President Donald Trump wasted no time in signing a slew of big-ticket executive orders on day one.
For context, an executive order is a signed statement that sets the precedent for how the president wishes the federal government to be managed. Trump signed 26 on day one compared to the 33 he signed in the first 100 days of his first term.
Trump upheld his campaign promise of a MAGA makeover through a wide variety of executive actions that promise to be life-changing for millions of Americans. Beyond signing these orders, Trump traveled to natural disaster-stricken states, North Carolina and California.
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump said, “FEMA is getting in the way of everything.”
Trump said FEMA has not lived up to its pledges and would rather have the states “take care of their own problems.”
Regarding the 26 executive orders signed on day one, many of these policies will have an immediate impact, while others are symbolic of the administration’s agenda.
So what are some of these orders and what do they entail?
IMMIGRATION
One of Trump’s first actions in his second term was declaring a national emergency at the southern border. More specifically, this order will deploy members of armed forces to the United States-Mexican border to repel against “unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking and other criminal activities,” according to Sec. 3. Implementation in the executive order.
Trump claims to have enhanced the vetting and screening process — similar to the one instated during his first term — for immigrants entering the country in order to ensure the safety of American citizens, he said in Section 1. Policy and Purpose under the order.
In addition, the definition of birthright citizenship has been changed under Trump’s executive order, declaring that no children whose parents do not meet citizenship guidelines will be issued citizenship documents.
Furthermore, Trump signed an order ending the program that previously permitted illegal immigrants to remain in the United States as long as they were in the process of asylum.
Likewise, continuing with the previous order, Trump has reinstated the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to remain in Mexico until their claims are processed.
Under the same order, the construction of the border wall that began during the president’s first term has immediately been resumed. In reference to the crime at the southern border, Trump has declared designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations or global terrorists.
In addition to the previous immigration-ending efforts, Trump has suspended refugee resettlement for the foreseeable future in an attempt to stop illegal migrants from entering the country.
ECONOMY & INTERNATIONAL TRADE
U.S. federal departments and agencies have been asked to address the cost of living — the first step in Trump’s attempt to tackle inflation.
The “America First” foreign executive order has been signed, essentially calling for the secretary of state to put the country first regarding the department’s policies, programs, and those who report to them. Likewise, foreign assistance has been suspended for 90 days in order to determine if this assistance aligns with the administration’s policy goals.
Furthermore, cryptocurrency legislation and the establishment of a Bitcoin reserve remain at the forefront of the growth of digital and financial technology.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government will be shut down immediately. Trump claimed that such programming remains “radical and wasteful,” according to his presidential action.
In addition, in his inauguration speech, Trump said the United States will only recognize the male and female genders, as “these sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality,” ending all government programs that support transgender individuals. These transgender policies are soon to affect civil rights protections, federal funding and official documents including passports and driver’s licenses.
TECHNOLOGY
The former TikTok ban has been postponed by 75 days after Trump signed the directive blocking the law that would ban the usage of TikTok in the United States.
Furthermore, Trump has signed the “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence” order, aiming to make the United States the leader of AI in all aspects across the globe. In addition, the president has announced a project to create AI data centers across the nation.
ENERGY
Trump has declared an “energy emergency,” with promises to fill up oil reserves, vowing to “drill, baby, drill” for fossil fuels, as said in his inaugural address.
Similarly, Trump has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement, an international deal to gain control of the earth’s rising temperatures. This executive order remains more symbolic of the administration’s promise, as this withdrawal won’t occur for another year.
As for harnessing more natural resources, the president plans to strip Alaska of oil, gas and other fossil fuels under the order titled “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.”
In addition to the Paris climate agreement, Trump has terminated the Green New Deal, one of several attempts to reverse measures from former President Joe Biden to regulate the use of fossil fuels and to limit pollution. Likewise, Trump has halted funds for the Inflation Reduction Act, a law centered around infrastructure, as well as ending leasing to wind farms — revoking Biden’s electric vehicle “mandate.”
ABORTION
Trump has reinstated the “Mexico City Policy,” barring foreign organizations from receiving funding from the United States should they perform or provide resources for abortions. In addition, Trump signed an order banning the usage of federal money on abortions.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
Trump has signed an executive order initiating the process of withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization. The president withdrew from this institution during his first term, and Biden re-entered during his presidency.
GOVERNMENT REFORM
An executive order creating the Department of Government Efficiency, an advisory board focused on cutting government costs, has been signed. Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and current owner of Tesla and X, will lead the department.
In addition, the Trump administration has ordered a freeze on federal hiring until further notice. Likewise, federal employees are no longer allowed to work from home and must report to their in-person offices.
Another executive order sets to uphold the “restoration of freedom of speech and preventing government censorship,” investigating certain government agencies who may have engaged in censorship throughout the Biden administration.
Likewise, Trump signed an executive order aiming to eliminate the “weaponization of government against political adversaries,” requiring reviews of the work done by law enforcement and intelligence agencies throughout Biden’s term.
NAME CHANGES
Trump has signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” as well as changing the Alaskan peak Denali back to Mount McKinley.
PARDONS
Beyond the previously listed executive orders, Trump issued a flurry of pardons, including a portion of individuals who stormed the United States Capitol on Jan. 6.
Nearly 1,600 Trump supporters who were arrested at said riot have been issued pardons. At a rally in Houston, the president said those arrested in the riot were “hostages.”
In addition to these pardons, Trump issued pardons to 23 anti-abortion activists who were prosecuted under the Biden administration. As justification for this pardon, the White House has described these individuals as “peaceful pro-life protestors.”
Ross Ulbricht, creator of a dark web marketplace selling illegal drugs entitled Silk Road, has received a full pardon from Trump.
DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
A directive has been signed declassifying the documents relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy and civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr.
Kaitlyn Fleming can be contacted at [email protected].
