WASHINGTON (AP) – In his early hours as president, Joe Biden plans to take executive action to reverse some of his predecessor’s most controversial decisions and address the furious coronavirus pandemic, his new chief of staff said Saturday.
The inaugural salvation would herald a ten-day explosion of executive action, as Biden tries to act quickly to redirect the country after Donald Trump’s presidency without waiting in Congress.
On Wednesday, after his inauguration, Biden will end Trump’s restriction on immigration to the United States from some Muslim-majority countries, rejoin the Paris climate deal and demand the use of masks on federal property and during interstate travel. These are among about a dozen actions Biden will carry out on his first day at the White House, his new chief of staff, Ron Klain, said in a note to senior staff.
Other actions include extending the pause in student loan payments and actions aimed at preventing evictions and foreclosures for those struggling during the pandemic.
“These executive actions will provide relief to the millions of Americans struggling in the face of these crises,” Klain said in the note. “President-elect Biden will take steps, not only to reverse the serious damage done by the Trump administration, but also to begin to move our country forward.”
The “complete achievement” of Biden’s goals will require Congress to act, Klain said, including the $ 1.9 trillion virus relief bill he outlined Thursday. Klain said Biden would also propose a comprehensive immigration reform bill to lawmakers on his first day in office.
The next day, Thursday, Klain said Biden would sign orders related to the COVID-19 outbreak with the goal of reopening schools and businesses and expanding virus testing. The next day, Friday, action will be taken to provide economic relief to those suffering the economic costs of the pandemic.
The following week, Klain said, Biden would take additional action related to criminal justice reform, climate change and immigration, including a directive to accelerate the reunification of separated families on the U.S.-Mexico border under U.S. policies. Trump.
More actions will be added, Klain said, once he clears the legal review.
Incoming presidents traditionally move quickly to sign a series of executive actions when they take office. Trump did the same, but found many of his orders challenged and even rejected by the courts.
Klain stated that Biden should not suffer similar problems and said that “the legal theory behind it is well-founded and represents the restoration of an appropriate constitutional role for the president.”