Biden Ends Travel Ban, Strengthens Mask Mandates in First Days in Office

Executive orders ending a travel and immigration ban targeting mostly majority-Muslim countries and mandating masks for travelers were among the first actions taken by President Joe Biden this week as his nominee for Transportation Secretary appeared to be on track to a smooth confirmation.

On his first day in office on Wednesday, Biden as expected signed an executive order revoking former President Donald Trump's executive order that, after several court battles, restricted travel from five majority-Muslim countries—Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen—as well as North Korea and Venezuela. Biden's order said the bans "are a stain on our national conscience and are inconsistent with our long history of welcoming people of faiths and no faith at all."

In addition to revoking Trump's order, Biden's order instructs embassies and consulates to resume processing and for the U.S. State Department to develop a plan ensuring applicants who were denied under the rules are not prejudiced with future applications.

On Thursday, Biden said in an address that he was introducing additional executive orders related to his Covid-19 national strategy, which includes requiring passengers to wear masks while on airlines, buses and trains while on interstate travel. Biden already signed an order on Wednesday requiring masks on federal property.

While airlines and rail networks such as Amtrak already require passengers to wear masks, many of their employees have been pushing for a mandate on the federal level as well as a mechanism to enforce compliance. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International, for example, has been asking for such a measure since last April.

In a statement, the union's president, Sara Nelson, said the order "will provide much needed backup for flight attendants and aviation workers on the frontlines."

In his remarks, Biden also indicated that in addition to new requirements next week requiring negative Covid-19 tests from all inbound international travelers, they also would be required to quarantine upon arrival, though he did not indicate the duration of that quarantine requirement.

Buttigieg Faces Senate Committee

The U.S. Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, meanwhile, on Thursday morning conducted a hearing for Pete Buttigieg, Biden's nominee for Secretary of Transportation, in which the former South Bend, Ind., mayor faced mostly friendly questioning from both sides of the political aisle.

During the questioning, Buttigieg signaled support to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) regarding an act that would provide more protective equipment, testing and eventually vaccinations for frontline transportation workers, such as flight attendants. He also said he would work with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in the restoration of Amtrak service to the U.S. Gulf Coast, where it has been offline since Hurricane Katrina damaged the region in 2005.

Joking that he was the second-biggest Amtrak enthusiast in the Biden Administration—referring to Biden's long-storied use of the service, which earned him the moniker "Amtrak Joe"—Buttigieg said he thought "Americans should be able to enjoy the highest standard of passenger train service."

Buttigieg's harshest questioning came from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), largely on Biden's decision to cancel the Keystone XL oil pipeline. However, Wicker, the committee's ranking Republican member, said he was "quite certain" Buttigieg would be confirmed.

A 50-50 party split in the U.S. Senate now gives the Democrats control of the legislative body, with Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaking vote. It's unlikely to be that close, however, given that the cabinet position has rarely been one of contention. Buttigieg's predecessor, Elaine Chao, for example was confirmed with a vote of 93-6.