Mr Joe Biden, set to be sworn in as the 46th President of the US, has set out a flurry of executive orders.
In a statement on Wednesday, he said he would sign 15 orders after he is sworn in. They will:
Reverse Mr Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Paris climate accord;
Revoke the presidential permit granted to the Keystone XL Pipeline, which is opposed by environmentalists and Native American groups;
Revoke Trump policies on immigration enforcement and the emergency declaration that helped fund the construction of a Mexican border wall;
Bring about a mask and distancing mandate for federal employees and in federal buildings, and a new White House office on coronavirus;
End a travel ban on visitors from some, mainly Muslim nations;
Other orders will cover race and gender equality, along with climate issues.
Mr Biden’s vice-president, Kamala Harris, will swear in three new Democratic senators on Wednesday, leaving the upper chamber of Congress evenly split between the two main parties. This will allow the vice-president to act as a tie-breaker in key votes.
According to the BBC, Mr Biden’s legislative ambitions could be tempered by the slender majorities he holds in both the Senate and House of Representatives.