Biden outlines planned executive orders for first days in office

A top aide to President-elect Joe Biden sent out a memo on Saturday outlining the the executive orders Biden plans on implementing during his first days in office.

"On Inauguration Day, President-elect Biden will sign roughly a dozen actions to combat the four crises, restore humanity to our immigration system, and make government function for the people," wrote Biden aide Ron Klain.

The executive actions taken on Biden's first day in office will include extending the pause on student loan and rent payments during the pandemic which was first implemented by President Donald Trump, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement which the Trump administration had abandoned, and implementing a nationwide mask mandate on federal property.

Biden also plans on reversing Trump's travel bans on his first day in office, which the memo falsely describes as a "Muslim ban." While most of the countries on the list are Muslim-majority, most Muslim-majority countries are not affected by the ban. The ban also includes some non-Muslim countries such as Venezuela and North Korea.

On Biden's second day in office, the administration will implement a number of executive orders related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, some of which will be related to reopening schools and businesses. Biden outlined the five major areas of focus for tackling the coronavirus pandemic in a policy speech delivered on Saturday.

During the following eight days in office, Biden plans to implement executive orders delivering economic relief, enforcing "Buy America provisions," fighting climate change, and reshaping the criminal justice system.

The memo did not provide specific details on the nature of these orders, or how they will accomplish the administration's goals.

According to Klain, "this list is not comprehensive. More items and more details will be forthcoming in the days ahead."

The incoming Biden administration has also promised to propose new legislation separate from the executive orders, including a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill and an immigration reform bill which would provide amnesty for 11 million illegal immigrants.