President Trump’s First Week in Office Sees Executive Orders on Immigration, Pipeline and More

Photo from ABCnews.com

by Angela Bell

On Jan. 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States. With just over a week in the Oval Office gone by, he has acted on many of the promises he had made along the campaign trail. However, with so much happening in such a short time span and all the criticism (good and bad) clouding and complicating the news, it becomes difficult to keep track of what is actually going on. So here is a breakdown, day by day, of what Trump has accomplished in his first 10 days as president of the United States of America.

Friday, Jan. 20

“We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this moment on, it’s going to be America first.”

Trump began his four-year term with a speech that concisely laid out his plan for the U.S. While reiterating many of the issues he has championed for the past year, the president also seemed to have adopted a more unifying tone for the speech with his use of the plural “we.”

Of course, being the man who runs on four hours of sleep, Trump was sure to waste no time when it came to checking off his to-do list. The night of the inauguration, after three inauguration ball appearances, he signed one executive order and one presidential memorandum. The executive order declared the administration’s intent and early stages of repealing Obamacare.

Additionally, the president’s memorandum essentially put a temporary freeze on federal hiring (excluding military). This is to “ensure that the President’s appointees or designees have the opportunity to review any new or pending regulations.”

Monday, Jan. 23

After a few days full of meetings, Trump issued two more memorandums. The first one regarded the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal Trump has criticized in the past, stating that he wishes for the U.S. to trade with other countries one-on-one. In effect, the document states that the U.S. will withdraw from T.P.P. and pursue “bilateral trade negotiations to promote American industry, protect American workers and raise American wages.”

The second memorandum ordered that the Presidential Memorandum of Jan. 23, 2009 will be revoked. In its place, Trump reinstated the Presidential Memorandum of Jan. 22, 2001, the Mexico City Policy. This means that the United States will no longer use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions or sterilization in other nations to “manage population.”

Tuesday, Jan. 24

Trump issued an executive order and several memorandums on Tuesday regarding the construction of the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines. Trump said that he wished for the almost completed Dakota Access Pipeline project to be approved and finished in an expedited manner.

Additionally, Trump advocated his support for yet another pipeline—one that President Barack Obama had previously struck down—to be constructed in the states.

Trump also followed up with a brief memorandum that ensured any steel or iron material used to construct American pipelines would be American product.

Tuesday concluded Tuesday with an executive order expediting environmental reviews and approvals for high priority infrastructure projects. This was in effect an insurance plan by Trump to add momentum to the pipeline projects.

“Infrastructure investment strengthens our economic platform, makes America more competitive, creates millions of jobs, increases wages for American workers, and reduces the costs of goods and services for American families and consumers,” Trump said.

Wednesday, Jan. 25

The first of two executive orders issued on Thursday was titled, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.” Trump said that existing immigration laws will be enforced and that “sanctuary jurisdiction” violates federal law.

The second executive order, “Executive Order: Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements,” addressed many of Trump’s campaign promises, citing the following laws in support of constructing a physical wall on the southern border.

It is also worth mentioning that Dow Jones opened at a record high above 20,000 points on Wednesday. Many economists cited the news of the probable Keystone XL Pipeline construction to have been a key factor in the rise in stock.

Thursday, Jan. 26

Thursday was fairly uneventful for the executive office; however, Trump issued a proclamation declaring the week of Jan. 22 to Jan. 28 as National School Choice Week.

Saturday, Jan. 28

On Saturday, Trump issued two documents. The first was a memorandum that essentially declared that the administration sees the Islamic State group as a severe threat to the United States and would take the necessary steps to end their quest for a caliphate. He also stated that the Secretary of Defense would devise a plan of action within 30 days.

He went on to issue an executive order regarding the ethics commitments by his executive branch appointees. It outlines the expectations and limitations of his incoming team.

So far, Trump seems to be following through with many of his campaign trail promises in a timely fashion. In the next week, people can expect a Supreme Court Justice nominee, as well as reports of several international diplomatic meetings and calls. The president is also awaiting many of his cabinet appointees as they make their way through the process of approval by Congress.