Biden to sign executive orders to rally Paris climate deal and overturn first day travel ban



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(CNN) President-elect Joe Biden plans to sign around a dozen executive orders, including joining the Paris climate accord and ending travel bans in Muslim-majority countries, on his first day in office , according to a note from new chief of staff Ron Klain.

He will also sign orders stopping evictions and student loan payments during the coronavirus pandemic and issuing a mask warrant on all federal property in an effort to reverse the actions taken by the Trump administration or advance the policy of a way that was impossible in the current. administration.

One of Biden’s most common campaign promises was to tackle an issue in his first day in office – a commitment he typically made to either contrast with President Donald Trump or emphasize just how he believed that a problem was important. These promises have been made on everything from climate change to immigration to foreign policy, and many are reflected in Klain’s note on Saturday, which was first reported by The New York Times.

“During the campaign, President-elect Biden pledged to take immediate action to start resolving these crises and rebuilding better,” Klain writes. “As president, he will keep those promises and sign dozens of executive orders, presidential memoranda and directives to Cabinet agencies in fulfillment of the promises he has made.”

Beyond management’s actions in his first days in office, the memo says Biden plans to send Congress a full-scale immigration plan within the first 100 days of his tenure. The plan would provide a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the United States.

Biden rolled out his first legislative priority this week, announcing a $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that included direct payments to Americans. Biden made it clear during a speech about the plan that he wanted this to be the first issue to be addressed by Congress after its inauguration on Jan.20.

The memo makes it clear that a key part of Biden’s overall strategy is to get Congress to act on his legislative priorities, which Biden went on to highlight his relationship with Republicans in the Senate. The emphasis is on recognizing that much can only be done by decree.

“Full achievement of the political goals of the Biden-Harris administration requires not only executive actions that the president-elect has promised to take, but also solid congressional action,” Klain wrote.

The day after Biden’s inauguration, according to Klain, he will “sign a number of executive actions to act aggressively to turn the tide of the COVID-19 crisis and safely reopen schools and businesses, including taking action to mitigate the spread expand testing, protect workers and establish clear public health standards. “

And on January 22, Biden will order his Cabinet agencies to “take immediate action to provide economic assistance to the working families who are suffering the most from this crisis,” Klain writes.

The wave of action aims to show Americans that Biden is wasting no time in taking control of the coronavirus – which Biden’s transition has been intensely focused on. But the scope and breadth of the topics Biden tackles also highlights the extent to which Democrats believe the new administration will need to focus on multiple issues at once to be successful.

From January 25 to February 1, Klain writes that Biden will be placing orders on everything from leading his government to buying American goods to starting to deliver on his promises to reform the criminal justice system.

During this week, Biden will also order the federal government to determine how to reunite children separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as to sign additional orders aimed at addressing climate change and expanding access to Health care.

“Of course, these actions are just the start of our work,” Klain writes. “Much more will have to be done to fight COVID-19, better rebuild our economy, fight racism and systemic inequalities, and address the existential threat of the climate crisis. But by February 1, America will be heading in the right direction on these four challenges – and more – thanks to the leadership of President-elect Joe Biden. “

Political pressure on Biden

Because Biden repeatedly vowed to take action on the “first day” of his administration, hosts from interest groups and advocacy organizations pressured Biden to keep his promises.

“There is a lot to be done for Biden to end the ban on the first day of his presidency because it is something he campaigned on,” said Iman Awad, national legislative director of Emgage Action, an organization for the defense of American Muslims. “With this, we understand that we are facing so much at this political moment: a current president making this transition almost impossible, insurgency and pandemic. Nonetheless, American Muslim communities are hopeful that the Biden administration will keep that promise. , despite the crises that occur. “

For climate change activists, Biden’s promise to take swift action on a range of climate issues was a key part of why progressives rallied around Biden once he cleared the Democratic field, said Jared Leopold, co-founder of Evergreen Action, a group of former staff. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who ran for president in 2020, focused almost entirely on climate change.

“Taking over the presidency from Donald Trump is like taking over the lease of a fraternity: the list of cleaning tasks is staggering,” said Leopold. Biden’s job is twofold: First, clean up Trump’s mess, then act on the bold climate plan that science demands. Biden implemented the strongest climate plan in American history, and he has a clear mandate to implement it immediately. through executive and legislative action. “

And LGBTQ activists, such as human rights campaign chairman Alphonso David, have said it is essential for Biden to make it clear early in his administration that he is determined to rewrite the actions taken by the Trump administration.

“I expect the Biden-Harris administration to take affirmative action within the first day or two of taking office to honor its campaign promises,” David said in an interview with CNN, stressing the need to “Guarantee the rights of LGBTQ students. are executed under Title IX.”

“My goal is to make sure that the civil rights of LGBTQ people are protected, that Joe Biden keeps his campaign promises and keeps his campaign promises to the community,” David said. “And all of my expectations lead me to conclude, and based on the conversations I’ve had, that they’re going to take these steps to make sure they keep their campaign obligations and promises.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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