in short order the Biden administration will work to end Title 42, which has essentially suspended our nation’s asylum system for more than a year and runs counter to our values. We cannot allow Trump’s racist and short-sighted policies to become our default.
In the long term, the Biden administration is working to address the root causes of migration and improve conditions in Central America so that families can find safety and opportunity at home, instead of making the dangerous journey to the border. President Biden tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to oversee these efforts.

As a friend and fellow presidential hopeful, I saw firsthand the passion and expertise she brings to these difficult issues, and I know she will approach them earnestly. The Biden administration understands that the challenges at the border don’t start at the border, and certainly can’t be solved by walling ourselves off. It takes a sober, whole-of-government approach that puts diplomacy first.
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Instead of spreading lies and pointing fingers, Republicans in Congress and governors of our border states like Abbott should work with the Biden administration to fix our immigration system and invest in Central America. If they’re serious about these issues, they should do the work to pass immigration reform, instead of using the issue to inspire fear and divide Americans.

Palestinian Christians in the Gaza Strip celebrate Easter amid COVID-19 outbreak

by www.foxnews.com Leave a Comment

Palestinian Christians in the Gaza Strip celebrate Easter amid COVID-19 outbreak

FOX News correspondent Trey Yingst has the latest on the in-person Easter celebrations in the Palestinian territory

Priest Gabriel Romanelli smiled, as he welcomed Palestinian churchgoers to a traditional Easter Mass in Gaza City.

“We are very happy this year because we celebrate the holy Easter , the resurrection of the lord, with the community,” Romanelli told Fox News.

POPE FRANCIS WANTS TO ‘LIVE HUMBLY’ IN A ‘MODEST’ GUEST HOUSE FOR THIS REASON, FILMAKER REVEALS IN DOC

The Catholic Cleric is one of around 1,000 Christians out of 2 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

Last year the group had to worship at home amid the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, they could gather while maintaining social distance and wearing masks.

Hamas, the group in control of Gaza, is implementing rolling lockdowns and curfews to slow the spread of disease. They have issued safety guidelines for mosques and churches, but are allowing services to take place.

“We are also very proud of the small Christian community in Gaza, who enjoys our love, appreciation and full support,” Senior Hamas official Dr. Basim Naim said.

Gaza is still fighting rising numbers of the deadly virus, with nearly 60,000 total cases reported and more than 600 deaths.

Palestinian officials have called on the international community for increased aid during the pandemic. Many of the same officials continue to demand more movement from Israel .

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Romanelli echoed those calls today after permits for Gazans to travel to Jerusalem for Easter were denied.

An Israeli security source confirmed that no permits were given to Gazans this year to visit Jerusalem during Easter. That source added the decision was made due to the global outbreak of coronavirus.

Trey Yingst currently serves as a Jerusalem-based general assignment reporter for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in August 2018.

Biden’s dog Major to undergo ‘additional training’ to help adjust to White House life after biting people

by www.foxnews.com Leave a Comment

‘Dog Whisperer’ on why Biden’s dog keeps misbehaving

Cesar Millan discusses integrating a rescue dog into the White House on ‘FOX News Primetime’

The younger Biden family dog , Major, will undergo “additional training” as he tries to adjust to life in the White House , a  spokesperson told Fox News.

First lady Jill Biden’s press secretary Michael LaRosa said that Major would be going “off-site” for his training.

“The off-site, private training will take place in the Washington, D.C. area, and it is expected to last a few weeks,” LaRosa said.

The Bidens' dog Major is seen on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 31, 2021. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Bidens’ dog Major is seen on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 31, 2021. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Major, a German Shepherd, has grabbed headlines on a couple of unfortunate occasions since the Biden family moved into the White House.

The dog has bitten employees on two occasions: once, Major bit a Secret Service employee, and the second time he “nipped” at an employee on the South Lawn.

BIDEN WH ‘TENSION’ TO BLAME FOR MAJOR GETTING AGITATED, DOG EXPERT SAYS

Washington, D.C. observes strict dog bite laws: the “one-bite rule” dictates that “if the dog bites someone after it has already shown it will bite someone, then there is presumed negligence on the owner of the dog.”

