10 Days of Trump Administration Executive Orders, Explained (Part 2/2)
Photo via The White House/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump promised to sign a “series of historic executive orders.” Over the course of the last 11 days, he did just that, signing a slew of executive orders targeting DEI, attacking birthright citizenship, overhauling Biden-era immigration policies and more.
This article is the second of two parts outlining the Executive Orders made by President Trump.
Freedom of speech on social media platforms
The second to last of the on-stage executive actions, Executive Order 14149, was titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship” and dealt with speech on online platforms.
The order asserts that “the previous administration trampled free speech rights,” likely in reference to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s claims in testimony last August that Biden administration officials pressured Facebook to flag “certain COVID-19 content including humor and satire.”
Finally, the president signed Executive Order 14147, titled “Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government.” The order alleges a “third-world weaponization of prosecutorial power” by the previous administration and accused the Biden administration of “[targeting] individuals who voiced opposition to the prior administration’s policies.”
The order calls on the Attorney General to “investigate the activities of the Federal Government over the last 4 years” that relate to the alleged censorship. The order also notes the jailing of “an individual for posting a political meme” in reference to Douglas Mackey, who was charged with conspiracy against rights after he circulated fake “vote by text” posts on Twitter during the 2016 election cycle.
In addition, he signed an order pertaining to the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” — the legislation responsible for the less than 24-hour TikTok ban in the United States. The order directed the Attorney General to refrain from taking actions to enforce the act for 75 days, in order to “allow [the] Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward.”
Pardons
Upon assuming office, Trump quickly followed through with his promise to pardon those convicted in the Jan. 6 riots, granting pardons and commutations of sentences to 14 people.
On Jan. 22, Trump issued two more pardons, granting clemency to two Washington, D.C. police officers convicted in the death and cover-up of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown in 2020. Hylton-Brown was struck and killed in a traffic accident after the two officers pursued him on his moped; the two officers then carried out a cover-up by turning off their body cameras and tampering with the scene.
On Jan. 27, Trump signed an executive order reinstating service members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. This act was not a pardon, however, as the service members in question were not convicted of a crime. The vaccine mandate for service members was implemented by the Biden administration in 2021 and rescinded in 2023. During this time period, 8,000 service members were discharged — less than 1% of military personnel.
The administrative state
A regulatory freeze and a hiring freeze were among President Trump’s very first executive orders, which he signed onstage at Capital One Arena following his swearing-in.
The regulatory freeze ordered executive departments and agencies to refrain from proposing or issuing new rules “until a department or agency head appointed or designated by the president after noon on Jan. 20, 2025, reviews and approves the rule.” This includes rules that have been submitted to the Office of the Federal Register (explain) but not yet published in the Federal Register. In addition, rules that have been published but are not yet in effect are to be postponed from going into effect for 60 days.
The freeze will halt pending rules and regulations from a number of agencies, including several pending FDA regulations
The next action, a hiring freeze, instructed that “no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on Jan. 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created.” The memorandum makes exceptions for military personnel or “positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety.”
In response, agencies from the IRS to the National Parks Service have rescinded hundreds and even thousands of job offers. Since the order, nearly 2,000 jobs and internships at the Department of Justice have been canceled. As of Thursday, however, new guidance from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which labels certain roles as essential, reinstated around 300,000 jobs.
Now, the president has revoked the security clearances of the 51 individuals who signed the letter. Meanwhile, the president resolved to clear the backlog of personnel awaiting security clearance.
Finally, the president signed Executive Order 14147, titled “Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government.” The order alleges a “third-world weaponization of prosecutorial power” by the previous administration and accused the Biden administration of “[targeting] individuals who voiced opposition to the prior administration’s policies.”
Economy
Some executive actions were relatively vague. For example, the president signed a memorandum of just two paragraphs in length, described as a “requirement that federal workers return to full-time in-person work immediately.” Another, which addressed the “cost of living crisis,” called for “emergency price relief” and urged heads of agencies to “[pursue] appropriate actions” but stopped short of providing specific steps to be taken.
Criminal justice reforms
An Executive Order labeled “Restoring” the Death Penalty asserts that “Judges who oppose capital punishment have likewise disregarded the law by falsely claiming that capital punishment is unconstitutional” and requires that the Attorney General seek the death penalty in te case of all federal capital crimes involving “an alien illegally present in this country” or the murder of a law enforcement officer.
