Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28) held a press conference from his congressional office in Washington D.C. on Tuesday as he spoke about what could be expected from Wednesday’s inauguration and the ensuing first 100 days of Joe Biden’s presidency.

“President Biden will appeal for our unity. He will also be asking Americans to raise their sights and lower their voices, so we can work together to restore this country back again,” Cuellar said. “We are going to work with President Biden to turn this chapter — very dark chapter that we have seen — and try to set out on a more positive and optimistic vision.”

The congressman also focused on what he expects for Biden to do in his first hundred days in office.

According to the congressman, one of the main things that can be expected is a national movement to distribute vaccinations faster all over the country in efforts to quell the pandemic’s increasing and alarming trends. Biden’s plan calls for the distribution of about 100 million vaccines being distributed during his first 100 days in office.

The second major expectation that the congressman noted about the new incoming president is that he expects a renewed push for more stimulus monies in the first hundred days as well, which he hopes this time will feature more Republican support.

“There will be another stimulus check for $1,400 in addition to the $600 to make it $2,000,” Cuellar said. “There would be a push to add monies for cities, counties and states. As you know, we the Democrats wanted that, but unfortunately Mitch McConnell (as Senate Majority Leader) did not want to do this on the Senate side. But now with a majority of 50-50 and the vice president (for Democrats in the Senate), we hope that we can do this for the counties and the states.”

The congressman also briefly touched on the fact that several lawmakers and the president-elect have called for the minimum wage to increase to $15 an hour. According to the congressman, this is something he would support more in a phase-by-phase manner rather than having the wage limit increase suddenly, so businesses and other stakeholders could play a role in how this would work out.

“I wish we could do it in a phased manner to get to the $15 and not do it overnight,” Cuellar said. “Of course, some of my Democrat friends want to do it overnight, but to keep the small business owners (in mind), I hope that we can take them in phases and do this in a separate bill and not with the stimulus bill. Look at the unemployment numbers and see who has been hit the hardest, and that is why we are doing PPP.”

Cuellar noted that various executive orders could be expected on Day 1 of the Biden presidency and within the first hundred days as well.

According to the congressman, who has already spoken with the new White House staff, some of the things that Biden is expected to sign into executive action include doing away with President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration for the southern border, fortifying the DACA program and other actions regarding immigration reform.

As discussed within several past administrations, Cuellar noted that a push to finally pass a comprehensive immigration bill is another thing that the new president expects to help pass as well during his tenure. The comprehensive immigration bill would address the faith of Dreamers, farm worker programs and other immigrants who have lived in the shadows, as well as raising the caps for visas to have more people come legally into the country for work and tourism.

The passage of comprehensive immigration reform is something that Cuellar said is important because it will stop the continued caravans to the southern border to enter the United States.

“This is important, because we are seeing that caravan that is trying to cross into Guatemala, and personally I am thankful that Guatemala is doing their jobs,” Cuellar said. “And if some cross into Mexico, we expect Mexico to do the same thing as well. We also have got to ask the country of Honduras to do more, so we can keep things safe there.”

The congressman stated that one good thing to do for asylum seekers is to find a system in which they could be told of their status or possible entry into the country without having to come in large caravans to the border. Biden’s push for having more immigration judges getting hired is something that he believes will help make this process much easier.

The congressman also pointed out that Biden is ready to focus on his plan of not fortifying the border with a wall but rather by making it smarter by using more technology and boots on the ground to stop the illegal crossings of people and narcotics. He says that his brother, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar, agrees on the idea of a smart border to make a dent in these crimes.

Cuellar also touched on the fact that Trump would not attend the inauguration of his successor and that it was the first time in 152 years that this has not happened.

He said the last president who snubbed his successor’s inauguration was Andrew Johnson, comparing him to Trump as the former was also impeached while president, and that caused friction when it came time for the new president to take the mantle.

“It’s unfortunate that he won’t be here, because it is important for the symbolism for the transition from one president to the other,” Cuellar said. “But we will move on at that time.”

And taking some time away from national topics, Cuellar also congratulated the Roma Independent School District mariachi band as the group performed virtually for the inauguration party hosted internationally on Tuesday night prior to the Inauguration Day festivities and the swearing in of Biden.