Biden Rescinds Trump Immigrant Health Care Ban
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Friday suspended Trump-era proclamation that barred the entry of immigrants who would “financially burden the U.S. health care system.”
Former President Donald Trump had asserted his intent in signing the proclamation on Oct. 4, 2019, was to “protect the availability of health care benefits for Americans.”
On Friday, President Biden said the Trump policy neither advances the interests of the United States, nor complies with a subsequent order (signed Feb. 2, 2021) aimed at restoring faith in the nation’s legal immigration system and expanding efforts of inclusion for new Americans.
“My administration is committed to expanding access to quality, affordable health care. We can achieve that objective, however, without barring the entry of noncitizens who seek to immigrate lawfully to this country but who lack significant financial means or have not purchased health insurance coverage from a restrictive list of qualifying plans,” Biden said.
The proclamation wasn’t the only Trump-era action President Biden revoked on Friday.
He also tossed Trump’s order of May 28, 2020, preventing online censorship; a June 26, 2020, order allegedly aimed at protecting American monuments, memorials, and statues in the wake of the protests over the death of George Floyd; an order from July 3, 2020, calling for the building and rebuilding of monuments to American heroes; an order from Dec. 10, 2020, rebranding United States Foreign Assistance to Advance American Influence; an order from Jan. 18, 2021, calling for the creation of a National Garden of American Heroes; and an order from Jan. 18, 2021, entitled “Protecting Americans From Overcriminalization Through Regulatory Reform.”