Health
Among the president’s health and safety-related executive actions was his decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization — his second attempt to do so. Withdrawing from the organization is a 12-month process. Trump’s first attempt to exit the organization in the summer of 2020, therefore, was blocked by former President Biden’s taking office in January 2021.
Executive Order 14182, “Enforcing the Hyde Amendment,” revokes two executive orders signed by former President Biden following the reversal of Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in 2022. The Hyde Amendment, first passed in 1976, bans the federal government from funding abortions.
On Jan. 28, the president turned his attention to healthcare for transgender minors. An executive order titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Physical Mutilation,” states that “it is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called “transition” of a child from one sex to another.”
“Chemical and physical mutilation” is defined as the use of puberty blockers, sex hormones, or surgical procedures. The order also instructs agencies to “rescind or amend all policies” that rely on guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Finally, the order instructs agencies to ensure that institutions receiving federal research or education grants “end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”
The White House also released a statement expressing support for House Resolution 21 — the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” — which passed in the House of Representatives on Jan. 23.
Cabinet appointments and beyond
Since his swearing-in as President, Trump has chosen 114 nominees to fill the roughly 1,300 positions that require Senate confirmation within his administration. According to the Washington Post, 7 of these nominees have been confirmed and 69 are currently being considered by the Senate.
Among the 7 confirmed appointees are Pete Hegseth (Defense), Kristi Noem (Homeland Security), Marco Rubio (State), Sean Duffy (Transportation), John Ratcliffe (CIA), Lee Zeldin (EPA), and Scott Bessent (Treasury).
Calls with foreign heads of state
Since taking office, the president has spoken via phone call with several world leaders. On a call with President Nayib Bukele of the Republic of El Salvador, the two discussed plans to “stop immigration and crack down on transnational gangs like the Tren de Agua,” according to a White House statement.
Trump also spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the King of Bahrain, and the King of Jordan to discuss “regional peace and stability” in the Middle East. Most recently, the president spoke to the Prime Ministers of India and the United Kingdom.
Climate and energy
With his next order, the president announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. The U.S. originally entered the agreement in 2016 and re-entered in 2021 after Trump’s withdrawal in 2020 at the close of his first term.
On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order named “Unleashing American Energy,” which among other provisions revoked 13 Biden administration executive orders relating to climate and energy. The order states that “it is the policy of the United States to encourage energy exploration and production on Federal lands and waters.” In addition, the order eliminated Biden administration incentives designed to encourage Americans to buy electric vehicles.
Trump once again invoked the National Emergencies Act to declare a “National Energy Emergency.” The order calls for “swift and decisive action” and describes the nation’s “dangerous energy situation” as a threat to national security. This status will allow the administration to speed up the approval process for energy projects.
Meanwhile, the President called for a temporary withdrawal of all areas of the Outer Continental Shelf — four regions of “submerged land” under federal jurisdiction — from consideration in wind energy projects. This means that leases for new wind projects will not be issued; in the meantime, existing leases will remain intact.
Though the withdrawal is described as “temporary,” the order states that it will remain in effect “until [the] presidential Memorandum is revoked.”
Finally, the president signed Executive Order 14153, referred to as “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential,” which outlines the administration’s intention to develop Alaska’s resources “to the fullest extent possible.” Provisions include “[expediting] the permitting and leasing of energy and natural resource projects” and empowering the Secretary of Commerce to “rescind, revoke, revise, amend, defer, or grant exemptions from any and all regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies, and any other similar agency actions that are inconsistent with the policy set forth in section 2 of this order.”
Several days later, the president signed an executive order to override California Policies concerning disaster relief, which he attacked as “disastrous.” The order directs the Secretary of the Interior to “override existing activities that unduly burden efforts to maximize water deliveries.”
The order also instructs the Department of the Interior to “expedite action related to any exemption under the Endangered Species Act” in order to “maximize water delivery to high-need communities.”
Miscellaneous
As of Jan. 31, President Trump has taken the following additional actions:
Established a Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Executive Order 14179: Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence
Granting Federal Recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North America
Established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)