Biden Races to Cement His Legacy Through a Series of Actions

In the final days of his term, President Biden has issued a series of policy decisions intended to cement his agenda and, in some cases, make it harder for President-elect Donald J. Trump to put in place his own.

The 11th-hour decisions, many of them executive actions, include measures on environmental justice, prison reform, immigration and foreign relations. Some are intended to preserve Mr. Biden’s legacy, while others are last-ditch efforts to expand his approach. Many are likely to be undone after Mr. Trump takes office next week.

The actions have gotten the attention of Mr. Trump, who said on social media earlier this month that Mr. Biden was “doing everything possible” to make the transition process “as difficult as possible.”

“Fear not, these ‘orders’ will be terminated shortly,” Mr. Trump added.

White House officials said Mr. Biden had directed his administration to ensure a smooth transition of power.

Here is a look at some of the last major actions taken by Mr. Biden as he approaches the end of his presidency.

Coastal Drilling

Mr. Biden last week announced a ban on new oil and gas drilling across more than 625 million acres of U.S. coastal waters as part of an effort to protect the environment and ensure public health. Mr. Trump has called the move “ridiculous” and promised to revoke the ban.

National Monuments

Mr. Biden created two national monuments in California this month that together will prevent mining and drilling — as well as wind, solar and other energy development — across more than 848,000 acres of desert and mountainous land in the state.

Cuba

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it would remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism and ease economic penalties on the nation as a part of a deal that was expected to free protesters jailed by the Communist government. Mauricio Claver-Carone, who was recently named as Mr. Trump’s envoy for Latin America, said the announcement favored “authoritarian anti-American regimes.”

Clemency

Mr. Biden last month commuted the sentences of nearly all prisoners on federal death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Mr. Trump supports the death penalty, and during his 2024 presidential campaign called for an expansion of it. Mr. Biden also last month commuted the sentences of 1,500 people who were on home confinement, the largest number of commutations by a president in a single day.

U.S. Steel

The president blocked the $14 billion takeover of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel of Japan earlier this month on grounds that the sale posed a threat to national security. Mr. Trump has also said U.S. Steel should be American-owned.

Artificial Intelligence

The Biden administration on Monday issued sweeping rules earlier this week to govern how artificial intelligence chips and models can be shared with foreign countries.

Ukraine

Mr. Biden in November approved the use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine for strikes inside Russia. Days later, Mr. Biden approved supplying Ukraine with American anti-personnel mines. The United States earlier this month announced new sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector. Mr. Biden has also tried to get congressionally approved U.S. aid for Ukraine out of the door. Mr. Trump has been highly skeptical of U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Student Debt

The Biden administration said this week that it had canceled student loans for more than 150,000 borrowers, bringing the tally of Americans whose loans were forgiven during Mr. Biden’s term to more than five million.

Deportation

The administration last week issued sweeping extensions of deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of people from Sudan, Ukraine, El Salvador and Venezuela in a move that would make it almost impossible for Mr. Trump to swiftly strip the benefit. Mr. Trump has pledged to begin mass deportations on the first day of his administration.

Civil Servants

The Social Security Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees reached an agreement in December that would allow federal employees to continue working remotely until 2029. Mr. Trump has said he will go to court to stop the policy. Some of Mr. Trump’s advisers who are focused on cutting the number of federal civil servants have said that requiring employees to come work in offices would result in voluntary departures.

Mr. Biden separately signed bipartisan legislation that would give full Social Security benefits to a group of public-sector retirees who currently receive them at a reduced level.