President Biden has signed two executive orders since dropping out of the 2024 race, trailing past presidents at this point during an election year.
On Friday, Biden traveled to the battleground state of Michigan, where he signed what the White House billed as his “Good Jobs” executive order following a visit with labor union members in Ann Arbor.
“I signed an executive order to make sure that the most… the largest federal construction projects that are being built in America are built with project labor agreements,” Biden said in Ann Arbor, adding, “It’s a big deal.”
Biden had signed just one other executive order since his unprecedented July 21 announcement that he was discontinuing his re-election bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
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President Biden leaves St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware, after attending a mass, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Biden signed an executive order on July 25, establishing an emergency board to investigate a dispute between New Jersey Transit Rail Operations and its locomotive engineers represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Just days before dropping out, Biden signed a July 17 executive order “on advancing educational equity, excellence, and economic opportunity through Hispanic-serving institutions.”
Biden’s rate is far lower than his most recent predecessors at this point in their presidencies. Former President Trump signed seven executive orders in August 2020. Similarly, former President Obama signed five executive orders in August 2016 during the last year of his presidency.
Elon Musk is among those commenting online about Biden’s perceived lack of governance.
“I keep forgetting that Biden is still technically in charge of the country,” Musk, the tech billionaire owner of X, wrote on his platform Sunday.
Trump, the current Republican presidential nominee, teased a new executive order of his own during a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Saturday.
“I will sign an executive order banning any federal employee from colluding to limit speech. And we will fire every federal bureaucrat who is engaged in domestic censorship under the Harris regime,” Trump said.
Former President Trump departs a campaign event at Central Wisconsin Airport, Sept. 7, 2024, in Mosinee, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Monday about Biden’s lag behind Trump and Obama’s executive order record but did not immediately hear back.
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Trump’s seven executive orders in August 2020 included those “targetting opportunity zones and other distressed communities for federal site locations,” “fighting the spread of COVID-19 by providing assistance to renters and homeowners,” and “combating public health emergencies and strengthening national security by ensuring essential medicines, medical countermeasures, and critical inputs are made in the United States.”
The Republican president’s orders that month also centered on “addressing the threat posed by WeChat, and taking additional steps to address the national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain,” “addressing the threat posed by TikTok, and taking additional steps to address the national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain,” “improving rural health and telehealth access,” and “aligning federal contracting and hiring practices with the interests of American workers.”
President Biden is hugged by Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., at a signing ceremony after speaking to labor union members about his Investing in America agenda in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Friday, Sep. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
In August 2016, Obama signed executive orders providing an order of succession within the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of the Treasury.
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That month, the Democrat commander in chief, whom Biden served as vice president, also signed amendments to two prior executive orders from 2014, one that focused on promoting “economy and efficiency in procurement by contracting with responsible sources who comply with labor laws” and another to expand membership on the president’s advisory council on doing business in Africa.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.