Three things for January 26
1. Biden adds sign language interpreter to briefings
During Monday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced the Biden administration is adding a sign language interpreter to its daily press briefings.
Psaki said President Joe Biden “is committed to building an America that is more inclusive, more just and more accessible for every American.”
In August, the Trump administration faced a lawsuit because of their lack of inclusion. The National Association of the Deaf joined five deaf individuals in suing Trump and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
They insisted the lack of an interpreter compromised deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans’ ability to access key information about the coronavirus pandemic. In response to the lawsuit, a federal judge demanded the White House include American Sign Language interpretations at all televised briefings in which the coronavirus was being discussed.
The Biden administration has garnered praise from accessibility advocates for having the Pledge of Allegiance recited simultaneously in spoken English and ASL on Inauguration Day, according to NPR.
2. Biden appeals transgender military ban
On Monday evening, Biden signed an order to reverse a Pentagon policy barring transgender individuals from serving in the military.
The new order, signed by Biden during a meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, overturned a ban ordered by former President Donald Trump during his first year in office.
Biden’s new order prohibits any service member from being forced out of the military based on gender identity, reports AP News.
“What I’m doing is enabling all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform,” Biden said as he signed the order.
“America is stronger, at home and around the world, when it is inclusive. The military is no exception,” says the order. “Allowing all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform is better for the military and better for the country because an inclusive force is a more effective force. Simply put, it’s the right thing to do and is in our national interest.”
The order comes in response to promises of equity made by the Biden administration. Before his Inauguration, Biden’s transition team circulated a memo saying Biden planned to use his first full week as president “to advance equity and support communities of color and other underserved communities.”
3. Space Command Center coming to the Tennessee Valley
The new U.S. Space Command Center will be headquartered in the Tennessee Valley.
Earlier this month, Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Sen. Bill Hagerty released information regarding the new Space Command Center.
“The new Space Command Center in the Tennessee Valley is an important investment in both the future of our military and in the skilled workforce of the region,” said Blackburn in a joint release with Hagerty. “This base will bring over 1,600 new jobs in the area and more as the command grows.”
The U.S. Space Command was established in August 2019. It is a unified combatant command of the Department of Defense and is responsible for military capabilities in space, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Similar to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, the Space Force is a military service.
“The new United States Space Command headquarters in the Tennessee Valley will be the primary entity for providing strategic direction to the U.S. military to deter space-based threats globally,” said Sen. Hagerty, according to WATE 6. “Space Command’s future headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama, will bring hundreds of new jobs to Tennesseans and further our state’s rich history of contributing to our national defense.”
