President-elect Donald Trump has signaled plans to sign more than 100 executive orders shortly after taking office, according to multiple U.S. Senators. Trump, preparing for his second inauguration on January 20, discussed these plans during a closed-door meeting with Senate Republicans on Wednesday. In a Thursday interview on Fox & Friends, Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) shared that Trump outlined his intentions to use executive orders to tackle critical issues, including 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,” the Oklahoma senator continued, noting further that Republican senators will need to deliver legislative wins to make sure Trump’s achievements are long-lasting.
“He threw that out — 100 — there could be like 100 EOs, yeah. I believe him,” Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) told The Hill, seemingly reiterating what Mullin told Fox News. The incoming president indicated that “many” of the executive orders would focus on addressing illegal immigration, Senator Cramer noted. Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to Trump with significant influence over immigration policy, also spoke during the two-hour meeting. Miller outlined several immigration-related executive orders set to take effect immediately after Trump assumes office.
Trump is widely expected to reinstate Title 42 policies, which grant the federal government authority to take emergency measures, including actions to “prevent the introduction of communicable diseases.” While the code has existed for decades, the Trump administration utilized it extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic as a tool to curb illegal immigration. Under this policy, border agents were permitted to turn away prospective asylum seekers to mitigate 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 stay in Mexico while their claims were processed. In contrast, the Biden administration has implemented 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. Trump also plans to sign an order restarting the Keystone XL pipeline, though it, like many others, are likely to be challenged in court by the left.
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