Trump Set to Issue Executive Orders on Immigration, Energy, and Government Hiring
President Donald Trump is gearing up to sign a series of executive orders within hours of assuming office. On his first day, he plans to use his executive authority to push forward key priorities such as government reform, energy policy, and border security.
The scope of these orders underscores the Trump administration's intent to swiftly implement an ambitious agenda, bringing significant changes to policies related to government hiring, immigration, and energy.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, provided a briefing to select Republican leaders regarding the administration’s forthcoming initiatives. According to Republican lawmakers familiar with the call, the proposed actions include lifting President Biden’s restrictions on drilling both offshore and on federal land, revoking Biden-era directives on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border.
A key component of Trump’s government overhaul strategy involves revising hiring rules for federal employees and introducing a streamlined process for dismissals. The president-elect is expected to reinstate an executive order, known as Schedule F, which was originally issued in October 2020 to remove job protections for federal workers. The Biden administration had previously halted this order.
“Trump’s transition team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The orders, which bypass Congress, are expected to be ‘border heavy’ and focus on undoing the executive orders issued by Biden when he first came to office in 2021, according to a Republican familiar with the planning,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
“Trump is expected to declare a national emergency on the border, Republicans briefed on the call said, which would, in turn, unlock additional Pentagon funding and assets to help address the matter. He is also expected to order troops to help build more infrastructure at the border. The president-elect will direct his administration to relaunch a policy known as Remain in Mexico, which requires migrants seeking asylum at the southern border to live in northern Mexican border cities during their U.S. court proceedings,” the outlet added.
In addition to border security measures, Trump plans to impose a travel ban and designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. However, details on how the travel ban would function remain unclear.
Sources familiar with the discussions indicate that Trump’s advisers are also coordinating immigration enforcement efforts in major cities in the early days of the new administration. Cities expected to see increased enforcement activity include Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, New York, and San Antonio, though the extent of these operations is still being determined.
Miller also introduced what he described as an “energy omnibus.” One of the Republican leaders on the call noted that Trump’s team is preparing a comprehensive directive that would declare a national energy emergency.
Trump’s plan includes rolling back climate change-related funding and eliminating restrictions on drilling and electric vehicle policies enacted during the Biden administration.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to declare a national energy emergency, citing the necessity of boosting production to meet the increasing demand spurred by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.
A spokesperson for Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, speaking at the Capital One Arena on Sunday, the president-elect acknowledged the initiative.
“We’re going to be using our emergency powers to allow countries and entrepreneurs and people with a lot of money to build big plants, AI plants,” Trump said. “We need double the energy that we already have, and it’s going to end up being more than that.”