White House: what executive orders Trump approved on day one
Since his inauguration on January 21, President-elect Donald Trump has signed about 100 executive orders fulfilling his campaign promises and reversing Joe Biden's "crisis" legacy. Some of them were approved as part of an "omnibus", that is, a package of legislative acts. Thus, one of the key items was the withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Treaty. Experts note that these decisions mark the first step towards severing ties with the UN. Read more about how the Republican presidency began and what the changes may lead to - in the material "Izvestia".
Trump's decrees: the US withdrawal from WHO
On Tuesday, January 21, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Such a decision is due to the organization's actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, its "failure to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states," as well as huge payments.
According to the data cited by Trump, the annual US contribution to the WHO amounted to $500 million, although the population of this country is estimated at 350 million people. At the same time, according to the American leader, China paid just over $39 million with a population of 1.4 billion people. According to the President, this distribution of the budget between countries is unfair conditions, although the main reason for the withdrawal was not this one. At the same time, Trump clarified that the leadership of the organization suggested that the US should not leave the WHO, but limit the amount of contributions.
Note that the process of abandoning the WHO was started during Trump's first presidential term. On May 29, 2020, he announced his intention to completely terminate US relations with the organization, accusing it of allegedly being under the full control of China. The United States then informed the UN of its withdrawal from the WHO as of July 2, 2021. However, former President Joe Biden signed an executive order reversing the decision on his first day in office.
Withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty
In keeping with his promise, Donald Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his presidency withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate agreement. The Republican, as in the case of WHO, had already taken a similar step during his previous term. Formally, the US withdrew from it in November 2020. But like last time, the country rejoined the agreement after Joe Biden took office in 2021.
Another high-profile decision by Trump, who returned to the White House, was the repeal of the "green" provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) related to energy and infrastructure, and the stopping of the program of leasing federal lands for the construction of wind farms.
In addition, the politician will reject incentives for electric car manufacturers, despite good relations with billionaire and businessman Ilon Musk, who owns Tesla. By doing so, he hopes to revitalize the American automobile industry, as well as allow citizens to choose what to drive.
Addressing gender issues
On the first day of his presidency, Trump ordered the elimination of all programs to promote inclusion, equality, gender and racial diversity in the federal government. He enshrined as official policy the recognition of only two genders - female and male.
Now only they will be allowed to be listed on IDs and other documents. In addition, transgender people will be banned from competing in women's sports, and sex reassignment procedures, as well as programs to promote gender policy, cannot be federally funded.
Trump's executive orders against drug cartels and in migration policy
One of the main areas of change initiated by Trump on the first day of his second presidential term was immigration issues. Thus, according to promises, the Republican introduced a state of emergency at the US borders in connection with the growth of illegal migration. The presidential administration received additional powers and resources for mass deportation of illegal immigrants.
The U.S. military will now be in charge of protecting the southern border of the United States. The country's leader canceled the practice of catch and release ("catch and release"), under which law enforcement agencies released migrants during court hearings instead of keeping them in custody for the entire period.
The "Stay in Mexico" program has also been renewed - asylum seekers in the U.S. from third countries must await a decision by U.S. authorities in a neighboring country. The overall acceptance rate for such applications has also been reduced.
Another order of the 47th president of the United States - to complete the construction of the wall on the southern border, to renew the refugee resettlement program and to prohibit the issuance of American citizenship to the children of migrants by right of birth in the United States.
Finally, Trump rescinded an executive order to create a task force to reunite migrant children with their families.
In addition, the new Trump administration said it has begun to eradicate criminal cartels operating in the country. For this purpose, special operational units will be created, consisting of employees of the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) and other agencies. The leader equated the cartels themselves to terrorist organizations.
Standard of living and trade in the U.S.
Immediately after the inauguration, Donald Trump also dealt with social and economic issues of domestic policy. He ordered the government to address the cost-of-living crisis, for which he held the previous administration responsible. The new leader ordered to increase supply in the real estate market, lower health care prices and affect the high cost of home appliances by removing unnecessary requirements. Other items on the list included creating jobs and getting rid of green reforms that provoke higher fuel and food costs, among other items.
On his first day, Trump instructed federal agencies to scrutinize problems related to trade imbalances and unfair practices of US partner countries. Recall that during the election race, the Republican promised to impose trade duties of 10-20% on almost all imports, with tariffs planned to increase to 60% for products from China.
Despite Trump's 2020 trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, these states are also subject to the increased rate of 25%. Earlier, the US president said he would leave tariffs on imports from the near abroad in force until the governments of these countries take decisive measures to combat illegal migration and drug smuggling.
Lifting restrictions on energy workers in Alaska
In his second term as president, Donald Trump has launched a program of "full liberation" of the energy sector in Alaska. The US leader lifted the bans on oil and gas drilling in this northern state previously established by Joe Biden. He also ordered the lifting of restrictions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, eased the construction of new pipelines and declared an energy emergency aimed at boosting energy production.
The measures areexpected to help the U.S. compete with China in the race for leadership in energy as well as in the development of artificial intelligence.
Changes in the federal government
Finally, Trump signed an executive order that prohibits officials from adopting new regulations until his administration takes "complete control" of the federal government. Until then, there is a ban on hiring government employees, except for the army and some other categories. All employees have been told by the government to immediately withdraw from remote work and return to their jobs.
In addition, Donald Trump is going to deprive tens of thousands of people in the federal government of job security, which will allow the new administration to carry out massive cuts and purges in the state apparatus. This task will be performed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will be headed by the entrepreneur Ilon Musk, who was appointed to the post by a special presidential decree. Its co-chair was to be Vivek Ramaswamy, but he declined because of his decision to run for governor of Ohio.
The American leader also signed an executive order banning the use of the federal government, especially the judicial branch, to prosecute political opponents, and ordered that government censorship be gotten rid of.
Pardoning the participants in the storming of the Capitol
Finally, the US President reduced prison sentences and ordered the termination of criminal proceedings against approximately 1.6 thousand participants in the attack on the Capitol, which took place on January 6, 2021.
Recall, four years ago, a group of supporters of the Republican, outraged by his statements about election fraud, advanced to the U.S. Congress, where at that moment was going to approve the results of the vote. At one point, the protesters managed to force their way inside the building and disrupted the session. It took law enforcement forces almost seven hours to completely clear the Capitol, four Trump supporters and five police officers were killed in the clashes.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, about 200 people were behind bars until the pardon was granted. Damage to the Capitol and surrounding areas was estimated at $2.8 million.
