In his first week back in the White House, President Donald Trump has made waves with a series of executive orders that have reignited the debate over the power of the presidency and the future of key policies. Trump signed a remarkable 26 executive orders on his Inauguration Day, a significant step in reversing many policies from the Biden administration. This move has been met with praise from Republican lawmakers, who are now scrambling to turn Trump’s actions into permanent law, fearing that a future Democratic administration could quickly undo his accomplishments.

 

Trump’s actions have included rolling back 78 of President Biden’s executive orders, strengthening border security, ramping up domestic energy production, and establishing the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He also took aim at birthright citizenship and enacted measures to make it easier to fire government workers, among other changes. Republicans are particularly focused on ensuring that Trump’s efforts to bolster border security, ramp up energy production, and reduce government regulations are codified into law to prevent future reversals.

 

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told The Post that Trump’s executive orders were just the beginning of what he called “our legislative agenda,” as Republicans aim to solidify these measures into law. Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) expressed concern that if these actions aren’t enshrined in legislation, a future Democratic president could reverse them. “If we don’t codify it [and] the next president, God forbid, is a Democrat, [they] will reverse everything he did,” McCormick said.

 

Key among the orders that Republicans are eager to codify is the push for deregulation, which Trump advocates as a way to stimulate economic growth. Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Col.) pointed to the repeal of the electric vehicle mandate, a non-binding initiative from Biden’s administration that aimed for electric vehicles to make up 50% of new car sales by 2030. Trump reversed this initiative on his first day, and Republicans are determined to prevent any potential Democratic successor from resurrecting it.

 

One of Trump’s most notable reversals is the reintroduction of the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed in the U.S. This policy had been abandoned by the Biden administration in 2022 following legal challenges, but Trump’s executive order brings it back into play. Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) emphasized that while Biden could undo Trump’s actions, Trump’s efforts would put pressure on the Mexican government to cooperate with U.S. immigration policies. Rep. Michael Rulli (R-Ohio) agreed, suggesting that passing laws would provide diplomatic cover for Mexico’s leadership to collaborate more closely with the U.S.

 

Despite the enthusiasm among Republicans, there are significant challenges ahead. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House, with just 218 seats to the Democrats’ 215. This margin is expected to shrink further to 217 once a special election fills a vacancy. With such a slim margin, Republicans cannot afford any defections to pass legislation. In the Senate, the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster makes it difficult to push significant legislation through.  

 

As Trump continues to make bold moves in the White House, it’s clear that his executive orders are not just shaping his administration’s immediate priorities but also sparking a broader effort by Republicans to ensure that these policies have lasting impacts. On the campaign trail, Trump humorously quipped that he would not be a dictator “other than day one,” a comment that reflects his penchant for sweeping, immediate action. Yet, his critics remain wary of the long-term implications of such a rapid and unilateral approach to governance.  

 

Trump’s return to the White House marks the beginning of what is shaping up to be a contentious legislative battle as Republicans seek to enshrine his executive orders into law, setting the stage for the future direction of the country’s policies.

 

Based on a report by NYP 2025-01-23

 

 

So, Donald has issued a slew of Executive orders. Hmm, I see some problems resulting. See if you might agree. Some verbage from The Guardian article addressing the same.

 

1. Birthright Citizenship: Birthright citizenship, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born on US soil, is protected by the 14th amendment and any attempt to revoke it will likely bring immediate legal challenges. The order attempts to deny documents recognizing US citizenship for individuals who meet that criteria and are born in the US 30 days after the order was signed.

 

No, Donald, you do not have dictatorial powers as of yet. As this is part of the USA Constitution, then you will need to change the Constitution. It is a bit of a process, tough on you as you want your will carried out quickly.

 

2. Leaving World Health Organization: “World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump said at the signing. He accused the WHO mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

 

Understood, Donald, you want US citizens angry with international cooperative institutions to isolate the USA so you can make US decisions on your say so alone. Well, we have turned toward isolationism before in our history. It was not a positive in our long term interests. As to mishandling the pandemic, the historical documentation is clear … you were responsible for the unneeded US citizen deaths.

 

3. Renaming Denali and the Gulf of Mexico: Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the “Gulf of America”, something he promised earlier this month at a press conference. He will rechristen Alaska’s Mount Denali as Mount McKinley, a change first made by former president Barack Obama in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents.

