Biden to sign executive orders to reverse Trump policies
Biden will issue decrees to reverse President Trump's travel bans and re-join the Paris climate accord on his first day
Details are emerging of a raft of executive orders planned by US president-elect Joe Biden as soon as he takes office this week.
Biden will issue decrees to reverse President Trump's travel bans and re-join the Paris climate accord on his first day, reports the BBC citing US media.
He is also expected to focus on reuniting children separated from families at the border and issue mandates on Covid-19 and mask-wearing.
Biden will be inaugurated Wednesday.
All 50 US states are on high alert for possible violence in the run-up to the inauguration ceremony, with National Guard troops deployed in their thousands to guard Washington DC.
In the hours after Biden sets foot in the White House, he will embark on a blitz of executive actions designed to signal a clean break from his predecessor's administration, according to a memo seen by US media.
Among the orders planned soon after taking office are:
- A US return to the Paris climate agreement - the global pact on cutting carbon emissions
- Repealing the controversial travel ban on mostly Muslim-majority countries
- Wearing masks on federal property and when travelling interstate will be made mandatory
- An extension to nationwide restrictions on evictions and foreclosures due to the pandemic
The executive orders are just one part of his ambitious plan for his first 10 days in office, according the memo.
The President-elect is also expected to send a major new immigration bill to Congress as well as focusing on passing a $1.9 trillion stimulus plan to help the country's economy recover from coronavirus.