President-elect Joe Biden is expected to sign a series of executive orders within hours of being sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday. He’s also proposing a $1.9 trillion coronavirus bailout package that would increase unemployment benefits and generate a new round of stimulus checks.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Biden sorted food for people in need in Philadelphia -- part of what he said is his administration’s commitment to give back. Come Wednesday, the heavy lifting will instead come in the form of executive orders and push for new legislation in Biden’s first 100 days.
One of the most visible changes is expected to be a nationwide mask mandate put into effect in locations the federal government can enforce.
Biden is also promising to provide 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the public by creating more locations for people to get to the shot.
“On my first day in office, I’ll instruct the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, to set up the first of these centers,” Biden said. “By the end of our first month in office, we will have 100 federally supported centers across the nation that will ultimately vaccinate millions of people.”
Behind the scenes, Biden is expected to push through a $1.9 trillion economic rescue package that would include sending another round of stimulus checks to everyday Americans. He wants $1,400 cash payment sent to eligible recipients. Biden also wants to earmark money for rental assistance and eviction moratoriums, increase food stamp benefits and allocate more money for child care and child tax credits.
The president-elect said his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan will also include legislation that will increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour in every state.
On the issue of immigration, sweeping changes are also Biden’s agenda, which would reverse many of President Donald Trump’s policies, including relaxing travel bans on to largely Muslim population countries and immediately stopping construction of the border wall.
Biden also plans to create a federal task force to reunite children with their parents who were separated at the border and send a bill to Congress to provide a pathway for citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants.
When it comes to the environment, Biden plans to address climate change by rejoining the Paris climate accord that the U.S. pulled out of during the Trump administration, as well as put additional limits on pollution for new and exisiting oil and gas operations, which includes new fuel economy standards.
And Biden said he will propose a new tax plan that would require people to pay a 12.4% Social Security payroll tax if they make more than $400,000 a year.
Biden is also promising criminal justice reform and the creation of a national police oversight committee, calling these efforts an attempt to strengthen America’s commitment to justice.