19 January 2021
President-elect Joe Biden plans to sign many executive orders and to propose legislation to Congress in the early days of his administration.
The actions are widely considered an attempt to cancel many of the main policies from the administration of President Donald Trump.
Many of the Biden proposals center around three issues: the coronavirus health crisis and its economic results, climate change and immigration. These are some of the promises Biden has made for changes he wants to carry out mainly in his first 100 days in office.
COVID-19 measures
Last week, Biden proposed spending $1.9 trillion on measures to provide vaccines and economic aid to Americans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement on his plan, Biden set a goal of giving out 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office. He said he would give "billions of dollars" to speed up vaccination efforts.
Biden also said he would place a requirement to wear a face covering on all federal property and airplanes and buses traveling between the states.
Other measures include assistance with student loan payments and extending the ban on forced removal of those who cannot pay rent.
Biden said he will direct federal agencies to take immediate action to provide economic aid to families affected by the health crisis.
In addition, the United States would return to the World Health Organization (WHO). Last year, the Trump administration withdrew from the United Nations health agency saying it had failed during the coronavirus health crisis. The U.S. is the biggest donor to the WHO.
Climate warming
The president-elect has promised to ban new oil and gas permits on public lands and waters. That would include the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge which was opened by the Trump administration.
In addition to that move, Biden has promised to cancel permission for the operation of a Keystone XL pipeline that would send Canadian oil to the United States.
Also, Biden has said many times that he would return the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement. That deal, signed in 2016, places limits on the release of carbon gasses by developed nations. Trump campaigned in 2016 saying he would pull out of the deal. Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal within months of taking office.
Other environmental measures would include again placing restrictions on the carbon gas methane released by the oil industry. Biden has said he will use government buying power to make properties more dependent on energy that comes from wind, solar or other sources considered "clean." He has said the government also will buy vehicles that do not release any carbon gasses.
Immigration and citizenship
Biden has said he would send to Congress legislation that would legalize millions of migrants living illegally in the United States. He also has stated his support for a program to protect "Dreamers." Dreamers are people who came to the country as children, but do not have legal permission to be in the country. The program has faced many legal disputes because it was not created by Congress.
In other decisions, Biden has promised that he would change a U.S. policy that separates adults from children when they are caught entering the country illegally.
Restrictions on those seeking asylum in the United States would be lifted. These include requiring migrants passing through Guatemala and Mexico to first seek asylum in those countries before requesting it in the U.S.
In addition to immigration measures Biden would end Trump's National Emergency declaration which permitted him to use federal money to put a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.
Biden also said he would cancel the ban on almost all travel from some Muslim-majority countries with high levels of terror activity put in place by the Trump administration.
I'm Jonathan Evans.
Jarrett Renshaw reported this story for Reuters News Agency. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in This Story
rent –n. an amount of money a person pays to use property that they do not own but wish to use
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