The list of Joe Biden executive orders represents one of the most extensive collections of presidential directives in modern U.S. history, totaling 162 orders signed between January 2021 and January 2025. These actions shaped policy across climate, the economy, health, immigration, civil rights, competition, technology, and federal government operations. As of 2025, this remains the verified count based on official public records, reflecting measures that influenced nearly every corner of federal decision-making during his term.
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How Many Executive Orders Biden Signed
Joe Biden signed 162 executive orders, officially numbered from Executive Order 13985 through Executive Order 14146.
This number places his output among the higher counts for a single presidential term in recent decades.
His earliest orders addressed immediate national issues such as the pandemic, economic recovery, immigration system changes, and climate reorientation. As his presidency progressed, his orders expanded into long-term areas like cybersecurity, competition policy, reproductive health, and artificial intelligence oversight.
Main Categories Covered in Biden’s Executive Orders
1. Racial Equity and Civil Rights
Biden’s first major executive order addressed racial equity, and subsequent orders continued this focus. These directives required federal agencies to identify barriers in programs, strengthen civil rights enforcement, improve access to federal services, expand language accessibility, and work more closely with underserved communities.
Key areas covered:
- Federal civil rights compliance
- Housing and lending equity
- Fair access to federal benefits
- Strengthened protections for tribal nations
These actions reshaped how agencies evaluated discrimination risks and reported their progress.
2. Climate and Environmental Protection
Climate policy was central to Biden’s agenda from day one. His executive orders created governmentwide climate planning efforts, committed agencies to sustainability goals, and prioritized environmental justice throughout federal decision-making.
Examples of focus areas:
- Clean energy development
- Federal sustainability standards
- Conservation and public land protections
- Climate resilience programs
- Environmental justice reviews within agencies
These orders influenced policy frameworks that continued into 2025, even as legislative battles shifted.
3. Public Health and COVID-19 Response
Early in Biden’s term, public health directives were essential. His executive orders guided mask practices on federal property, strengthened vaccine distribution coordination, accelerated testing expansion, and targeted medical supply chain issues.
Later health-focused orders addressed:
- Reproductive health access
- Protections for patient privacy
- Rural health improvements
- Long-term care safety standards
These actions built out a broader health agenda beyond the pandemic era.
4. Economic Recovery, Labor, and Cost-of-Living Issues
Biden used executive orders to bolster the labor force, strengthen worker protections, and adjust federal contracting standards. Several orders directed agencies to analyze how rules affect wages, consumer costs, and supply-chain stability.
Major labor and economic themes:
- Wage increases for federal contractors
- Worker safety programs
- Regulatory review tied to inflation
- Domestic manufacturing support
- Federal purchasing standards favoring U.S. production
These directives were part of long-term efforts to stabilize supply chains and support local industries.
5. Immigration and Border-Related Orders
A significant portion of Biden’s executive actions reshaped the immigration system. His orders revised enforcement priorities, rebuilt humanitarian programs, and modernized naturalization and visa-processing structures.
Key areas addressed:
- Refugee admissions system
- Family reunification programs
- Asylum processing modernization
- Enforcement policy changes
- Updates to the legal immigration pipeline
These shifts aimed to change both the tone and structure of federal immigration practices.
6. Technology, Competition, and AI Governance
Later in Biden’s term, rapid advances in technology and cybersecurity prompted new executive orders. These covered digital privacy, data protection, broadband expansion, and government cybersecurity protocols.
Notable directions included:
- Strengthened national cybersecurity requirements
- Broad competition policy directives affecting multiple industries
- Standards for artificial intelligence development and safety
- Modernization of federal digital systems
- Increased broadband access in rural and underserved regions
These actions signaled a growing focus on digital and technological policy challenges.
7. National Security and International Policy
Several Biden orders addressed foreign policy and national security operations. These orders reorganized national security priorities, adjusted sanctions frameworks, refined defense readiness procedures, and strengthened protection of critical infrastructure.
Core areas included:
- Infrastructure security
- Defense modernization efforts
- International partnership coordination
- National emergency updates
- Technology-focused security reviews
These directives clarified national security approaches in a shifting geopolitical environment.
Notable Executive Orders Signed by Joe Biden
While the full list includes 162 orders, several stood out for their nationwide impact and public visibility. The following examples illustrate the breadth of his policy actions:
- An order establishing a governmentwide racial equity framework
- A major climate directive centering environmental policy across federal agencies
- Orders related to federal pandemic response coordination
- A directive raising the wage floor for federal contractors
- An order improving competition and addressing monopolistic practices
- A cybersecurity modernization order following federal system breaches
- A reproductive health access order after national legal changes
- An executive order setting national goals for artificial intelligence safety and innovation
These orders demonstrate the diversity and scale of Biden’s executive approach.
How the List of Joe Biden Executive Orders Changed After 2025
Once Biden left office in January 2025, the subsequent administration began reviewing his directives. Some executive orders remained active, some were revised, and others were rescinded or replaced. This process is standard whenever presidential priorities transition.
However, many of Biden’s orders—especially those related to cybersecurity, climate planning, agency equity reviews, and supply-chain stability—continued shaping federal programs due to multi-year implementation timelines.
Why the List Matters in 2025
Understanding the complete list of Joe Biden’s executive orders helps readers see how policy direction shifted during his presidency and how federal agencies continue operating under or transitioning away from his directives.
These orders matter because:
- They guide federal spending and regulatory priorities.
- They influence states, private industry, and local governments.
- They set long-term administrative plans that may extend beyond a single presidency.
- They show how executive power was used to address urgent national issues.
The list of joe biden executive orders remains a central reference for journalists, researchers, policymakers, and citizens seeking to understand the direction of federal governance during his term.
Feel free to share your thoughts on how these executive orders affected your community or workplace.