Biden outlines plan to reverse Trump policies on first day of presidency
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
President-elect Joe Biden at the Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
President-elect Joe Biden will roll back some of President Trump's most controversial policies and address "four overlapping and compounding crises" in his first 10 days in office — the pandemic, the economic downturn, climate change and racial inequity.
Driving the news: The plan is outlined in a memo from incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain Saturday. Following Biden's inauguration Wednesday, he'll "sign roughly a dozen actions to combat the four crises," Klain said.
Zoom in: Biden's actions on day one of his presidency will include rejoining the Paris climate agreement, extending a pause on federal student loan payments, reversing Trump's ban on travel to the U.S. from several Muslim-majority countries and issuing a coronavirus mask mandate.
- On Thursday, Biden will sign several executive actions aimed at changing the course of the COVID-19 crisis and safely re-open schools and businesses.
- On Friday, the president-elect will "direct his Cabinet agencies to take immediate action to deliver economic relief to working families bearing the brunt" of the coronavirus crisis, Klain wrote.
- Between Jan. 25 and Feb. 1, Biden will address the climate crisis, criminal justice reform, take steps to expand access to health care, and move to reform immigration — including reuniting families separated at the border under Trump's immigration policy.
Why it matters: As Biden prepares to take office, the U.S. is facing one of the most politically divisive periods in modern history, with Washington, D.C., and state capitols on alert for possible pre-inauguration violence following insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and as the pandemic continues to rage.
- Klain's announcement comes after Biden revealed plans to roll out a $1.9 trillion stimulus package, "signaling a willingness to be aggressive on policy issues and confronting Republicans from the start to take their lead from him," notes the New York Times, which first obtained the memo.
For the record: All of these measures were previously announced, but this is the first time Biden's sweeping timetable has been revealed.
- More actions will be announced once they complete a "final legal clearance process," Klain said.
Go deeper: Biden's "100-day challenge"
