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 to address the raging coronavirus pandemic, his incoming chief of staff said Saturday .
The opening salvo would usher in a 10-day blitz of executive action as Biden tries to act quickly to reroute the country in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency without waiting for Congress.
On Wednesday, following his inauguration, Biden will end Trump’s restriction on immigration to the US from some Muslim-majority countries, move back into the Paris climate accord, and mandate mask wearing on federal property. and during interstate travel. Those are one of about a dozen actions Biden will take on his first day at the White House, his upcoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, said in a memo to senior staff.
Other actions include extending the pause on student loan payments and actions designed to prevent deportations and executions of those struggling during the pandemic.
“These executive actions will provide relief to the millions of Americans who are struggling with these crises,” Klain said in the memo. “President-elect Biden will take action – not only to undo the worst damage done to the Trump administration – but also to move our country forward.”
“Full achievement” of Biden’s goals will require Congress to act, Klain said, including the $ 1.9 trillion virus control bill he outlined Thursday. Klain said that on his first day in office, Biden would also propose a comprehensive immigration reform bill to lawmakers.
The next day, Thursday, Klain said Biden would sign orders related to the COVID-19 outbreak aimed at reopening schools and businesses and expanding virus testing. The next day, Friday, action will be taken to provide economic aid to those suffering from the economic costs of the pandemic.
In the following week, Klain said, Biden would take additional action on criminal justice reform, climate change and immigration – including a directive to accelerate the reunification of families separated on the U.S.-Mexico border under the policies of Trump.
More actions will be added, Klain said, once they approve the legal review.
Prospective presidents traditionally act quickly to sign a series of executive actions when they take office. Trump did the same, but he felt many of his orders were being challenged and even rejected by courts.
Klain insisted that Biden should not face similar problems, saying, “The legal theory behind it is well-founded and represents a restoration of an appropriate constitutional role for the president.”