According to Republican lawmakers briefed on his agenda, President-elect Donald Trump, true to his word on the campaign trail, plans to sign dozens of executive orders shortly after his inauguration.
During a Thursday appearance on “Fox and Friends,” Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) shared that Trump outlined his plans for executive orders to tackle important issues such as border security and energy policy
The president was very clear, he just wants results,” Mullin said when asked about the ongoing budget negotiations on Capital Hill. “He also talked about his executive orders. He says, you know, he has almost 100 executive orders that will go a long way to securing the border again.
“And also put the energy sector back in play, and actually a ‘drill baby drill’ process where we become energy independent again. And all that can be done through executive orders. But as he said, it’s not permanent,” Mullin continued, noting that the GOP-led Congress would have to codify many of the president’s orders into law so they couldn’t be easily overturned by a future administration.
He threw that out — 100 — there could be like 100 EOs, yeah. I believe him,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND)toldThe Hill, echoing Mullin’s claims.
TheAssociated Press also claimed that Trump is readying more than 100 executive orders beginning day one, and had informed GOP senators during the meeting. “There will be a substantial number,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., noted according to the outlet.
The incoming president indicated that many of the planned executive orders would focus on addressing illegal immigration, Cramer noted. Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to Trump with significant influence over immigration policy, also participated in the two-hour meeting. He outlined several immigration-related executive orders set to take effect immediately upon the administration taking office.
Trump also ripped President Joe Biden for issuing a flurry of his own orders on his way out the door.
“Biden is doing everything possible to make the TRANSITION as difficult as as possible, from Lawfare such as has never been seen before, to costly and ridiculous Executive Orders on the Green New Scam and other money wasting Hoaxes. Fear not, these ‘Orders’ will all be terminated shortly, and we will become a Nation of Common Sense and Strength. MAGA!!!” Trump declared in a post on Truth Social last week.
Trump is widely expected to reinstate Title 42 policies, which enable the federal government to take emergency measures, including actions to “prevent the introduction of communicable diseases.” Although the policy has existed for decades, the Trump administration extensively utilized it during the COVID-19 pandemic as a means to curb illegal immigration. Under this policy, border agents were authorized to turn away prospective asylum seekers to limit the spread of infectious diseases.
On the border front, President-elect Trump plans to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims were processed. In contrast, the Biden administration has adopted a “catch and release” approach, allowing individuals who enter the country illegally to be released and often transported to destinations of their choice within the U.S. interior.
Since Joe Biden took office in 2021, 77 percent of asylum seekers have been permitted to remain in the United States.
Trump is reportedly planning several executive orders aimed at rapidly boosting U.S. energy production. The president-elect has consistently pledged to reinstate the Keystone XL oil pipeline project between the United States and Canada, which was canceled under President Biden’s administration, though the project has been defunct now for the past three years and will likely face litigation from left-wing environmental organizations again.
