โImmediately after his inauguration, the 47th President of the United States Donald Trump announced a list of sweeping executive orders in an attempt to assert control of the federal workforce on Monday. Soon after assuming the office for the second time, Trump inked a first round of executive orders.
๊งFrom Washington's exit from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO), to an immediate freeze on government hirings and withdrawal of 78 Biden-era actions- Trump's executive orders raised many eyebrows.
In a show of his supreme administrative power, Trump also revoked many of former president Joe Bidenโs crucial policies including climate and immigration. According to a New York Times๐ report, Trump on Monday evening said he was revoking almost 80 "disruptive, radical executive actions of the previous administration."
Here we have listed the key executive orders.
Freezing government hiring
๊ง On day one of assuming the office for the second time, Donald Trump ordered a federal hiring freeze simulating an action he took at the start of his first term to try to reduce the size of government. As per executive order, hirings are now suspended for new positions and many open ones. It includes exceptions for posts related to national security and public safety, as well as the military.
๊ง However, further clarity is still awaited on how long the latest freeze may last. The step is being considered a drastic one in a stark contrast with the Biden administration that took steps to increase the federal workforce and give pay raises to many in its ranks.
๐ผTrump on Monday also put an end to the work-from-home culture that became common during the Covid-19 pandemic. The move was in with his Trump plan to dismiss federal employees who don't return to office to comply with the order.
US withdraws from Paris Climate Agreement and WHO
๐In a blow to global efforts to combat climate change, Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the US to again withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement. The move echoed his 2017 directive when he announced that the US would abandon the global Paris accord.
๐ฐBesides the climate accord, Trump also signed an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization (WHO). This marks the second time Trump has ordered the US be pulled out of the WHO. Last time, Joe Biden reversed that decision.
According to the Associated Press, ๊ฆthe official order said that US was withdrawing "due to the organization's mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states".
'Gulf of America': Trump's order on renaming Gulf of Mexico
เทดTrump's list of executive orders during his inaugural address also included changing the name of Gulf Of Mexico to 'Gulf of America'.
๐ฝโThe Gulf of Americaโwhat a beautiful name. Itโs ours, and itโs appropriate,โ Trump remarked ,as per a report by ABC.
๐ธ"America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth โ inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world. A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Americaโ, Trump further added.
Beefed up border security: Crackdown on immigration
๐ฏTrump also signed executive orders to beef up security at the southern border in an attempt to crackdown on immigration.
เฆ"I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. 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 in which they came," Trump said in his inauguration speech that received massive applause.
๐ธEfforts were also made to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants who were born in America which is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. Trump also suspended the Refugee Admissions Program โuntil such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United Statesโ, as per New York Times.
Executive order to protect free speech
๐US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing government agencies not to infringe on the free speech of Americans.
๐โIn America, we believe in free speech and we're bringing it back starting today to stop the weaponisation,โ Trump said before signing the executive order at the Capitol One Arena.
โ"Over the last four years, the previous administration trampled free speech rights by censoring Americansโ speech on online platforms, often by exerting substantial coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, deplatform, or otherwise suppress speech that the federal government did not approve", the executive order said, according to the Associated Press.
Trump pardons 2021 Capitol attackers
๐ณIn a condemnable move, Trump on Monday said he was pardoning about 1,500 of his supporters who have been charged in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack in a bid to dismantle the largest investigation and prosecution in Justice Department history.
เฆThe pardons were expected after Trump's years long campaign to rewrite the history of the January 6 attack that left more than 100 police officers injured and threatened the peaceful transfer of power.
๐Vice President JD Vance said just days ago that people responsible for the violence during the Capitol riot "obviously" should not be pardoned.
Male and Female: US govt to recognise only two genders
โIn a crackdown on gender diversity programs, 47th United States President Donald Trump announced that soon he would soon sign an executive order to ensure that the US federal government officially recognises only two genders- male and female.
๐ฐBesides terminating all โdiversity, equity, and inclusionโ (DEI) programmes, his order also included removal of protections for transgender people in federal prisons.
โ"As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders - male and female," Trump said.
เฝงThe decision puts an end to all official policies that so far recognized a third gender, denoted by an "X" on US passports.
In the run-up to the latest US presidential elections in 2024, several Republicans urged for reversing transgender laws with a particular focus on transgender women participating in sports. Addressing the alleged issue, Donald Trump ๐during a pre-inauguration rally said that he will take action to "keep all men out of women's sports". He's also pledged to restrict gender-affirming care.
In line with his anti-gender diversity stance, Trump during his first term as US President, declared a ban on transgender troops serving in the military and halted the recruitment of transgender personnel. However, the policy was reversed by Joe Biden after he took office in 2021.
25 percent tariff for Canada, Mexico\
๐ ฐIn line with Trump's threats on imposing sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico and other trading partners, the US President on Monday pledged that tariffs would be coming and said foreign countries would be paying the trade penalties.
๐ผโWe're thinking in terms of 25% on Mexico and Canada,โ Trump said late Monday night in the Oval Office. โI think February 1st.โ
Despite Trump's claim that the US doesn't need Canada, a quarter of the oil America consumes per day is from there. Besides, Canada also serves as the top export destination for 36 US states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day, according to the Associated press.
TikTok operations extended for 75 days
๐ฐTrump also signed an executive order extending the operations of the Chinese video sharing platform TikTok by 75 days, during which he plans to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans.
๊ฆโI am instructing the attorney general not to take any action to enforce the Act for a period of 75 days from today to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans,โ said the executive order signed by Trump.
Signed into law by Joe Biden โin April last year, the bill passed by wide bipartisan majorities in the House and the Senate gave TikTokโs parent company ByteDance 270 days to divest from the app or face a ban from US app stores.
(With AP inputs)