Both incidents occurred in March.

President Biden's pet, a German Shepard dog named Major, is walked on a leash by the South Portico of the White House minutes before the president departs for travel to Ohio from the White House in Washington, March 23, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

President Biden’s pet, a German Shepard dog named Major, is walked on a leash by the South Portico of the White House minutes before the president departs for travel to Ohio from the White House in Washington, March 23, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

White House press secretary Jen Psaki referred to the first instance as “minor.”

Davis Cooper, a personal injury lawyer suggested that Major may have needed complete isolation until he could be determined safe to be around other people.

ON NATIONAL PET DAY, ANDREW YANG REMEMBERS DOG HE GAVE AWAY

“I believe it’s their duty to protect people from their dog,” Cooper told Fox News.

“Typically homeowners insurance covers dog bite injury, and it’s weird — I don’t know what kind of homeowners insurance comes with the White House,” he added.

An aide walks the Bidens' dog Major on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2021. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

An aide walks the Bidens’ dog Major on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2021. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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Major is a rescue dog and was sent back to the Biden family home after the first bite. The Biden family adopted him from the Delaware Humane Association in 2018.

The Biden family also owns an older German Shepherd named Champ, which they bought after former President Barack Obama won the 2008 election.

Peter Aitken is a New York born-and-raised reporter with a focus on national and global news.

Biden reversing Trump policy, quietly ramping up Palestinian aid

by www.foxnews.com Leave a Comment

The Biden administration is quietly ramping up its financial assistance to Palestinians, in the latest reversal of former President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.

The State Department, along with the US Agency for International Development, notified Congress of their intent to deliver nearly $75 million in aid to the region just one day after announcing a $15 million commitment publicly to vulnerable Palestinian groups.

The State Department declined to say whether the $15 million was included in the $75 million mentioned to Congress, or if the two were separate payments.

The funds do not require further Congressional approval, as they were largely appropriated in the 2020 fiscal year budget.

President Joe Biden, center, walks from Marine One to board Air Force One, with son Hunter Biden, left, as he carries his son Beau, Friday, March 26, 2021, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Biden is en route to Delaware. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Joe Biden, center, walks from Marine One to board Air Force One, with son Hunter Biden, left, as he carries his son Beau, Friday, March 26, 2021, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Biden is en route to Delaware. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

BIDEN’S $2T SPENDING PLAN, BILLED AS INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, SPENDS LESS THAN HALF ON INFRASTRUCTURE

They weren’t spent prior to President Biden taking office, however, because of the Trump administration policy blocking nearly all aid to Palestinians.

Then-President Trump severed ties with the Palestinian Authority in August 2018, amid heightened tensions over the then-commander-in-chief’s decision to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The decision to block aid resulted in the Palestinians losing out on over $200 million.

The Biden administration did not go out of it’s way to publicize the payment renewals, likely an effort to not cause concern among pro-Israel Americans over his Middle East positions.

Reached for comment, State Department spokesman Ned Price reiterated the Biden administration’s support for resuming aid to the Palestinians.

BIDEN LABLED RECIDIVIST BY WASHINGTON POST FACT CHECKER FOR REPEATING TRIO FALSE CLAIMS

“We continue to believe that American support for the Palestinian people, including financial support, it is consistent with our values. It is consistent with our interests. Of course, it is consistent with the interests of the Palestinian people,” Price told reporters.

“It’s also consistent with the interests of our partner, Israel, and we’ll have more to say on that going forward,” he continued.

While Biden may not support the Trump doctrine on all aspects of foreign policy, he has welcomed one effort by the previous president: the Abraham Accords.

The Abraham Accords were signed in September of last year, normalizing relations between Israel and two Gulf countries in a deal spearheaded by the Trump administration.

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Biden pledged at the time to build on the work of his predecessor, praising the diplomatic achievements that brought together Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

This story first appeared in the New York Post.