Biden outlines plans for immediate executive actions

WASHINGTON (SBG) — President-elect Joe Biden will sign a series of executive orders on his first day in office as he begins to roll out his legislative agenda.

Throughout his campaign, Biden promised to take immediate action on a variety of issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and immigration.

In a memo from incoming Chief of Staff Ron Klain, he said Biden will sign about a dozen executive orders on Inauguration Day.

Those orders include extending the Department of Education’s pause on student loan payments, rejoining the Paris climate accord, extend federal restrictions on foreclosures and evictions, and reverse the Trump administration’s Muslim ban.

“These executive actions will deliver relief to the millions of Americans that are struggling in the face of these crises. President-elect Biden will take action — not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration — but also to start moving our country forward,” Klain's memo says.

In addition to the executive orders on Inauguration Day, Biden plans to launch his administration’s 100-day masking challenge in an effort to encourage more Americans to wear a facial covering to slow the spread of the coronavirus. A mask mandate will be issued on federal property and interstate travel.

“These actions will change the course of COVID-19, combat climate change, promote racial equity and support other underserved communities, and rebuild our economy in ways that strengthen the backbone of this country: the working men and women who built our nation,” Klain wrote in the memo.

Earlier this week, Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion economic rescue plan to help America’s struggling economy during the pandemic. The plan would send Americans $1,400 stimulus checks, provide state and local government with funding and provide billions in funding to help reopen the country’s schools, among other things.

The plan will likely face an uphill battle in Congress, where Democrats hold a narrow majority in the House and the Senate, where Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will cast tiebreaking votes.

Other executive actions will come in the immediate weeks following Biden’s swearing into office.