Whereas Trump's signing of bills shows his fidelity to Republican causes - fewer protections for the public, his executive orders, memorandums, and proclamations may show more his real feeling or at least those of his base. I'm not sure how many Executive orders Trump has signed but I believe it is at least 28 (It seems like more.) as of April 29th.* Most of these orders ask for studies of some sort that have no immediate effect although they may at some point in the future.
One such instructive moment arrived last Monday, when Trump visited Snap-on Tools in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to unveil his so-called “Buy American and Hire American” executive order with trademark showmanship.
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The action directed federal agencies to “assess” the enforcement of existing guidelines that prioritize the use of American firms and goods and to then “submit findings” within 150 days. It similarly asked a group of relevant cabinet secretaries to “as soon as practicable, suggest reforms” on eliminating fraud and abuse of the H-1B program that awards visas to highly-skilled foreign workers.
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As of now, Trump has signed more executive actions in the same period than his recent predecessors.
If he keeps up his current pace, Trump is on track to sign 96 executive orders by the end of the year, according to the American Presidency Project – far more than George Washington, who signed just eight, but far fewer than Franklin D. Roosevelt, who signed a staggering 3,721 orders as he imposed his sweeping New Deal program in response to the Great Depression.
Republicans, including Trump, routinely denounced Obama for what they claimed was unprecedented unilateral action and often honed their campaign messages around ending Obama’s “overreach”of the executive branch. But Obama signed the fewest executive orders per year, 35 on average, since Grover Cleveland in the 1890s.
In total, Obama signed 277 executive orders during his two-term presidency, lower than the tally of his two immediate predecessors. George W Bush signed 291 executive orders over eight years, while Bill Clinton finished his two-term presidency with 364 such actions.
Probably Trump's most effective orders are negative, following the legislation he has signed:**
A notice that the U.S. will begin withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. Trump called the order "a great thing for the American worker.
An order that directs federal agencies to ease the “regulatory burdens” of ObamaCare. It orders agencies to “waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision or requirement” of ObamaCare that imposes a “fiscal burden on any State or a cost, fee, tax, penalty, or regulatory burden on individuals, families, healthcare providers, health insurers, patients, recipients of healthcare services, purchasers of health insurance, or makers of medical devices, products, or medications.”** This order actually does nothing because it says "within the law" so states could do that anyway without this order.
Trump revoked "...the requirement that companies seeking federal contracts prove they've complied with federal laws banning discrimination based on sexual identity or orientation."
He also rescinded something called the Global Gag Rule
President Trump’s reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy,
better known as the global gag rule, came as no surprise to anyone
working in the field of global health. We have been through this before —
in 1984, when the policy was first put into effect by President Reagan,
and then in 1993, 2001, and 2009, when it was repealed, reinstated, and
repealed again.
The Mexico City Policy is called a gag rule because it limits not just what organizations and health providers do but what they are permitted to say.
It prevents foreign organizations that receive US government funding
from performing abortions — even if they are using funds from non-US
government sources and even if abortion is completely legal in their
countries.
The global gag rule also steps right between a
woman and her doctor, nurse, or midwife, preventing these frontline
health providers from telling their patients about the full, legal range
of health options available to them. It forbids trusted advisers from
giving honest, comprehensive health advice and information. I started my
career as a nurse-midwife, and then worked in maternal and newborn
health programs in Africa and Asia, so I know what this will mean for
the lives and health of women and their families.
But President Trump’s expanded policy will apply to any foreign organization that receives any US global health funding. That could mean endangering maternal and child health programs, efforts to fight the Zika virus, and the expansive PEPFAR program to stop HIV/AIDS, perhaps the most successful health aid program in US history.
Here’s what happened when the narrower policy was in place before: Clinics were closed, services were reduced, and there were more unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions.*
Perhaps the most unfortunate,, though not surprising, order regards immigration where the Dept. of Homeland Security is breaking up families (something that many Republicans said wouldn't be done). With 11 million illegal immigrants to choose from, I don't know why they are doing this. It just seems mean and will harm the children who remain in the U.S. and are U.S. citizens:
Two multi-pronged orders on border security and immigration enforcement including: the authorization of a U.S.-Mexico border wall; the stripping of federal grant money to sanctuary cities; hiring 5,000 more Border Patrol agents; ending “catch-and-release” policies for illegal immigrants; and reinstating local and state immigration enforcement partnerships.**
In many cases, the mother being deported has committed no crime since entering the country. I'm disappointed in John Kelly.
Trump plans to impose a 20% tariff on Canadian soft lumber used in building homes because of claims it is being subsidized.. He can do this by executive order Of course this will make building homes in America more expensive. (http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/23/news/economy/trump-tariff-power/) probably somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000.
Two orders are held up in the courts: (1) Trump's Muslim Ban, and more recently (2) Trump's plan to hold Federal funding from "Sanctuary cities." This latter order is held up because Sanctuary City was not defined and it involves impoundment of funds authorized by congress. Impoundment of Federal funds is what got Nixon in so much trouble though Watergate became more sexy. Curiously Trump says it is the 9th circuit that held this up whereas in reality it was a Federal Judge in San Francisco. If his decision is appealed, then it will go to the 9th Circuit that may well hold it up too.
There are two orders that I approve of, however, though many don't:
Two orders reviving the Keystone XL pipeline and Dakota Access piplines. He also signed three other related orders that would: expedite the environmental permitting process for infrastructure projects related to the pipelines; direct the Commerce Department to streamline the manufacturing permitting process; and give the Commerce Department 180 days to maximize the use of U.S. steel in
the pipeline.**
I also have nothing against his Arctic or Atlantic Shelf oil drilling executive orders. I am for drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Area (ANWR) because you don't know until you bring it in (http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/search?q=ANWR) and President Obamawas going to open up the Atlantic Shelf for drilling but was foiled by the BP disaster in the Gulf (http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/search?q=Atlantic+shelf). The drilling on the Atlantic shelf has special problems because of patches of hydrates in the column being drilled that could shoot a conventional drill ridge a good start towards the moon. But companies are aware of this.
Most of the executive orders are benign and ask for studies and the like. About some I just don't know, for example one that moves an initiative to assist historically black colleges and universities from the Education Department into the White House, an administration official said. ... The initiative urges federal agencies to contract with black colleges..*** At least if doesn't sound harmful, though I am not sure what effect the words in hopes of streamlining the program means..
He also signed two other, noncontroversial bills. One bill (HR 321) directs the NASA administrator to encourage female students to study and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The second (HR 255) encourages the National Science Foundation to support entrepreneurial programs for women in the STEM fields.***
* http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trumps-25-executive-orders-in-100-days-more-cosmetic-than-substantive/ar-BBAaXYa?li=BBnb7Kz
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/here-s-full-list-donald-trump-s-executive-orders-n720796
https://www.statnews.com/2017/01/27/global-gag-rule-trump-mexico-city/
** http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/20/list-trumps-executive-orders.html
*** https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-to-sign-executive-orders-on-water-rule-black-colleges-initiative-1488276000
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