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Details emerge of a series of executive orders planned by US President-elect Joe Biden upon taking office this week.
Mr Biden will issue executive orders to overturn President Trump’s travel bans and rejoin the Paris climate agreement on its first day, US media report.
It should also focus on reuniting children separated from their families at the border and issuing warrants on Covid-19 and wearing masks.
Mr. Biden will be inaugurated on Wednesday.
All 50 U.S. states are on high alert for possible violence ahead of the dedication ceremony, with National Guard troops deployed in the thousands to guard Washington DC.
What policy changes will Mr. Biden adopt?
In the hours following Mr Biden’s entry into the White House, he will embark on a blitz of executive action aimed at marking a clean break with his predecessor’s administration, according to a memo viewed by US media. .
Some of the orders scheduled shortly after taking up the post include:
- A US return to the Paris climate agreement – the global pact to reduce carbon emissions
- Repeal of controversial travel ban in Muslim-majority countries
- Require masks to be worn on federal property and when traveling between states
- An extension of national restrictions on evictions and seizures due to the pandemic
The executive orders are only part of his ambitious plan for his first 10 days in office, according to the memo.
The president-elect is also expected to send a major new immigration bill to Congress and focus on passing a $ 1.9bn (£ 1.4bn) stimulus package to help l economy of the country to recover from the coronavirus.
Mr Biden also said his administration would aim to deliver 100 million Covid-19 shots in his first 100 days in office – describing the deployment so far as a ‘dismal failure’.
“President-elect Biden will take action – not only to reverse the most serious damage the Trump administration has done – but also to start moving our country forward,” new White House chief of staff Ron Klain wrote.
What are the challenges Biden is facing?
President-elect takes control of a country in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. Daily deaths from Covid-19 number in the thousands and nearly 400,000 have lost their lives.
In addition to the raging virus, the country is reeling from recent political violence.
The theme for Mr. Biden’s inauguration will be “America United,” with the president-elect focusing on healing political divisions. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to attend the ceremony, although Mr Trump has said he will not.
Mr. Biden will be sworn in exactly two weeks after the violent riots on the U.S. Capitol on January 6 that aimed to thwart his electoral victory.
Even by groundbreaking standards, the security presence in Washington DC for Wednesday’s ceremony is extraordinary.
Miles of streets have been blocked off with concrete barriers and metal fences, and more than 20,000 National Guards are expected to deploy. The FBI has warned of possible violence and armed marches planned by pro-Trump supporters.
Strict security measures follow a week in which Donald Trump became the first US president to be impeached twice. Mr. Trump will now face a Senate trial for “inciting insurgency” for the violence from the US Capitol.
The earliest the Senate can receive the charges will be Tuesday – the day before he leaves – but the timing of the trial remains unclear.
It is suggested that the House of Representatives, which voted to impeach him last week, may delay sending the articles to the Senate to let Mr Biden continue his legislative agenda and get his cabinet choices approved first.
Democrats and Republicans are also reportedly discussing plans for a “two-track” agenda that would allow the Senate to split the time between the impeachment process and Biden administration affairs.
The 100-seat Senate is now tied between Republicans and Democrats. A two-thirds majority is needed for an impeachment conviction – so 17 Republicans are expected to vote against Mr. Trump to convict him.
Some Republicans warned on Wednesday that impeachment will inflame and further divide Americans at a time when the nation needs to heal – but Democrats want to push to convict Mr. Trump and then prevent him from leaving office.
Ten Republicans have voted to impeach the Speaker in the House and most Republican senators, including Leader Mitch McConnell, have yet to publicly say what their voting intentions are in a trial.
A president has never been tried after leaving office. Because the situation is unprecedented, some have even suggested that it could be unconstitutional.
Statement on President Trump’s impeachment defense team:
President Trump has yet to determine which lawyer or law firm will represent him in the shameful attack on our Constitution and democracy, known as the “impeachment hoax.” We will keep you informed.
– J. Hogan Gidley (@JHoganGidley) January 17, 2021
But officials on both sides are bracing for a trial although the outgoing president has yet to confirm his legal team.
Mr Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told ABC News on Sunday he was working on the impeachment defense, but a spokesperson for the president later denied that he had yet decided on his representation in a press release qualifying this effort as a “hoax”.
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