What executive orders is Joe Biden preparing as president?

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to unveil a number of executive orders and other legislative pushes on the first day of his presidency, according to a Washington Post report.

“Folks our work begins with getting covid under control…on Monday I will name a group of leading scientists and experts as transition advisers to help take the Biden-Harris covid plan and convert it into an action blueprint that will start on January 20th 2021,” Biden said Saturday night.

Biden plans to take immediate action on policies including immigration, climate change and public health. On all three counts, he will implement policies that are the opposites of President Donald Trump’s. Battling the coronavirus pandemic will likely be the main priority, and he’s already forming a coronavirus task force, headed by former surgeon general Vivek Murthy; David Kessler, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner; and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Yale University.

As soon as his first day in office as the 46th president of the United States begins, Biden plans to sign at least five executive orders. These executive orders may include:

Paris Climate Accord

Biden plans to immediately rejoin the Paris climate accords, and to seek to push other countries into lowering their emissions. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, tweeted, “Welcome back America!”. Biden has said he would build upon Barack Obama’s efforts to fight climate change. As part of the plan, Biden proposed $2 trillion in clean energy and infrastructure spending and he is also aiming for net zero emissions by 2050.

World Health Organization

Biden wants the US to rejoin the World Health Organization. The coronavirus pandemic will remain top of Biden’s agenda in 2021. Biden would undo Trump’s action to withdraw the US’s membership from the WHO, and rejoin the WHO as a global health leader.

Travel Ban: Muslim Countries & "DREAMers" program

On immigration, Biden will reportedly repeal the travel ban that includes many Muslim countries and reinstate the "DREAMers" program, which allowed children of undocumented immigrants to remain in the country. Trump, through executive action, instituted a travel ban from Muslim countries such as Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. The ban, which Trump has said is in the best interest of national security, included some immigrants, refugees and visa holders from entering the US. With the "DREAMers" program, Biden would ensure that DACA - the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals - would continue to allow these immigrants to live and work in the US without threat of being deported.

Military Ban

Biden plans to repeal the transgender military ban. While Trump banned the practice through executive order in 2017, Biden would undo Trump’s policy. Biden, as commander in chief, would allow a transgender individual to serve openly in the US military. LGBTQ activists are expecting Biden to follow through on his promise to undo all of Trump’s anti-trans policies from the last four years. During his victory speech, many activists noted that Biden referenced trans people specifically, a first for a president-elect during an acceptance speech.