 

Again Donald you are not dictator yet. Your unilateral decision holds no weight either nationally nor internationally. Again you overstep. It will remain Denali and the Gulf of Mexico regardless of your attempt to appease your MAGA nationalistic base.

 

4. Reclassifying Federal Employees making them easier to fire: Trump effectively reinstates “Schedule F”, an executive order he signed in the last year of his first term, seeking to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers. (Biden rescinded the order.) Key aides to Trump have called for mass government firings. Project 2025 made attacks on the deep or administrative state a core part of Trump’s second term. The rightwing playbook called for civil servants deemed politically unreliable to be fired and replaced by conservatives.

 

Yeah, we’ll see. While this thinking is consistent with those in business, such as yourself, there will be plenty of lawsuits eating into your budget and there are those pesky courts getting involved … you don’t control all of them as yet. I would support a Federal Employee work action in response. Sorry, most Americans will not have studied why the ‘spoils system” was done away with in favor of securing a stable, experienced workforce in return for job security.

 

5. Creating a policy recognizing that there are only two genders: “Agencies will cease pretending that men can be women and women can be men when enforcing laws that protect against sex discrimination,” the order states.

 

OK, I have wiggle room here and from the quote above there may well be some give. Just do keep in mind that this is a policy statement and not documented science … or does hermaphroditism not exit? Yes, I realize many following MAGA “common sense” want everything to be yes/no, right/wrong, black/white … sorry that you are faced with a more  complicated reality demanding critical thinking skills.

 

6. Recinding 78 Biden Administration Executive Actions: “I’ll revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration,” Trump told a crowd in Washington after his inaugural speech. He also said he would end policy “trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life” and push for a “color blind and merit-based” society.

 

OK, I have not looked at each of the 78 rescinded policies. I do note that there were reasons for perceived injustices that needed addressing. We are still, sadly, far from a “color blind and merit based” society. Thus, the Project 2025 ilk wants to fire federal employees judged not to be supportive enough of MAGA goals … never mind “merit”. And we have certainly witnessed the Neo-Nazi and KKK support for MAGA in opposition to those of a different skin color, religion, nationality, etc.

 

7. Declaring a National Border Emergency: “All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” Trump said in his inauguration speech. The executive action paves the way to send US troops to the southern border and makes good on campaign promises to implement hardline immigration policies. There are limited details about how the administration planned to execute its sprawling set of immigration actions that were all but certain to face legal and logistical challenges. Immigrant communities across the country are bracing for Trump’s promise to carry out the “largest deportation program in American history”, beginning as early as Tuesday morning.

 

Jeez, Donald millions and millions of criminal aliens? Oh. Right you are unilaterally calling anyone who has applied for asylum, this who been here for decades (including the children brought by their parents as all “criminals;s”. Oh, I understand, Donald, again you are appealing to your baes wanting them to see anyone speaking another language, fleeing fro war, poverty, violence as those threatening the American nation. Thus calling for the US military to be used on US soil. Come on, just declare “martial law” … oops, sticky wicket that!

 

Just a thought, we saw that legal American citizens were denied the right to vote by mistake … what makes you think mistakes in arresting American citizens will not happen? We might have had some better way of doing things but you killed the bipartisan immigration bill for your own political advantage.

 

8. Finally, Pardons for sentenced January 6th participants: “I’m going to be signing on the J6 hostages, pardons, to get them out,” Trump said during his rally speech. “We’ll be signing pardons for a lot of people, a lot of people.” Trump said he has pardoned about 1,500 defendants charged in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and issued six commutations.

 

Well, Donald, my fellow citizens sitting as Grand Juries found enough evidence presented to call for each of these defendants to have a trail. Separate citizen Trial Juries found these, some 1500 guilty and handed down sentences for their destroying my country’s capital, threatening lives and causing injury and death to law enforcement personnel trying to protect the Capitol and the lives threatened.

 

Congratulations, another nail in the coffin of the American Justice System. Many of us already recognize the corruption in the system and have call ed for reform … but your actions only further alienate us from believing in and supporting the USA as it is currently. Perhaps this is exactly your goal, trust in nothing, believe in nothing, fight for nothing … jus follow me and I will lead the way!!!

Despicable!