Extract from ABC News
US president-elect Joe Biden is planning to shake things up pretty quickly after he is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States later this week.
Through an array of executive orders, Mr Biden will be seeking to act swiftly to redirect the US in the wake of Donald Trump's presidency.
Here is what Mr Biden is expected to change.
Firstly, what are executive orders and how are they put in place?
"The president can issue executive orders, which direct executive officers or clarify and help implement existing laws," the White House states.
The president can't create laws, but through an executive order can enforce a particular interpretation of a law.
An executive order can't spend money that Congress hasn't allocated to the executive branch.
Executive orders can also be challenged. That's where the Supreme Court will step in and make a ruling.
Mr Trump found many of his orders challenged and even rejected by courts.
Mr Biden's incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, said that Mr Biden would not suffer similar issues, saying "the legal theory behind them is well-founded and represents a restoration of an appropriate, constitutional role for the president."
A coronavirus relief package
In a memo to senior staff, Mr Klain said Mr Biden plans to take executive action on the pandemic that "will deliver relief to the millions of Americans that are struggling".
"Full achievement" of Mr Biden's goals will require Congress to act, Mr Klain said, including the $US1.9 trillion stimulus plan he outlined last week.
Mr Biden plans to ramp up vaccinations against COVID-19 as he prepares to take office amid soaring infection rates and an early rollout by the Trump administration he called "a dismal failure."
Mr Biden has promised to take more serious action to curb the virus than his predecessor and get 100 million vaccine shots into the arms of Americans during his first 100 days in office.
"The vaccines offer so much hope ... but the vaccine rollout in the United States has been a dismal failure thus far," Mr Biden said.
In announcing his stimulus proposal, which includes $20 billion for vaccine distribution as well as $50 billion for coronavirus testing, Mr Biden pledged to "move heaven and earth" to vaccinate more Americans.
"This will be one of the most challenging operational efforts we've ever undertaken as a nation," Mr Biden said.
Mr Klain said Mr Biden would also sign orders related to the COVID-19 outbreak aimed at reopening schools and businesses and expanding virus testing.
Mr Biden plans to mandate mask-wearing on federal property and during interstate travel as well.
Other actions include extending the pause on student loan payments and actions meant to prevent evictions and foreclosures for those struggling during the pandemic.
Reversing Trump's travel ban, immigration restrictions
Following his inauguration, Mr Biden will end Mr Trump's restriction on immigration to the US from some Muslim-majority countries.
Mr Klain said that Mr Biden would propose a comprehensive immigration reform bill to lawmakers on his first day in office including a directive to speed the reuniting of families separated at the US-Mexico border under Mr Trump's policies.
Mr Biden has asked Congress to offer legal status to an estimated 11 million people in the country, a decision that has surprised advocates given how the issue has long divided Democrats and Republicans, even within their own parties.
The president-elect campaigned on a path to citizenship for the roughly 11 million people in the US illegally, but it was unclear how quickly he would move while wrestling with the coronavirus pandemic, the economy and other priorities.
Mr Biden's plan is the polar opposite of Mr Trump, whose successful 2016 presidential campaign rested in part on curbing or stopping illegal immigration.
If successful, the legislation would be the biggest move toward granting status to people in the country illegally since President Ronald Reagan bestowed amnesty on nearly 3 million people in 1986.
Domingo Garcia, former president of the League of Latin American Citizens, said Mr Biden told advocates on a call on Thursday that Mr Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate may delay consideration of the bill and that they shouldn't count on passage within 100 days.
Putting America back in the Paris Agreement
Mr Trump declared that America would withdraw from the Paris Agreement back in 2017.
Then, in 2019, the Trump administration formally notified the United Nations it would withdraw the US from the Paris accord.
Going back in on the agreement will show the US is ready to tackle climate change again and join nearly 200 other countries who have pledged to reduce their emissions.
Under the pact, the US is committed to reducing its emissions by 26 to 28 per cent from 2005 levels by 2025.
Cancelling the Keystone pipeline permit
Mr Biden is planning to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit via executive action on his first day in office, CBC News reported.
A briefing note from the Biden transition team was widely circulated over the weekend after being shared by the incoming president's team with US stakeholders, the Canadian broadcaster reported.
The words "Rescind Keystone XL pipeline permit" appeared on a list of executive actions likely scheduled for the first day of Mr Biden's presidency, according to the report.
The Keystone pipeline is operated by TC Energy Corp. The $US9 billion project, which would move oil from the province of Alberta to Nebraska, had been slowed by legal issues in the US.
Former Democratic President Barack Obama axed the project in 2015, saying Canada would reap most of the economic benefits, while the project would add to greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Trump issued a presidential permit in 2017 that allowed the line to move forward, and several environmental groups sued the US government.
Mr Trump's decision capped a years-long fight that pitted environmental groups and native America tribes, such as the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, against energy industry advocates — an issue that became a proxy battle over global warming.
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