Joe Biden will spend the second week of his presidency in much the same way he spent his first: signing a slew of executive actions intended to roll back certain Trump administration policies while implementing his own.
Biden this week will focus on immigration, health care, climate and other areas, with each day following a designated theme. Here are the items Biden is expected to take action on, according to a memo obtained by The Hill.
Monday: ‘Buy American’ day
Biden is expected to sign an executive order that directs agencies to strengthen requirements so that they acquire goods and services from American businesses and workers.
During the campaign, Biden pledged to make a $400 billion investment during his first term in federal purchases of products made by American workers.
He additionally pledged to tighten loopholes and waivers that allowed federal agencies to buy products produced overseas, and to crack down on false advertising surrounding products that claimed to be made in the United States.
Former President Trump signed a buy-American-and-hire-American executive order during his first months in office, which aimed to boost domestic wages while restricting the flow of certain visa-holders.
Tuesday: ‘Equity’ day
Tuesday will see Biden sign a broad range of executive orders related to racial equity.
The president is likely to establish a policing commission and reinstate Obama-era rules on the transfer of military-style equipment to local law enforcement. He is also expected to sign an executive order directing the Department of Justice to improve prison conditions and begin to eliminate the use of private prisons.
Other executive actions lined up for Tuesday include a memorandum directing agencies to strengthen engagement with Native American tribes, a memo ordering the Department of Housing and Urban Development to promote equality in housing, and an order disavowing discrimination against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
The latter issue came to the forefront early in the coronavirus pandemic, when Asian Americans said they were harassed because the virus originated in China.
Some of the executive actions Biden is likely to take Tuesday are still being finalized and could include additional measures around immigration and reversing a ban on transgender troops serving in the military.
A memo previewing Biden’s expected actions for his first weeks in office also included tentative actions on voting rights and sentencing actions at the Department of Justice.
Wednesday: ‘Climate’ day
Biden will announce Wednesday plans for a U.S.-hosted leadership summit to take place on Earth Day as one of multiple actions aimed at addressing the climate crisis.
A memo outlining looming orders also signals Biden will sign an executive order that initiates a series of regulatory actions to “combat climate change domestically and elevates climate change as a national security priority,” though it does not offer additional specifics.
The omnibus order will also reestablish the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, as well as a memorandum urging agencies to make decisions based on available science and evidence.
Biden on his first day in office recommitted the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement and signed an executive order revoking a key permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and halting oil and gas leasing at a wildlife refuge in Alaska.
Thursday: ‘Health Care’ day
Biden on Thursday will take the highly anticipated action among pro-choice advocates of rescinding the so-called Mexico City policy, which bans the use of U.S. funding for foreign organizations that provide or promote abortions.
The policy, described as a “global gag rule” by reproductive health advocates, was first instated by then-President Reagan, and has been repeatedly rescinded by Democratic presidents and reinstated by Republican presidents in the years since.
Biden will also order a review of the Trump administration’s controversial changes to the Title X family planning program, which required family planning providers participating in the program to stop providing or promoting abortions to remain eligible for funding.
The president is also slated to sign an executive order aimed at strengthening Medicaid and initiating an open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act.
Trump frequently bragged about gutting the Affordable Care Act by rescinding the individual mandate, though Republicans were unable to fully repeal the law as promised.
Friday: ‘Immigration’ day
Biden will build on some of the immigration-related actions he took on his first day in office with a few additional executive orders to be signed on Friday.
The president, according to the memo obtained by The Hill, is likely to sign an order related to regional migration and border processing that will rescind Trump administration policies around the asylum system and direct the creation of strategies to address root causes of migration from Central America.
Biden will also sign an order establishing a task force to reunify migrant families separated during the Trump administration. Biden himself faced criticism during the Democratic primaries for the Obama administration’s deportation policies, but the Trump administration implemented an official zero tolerance policy that led to the separation of thousands of migrant families.
The president will also sign an order directing an immediate review of the public charge rule “and other actions to remove barriers and restore trust in the legal immigration system, including improving the naturalization process.”
A fourth order, establishing principles to guide the implementation of the Refugee Admission Program, is tentatively on the schedule for Friday but could be scrapped or changed, according to the memo.