Obama praises Biden's executive order blitz: 'This is a time for boldness'

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Former President Barack Obama praised President Biden on Thursday for enacting a sweeping slate of executive orders within hours of his inauguration as president.

Biden signed a total of 17 executive orders within minutes of entering the Oval Office for the first time on Wednesday and an additional 10 orders related to the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday. The orders reversed a number of Trump administration policies and covered areas Biden identified as his priorities on the campaign trail, including the coronavirus pandemic and climate change.

"This is a time for boldness and President Biden is already delivering," Obama wrote on Twitter. "By rejoining the Paris climate accords on day one, he declared loudly and clearly that the U.S. will once again lead the fight against climate change."

"And this is only the beginning," Obama added.

Biden renewed the U.S. commitment to the Paris climate agreement, an international accord to reduce carbon emissions, just three years after President Trump withdrew support. Trump argued the deal was unfair to U.S. interests and would result in domestic job losses.

The actions rankled several prominent Republicans, including Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. GOP leadership has argued that Biden’s plan to combat climate change will harm U.S. energy interests and erase thousands of jobs.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Trump ally, warned on Inauguration Day that he would take steps to challenge "federal overreach" on any Biden order he deemed "unconstitutional."

Biden signed an executive order requiring masks to be worn on federal land and government buildings. Other actions included a withdrawal of federal funding for the Trump-backed border wall and a halt to the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

"Today, thanks to executive orders and other directives signed by the President hours after taking office, we are closer to ending this pandemic and better prepared for the next one," Obama added in a blog post.