The deadline was established long before the election.

Sure, but we've known for decades when inauguration day was going to be.

We didn't know the outcome for certain. It could have equally been. "Why the start of Joe Biden's second term?" if you go back early enough on the timeline.

I would say that it's still inauguration day even if it's the start of the second term?

Yes, I think it's a coincidence. The language of the law specifies the ban will go into effect 270 days after the law's passage. I don't think any one law maker can perfectly predict how long it will take for a law to make it through the House, Senate, and Presidential signature. This law was introduced on March 5, 2024 and signed by Biden on April 24, 2024.

Thanks! That's the context I was looking for -- whether the date was written into the law or an accident of where N days after event X landed.

It was very deliberate.