Utah Governor Spencer Cox has anticipated that President Donald Trump will sign numerous executive orders impacting Utah and other states on his first day in office.
During his monthly PBS press conference, Cox shared that Trump expressed his intention to reverse key policies from the Biden administration related to land and energy, signaling that his administration would act quickly to undo certain decisions upon his inauguration.
Some of Trump’s anticipated executive orders include suspending refugee resettlement programs, increasing deportations of migrants with violent criminal records, terminating birthright citizenship for children of undocumented migrants, and rolling back electric vehicle mandates.
Additionally, Trump is expected to implement tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico, approve new oil drilling, and issue a pardon for individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol riot. He also plans to revoke various policies introduced by President Biden.
Cox, who will attend Trump’s inauguration, acknowledged concerns over the last-minute actions taken by the Biden administration, such as decisions related to foreign aid and environmental policies, and the rejection of the Northern Corridor highway project in Washington County, Utah.
While Cox and Trump share goals on reducing federal regulatory control and promoting state authority over public lands, Cox has called for Congress to enact permanent solutions on issues like immigration, rather than relying on executive orders, which often create unstable policy changes that can shift with each administration.