Egypt Daily News – US President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders and directives as he seeks to put his stamp on his new administration, on matters ranging from energy to criminal pardons and immigration.
Here are some of the key executive orders Trump signed on his first day back in office:
Pardons
Trump pardoned about 1,500 people who stormed the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, in a gesture of support for people who attacked police as they tried to prevent lawmakers from certifying his defeat in the 2020 elections. Trump said: “ We hope they come out tonight, honestly we expect that.”
The measure also reduces the sentences of 14 members of the extremist right-wing organizations “Proud Boys” and “Oath Keepers,” including some who were convicted of conspiracy to incite violence. The order also directs the US Attorney General to drop pending cases related to the riot.
Immigration
Trump signed orders declaring illegal immigration, declaring the US-Mexico border a national emergency, designating criminal gangs as terrorist organizations, and targeting automatic citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrants.
Trump’s order dealing with the resettlement of refugees in the United States will suspend the program for at least four months, and will order a security review to see if travelers from certain countries should be subject to the travel ban.
“The United States lacks the capacity to absorb large numbers of immigrants,” the order said.
Repeal Biden’s measures
At a rally in a sports arena, Trump rescinded 78 executive actions of the previous administration. “I will undo nearly 80 damaging executive actions of the previous administration,” he said.
He added that he would sign an order directing all agencies to preserve all records related to “political persecution” under the administration of former President Joe Biden. The repeal applies to executive orders extending from Biden’s first day in office in 2021 to last week, covering topics from Covid relief to boosting clean energy industries.
Diversity
Trump also rescinded executive orders that strengthened the rights of LGBT people and racial minorities. Among the 78 canceled executive orders signed by Biden, there are at least 12 that support racial equality and combat discrimination against the LGBT community.
TikTok ban
Trump signed an order delaying a 75-day ban on the short video app TikTok, which was scheduled to shut down on January 19. The order directs the Attorney General not to enforce the law “to allow my administration the opportunity to determine the appropriate course of action with respect to TikTok.”
Freeze organizational and hiring procedures
Trump signed orders to freeze government hiring and new federal regulations, in addition to an order requiring federal workers to fully return to work in person (not work from home/remote work).
“I will implement an immediate freeze on new regulatory actions, which will prevent Biden bureaucrats from continuing to issue regulations,” Trump said, adding that he “will also issue a temporary hiring freeze to ensure we only hire qualified people who are loyal to the American public.”
This move will force large numbers of government employees to abandon remote work arrangements, reversing a trend that began in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some Trump allies said the return-to-work mandate is intended to help shrink the civil service, making it easier for Trump to replace long-serving government workers with his loyalists.
Inflation
Trump ordered all executive departments and agencies to provide emergency relief to the American people in light of the rise in prices and to increase the prosperity of the American worker. Measures include reducing climate regulations and policies that raise costs, and actions to reduce the cost of housing and expand the housing supply.
“Over the past 4 years, the Biden administration’s destructive policies have inflicted a historic inflation crisis on the American people,” the order said.
Climate
Trump also signed the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Treaty, including a letter to the United Nations explaining the reasons for the withdrawal.
The announcement, which had been widely expected since Trump won the presidential election on November 5, threatens the agreement’s main goal of avoiding global temperatures rising 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. “It is the policy of my administration to put the interests of the United States and the American people first,” the order says.
He rescinded a 2023 memorandum issued by Biden banning oil drilling in about 16 million acres in the Arctic, saying that “the government should encourage energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters,” and rescinded a mandate on electric vehicles.
Health
Another order was issued by Trump to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, saying that “the organization has mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.”
The plan, which is in line with Trump’s long-standing criticism of the UN body, represents a major shift in US global health policy and further isolates Washington from international efforts to combat pandemics.
Government efficiency
Trump signed an executive action to create an advisory group, called the Department of Government Efficiency, aimed at shrinking the US government.
The group is run by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and has major goals of eliminating entire federal agencies and cutting three-quarters of federal government jobs.
Targeting the “deep state”
The president signed a document to “end the arming” of the government against political opponents. The order directs the Attorney General to investigate federal government activities over the past 4 years, including at the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission during the previous administration.
The order directs the government to “identify and take appropriate action to correct the wrongful actions of the Federal Government regarding arming law enforcement officials and arming the intelligence community.”
Freedom of expression
Trump signed an executive order that he said “aims to restore freedom of expression and end federal censorship.”
“Under the guise of combating disinformation, disinformation, and misinformation, the federal government has violated the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens,” the White House said. Trump and his Republican allies accused the administration of former Democratic President Biden of encouraging the suppression of freedom of expression on electronic platforms.
Energy
Trump declared a national energy emergency, promising to fill strategic oil reserves and export American energy around the world.
and developing a comprehensive plan to maximize U.S. oil and gas production — including declaring a national energy emergency, removing excess regulation, and withdrawing the United States from an international pact to combat climate change.
Trump said he expects the orders will help reduce inflation and protect American national security. He also signed orders aimed at promoting oil and gas development in Alaska, and reversed Biden’s efforts to protect Arctic lands and waters from drilling.
“The United States will also end the leasing of land for wind farms,” the White House website said. These moves indicate a major shift in energy policy in Washington, after Biden sought to encourage a shift away from fossil fuels and consolidate US leadership in combating global warming.
