President-elect Joe Biden is planning executive orders that would sweepingly reverse Trump's biggest policies
President-elect Joe Biden is prepared to issue a series of executive orders after taking office that would reverse some of President Trump's most noteworthy policies, including his controversial "Muslim ban," his crackdown on DREAMers, and his withdrawals from the Paris climate accords and the World Health Organization, people familiar with his plans told The Washington Post.
Biden's advisers have spent "months quietly working on how best to implement his agenda, with hundreds of transition officials preparing to get to work inside various federal agencies," the Post writes. "They have assembled a book filled with his campaign commitments to help guide their early decisions." In another display of how stark a contrast Biden plans to draw with Trump, the president-elect reportedly plans to announce a robust, 12-member coronavirus task force as soon as Monday.
While Biden's sweeping erasure of his predecessor's efforts in office would be remarkable, the president-elect will likely have few other options for implementing major policies, since the looming possibility of a Republican-controlled Senate would present an obstacle for his administration to pass substantial legislation. "In the old days, the mandate meant that the other side would be more amenable, or feeling they had an impetus to work," Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr., Jr. (D-Pa.) explained to the Post. "I'm not sure that applies any longer." Read the full scoop, and what might be included in Biden's plans, at The Washington Post here.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Political cartoons for January 4Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a resolution to learn a new language, and new names in Hades and on battleships
-
The ultimate films of 2025 by genreThe Week Recommends From comedies to thrillers, documentaries to animations, 2025 featured some unforgettable film moments
-
Political cartoons for January 3Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include citizen journalists, self-reflective AI, and Donald Trump's transparency
-
Israel approves new West Bank settlementsSpeed Read The ‘Israeli onslaught has all but vanquished a free Palestinian existence in the West Bank’
-
US offers Ukraine NATO-like security pact, with caveatsSpeed Read The Trump administration has offered Ukraine security guarantees similar to those it would receive from NATO
-
Hong Kong court convicts democracy advocate LaiSpeed Read Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was convicted in a landmark national security trial
-
Australia weighs new gun laws after antisemitic attackSpeed Read A father and son opened fire on Jewish families at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Benin thwarts coup attemptSpeed Read President Patrice Talon condemned an attempted coup that was foiled by the West African country’s army
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
