Joe Biden has reversed an order made by Donald Trump which harshly punishes vandals who deface historic statues.
According to a White House press statement, the president also rescinded his predecessor's planned sculpture garden to honor American heroes and a proclamation barring entry into the United States for immigrants who cannot afford health insurance.
Per The Independent, Biden commented on the measures in an official statement, claiming: "My administration is committed to expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare.
"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."
Trump's original proclamation was first issued in June of 2020, instructing the federal government to prosecute "to the fullest extent" any person that "destroys, damages, vandalizes, or desecrates a monument, memorial, or statue".
Per USA Today, Trump commented on the measure at the time in a press statement, claiming: "I will have an executive order very shortly. All it’s going to do is reinforce what’s already there but in a more uniform way.
"We are looking at long-term jail sentences for these vandals and these hoodlums and these anarchists and agitators. Call them whatever you want.
"Some people don’t like that language, but that’s what they are. They are bad people. They don’t love our country. And they’re not taking down our monument."
The "National Garden of American Heroes" would have included statues of a number of famous athletes, politicians, and historical figures.
It was planned to open to the public on July 4, 2026, just prior to the 250th anniversary of the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence.
Per The Washington Examiner, Trump stated in January of 2020 that: "Belief in the greatness and goodness of America has come under attack in recent months and years by a dangerous anti-American extremism that seeks to dismantle our country’s history, institutions, and very identity."
Trump continued: "The heroes of 1776 have been desecrated, with statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin vandalized and toppled.
"The dead who gave their lives to end slavery and save the Union during the Civil War have been dishonored, with monuments to Abraham Lincoln, Hans Christian Heg, and the courageous 54th Regiment left damaged and disfigured."
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