President Trump has had a busy couple weeks back in office, signing dozens of executive orders impacting everything from immigration and citizenship to climate change and health care.
Prior to taking office on Jan. 20, Trump promised to sign over 100 executive actions on day one according to Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy.
On Monday, Jan. 20, just after being officially sworn in, Trump signed 26 executive orders, including renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” and withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization.
He also rescinded 78 executive orders approved by former President Joe Biden, including scrapping Biden’s executive order that was in place to lower the cost of prescription drugs in America. In Trump’s inaugural address, he said his actions would lead to the “complete restoration of America.”
The sheer volume of executive actions happening in a short span of time can cause the public to stop paying attention, according to Benjamin Epstein, a political science professor at DePaul.
“There’s a very distinct strategy around doing so much in such an organized way that is so disruptive because it’s hard to cover,” Epstein said. “It’s hard to respond against in an organized way.”
Illinois Democratic Rep. Jonathan Jackson said people are just starting to see the scope of Trump’s plans.
“Hopefully his pen will dry out for a minute so we can continue to read up on what he’s doing,” Jackson said.
Some of Trump’s orders have already faced interference. His executive order to end birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the 14th amendment, was blocked by U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, who said the order was “blatantly unconstitutional,” on Jan. 23.
Trump previously called birthright citizenship “ridiculous” with Republicans saying the law incentivizes “birth tourism.” Epstein said the removal of birthright has been brought up before during times of nativism and xenophobia.
“On the face of what this says and what the 14th Amendment says, it is just obviously unconstitutional, so it was struck down,” Epstein said. “It will be challenged. It will be rewritten.”
Trump wasted no time rolling out executive orders addressing immigration in the U.S., which was a top issue for voters in the 2024 election. He signed a memo on Jan. 29 instructing the Department of Homeland Security to house up to 30,000 detained migrants in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
On Jan. 29, Trump also signed his first bill of his second term, the Laken Riley act, which extends the scope of who can be detained and deported by federal immigration officers. Those without citizenship status can be detained and deported if they are charged with minor thefts and shoplifting, as well as violent crimes.
Prior to the inauguration, Jeff Fiedler, a member of the Chicago GOP, said Americans want to see quick action to deport undocumented immigrants, starting with the “violent criminals” and then those who have “overstayed their visas.” He also expects to see self-deportation by migrants who are disappointed when they come to America.
“There’s going to be some upheaval here in the first six months, and we should just be prepared for that,” Fiedler said. “That’s what we asked for, and that’s what we’re going to get, and I think we’re going to be satisfied by that.”
In another executive order, Trump rescinded diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the federal government and encouraged those in the private sector to do the same. Large companies like Target have already scaled back their DEI programs in response to the executive order, saying it would end the three-year-long DEI goals it had set.
“DEI, because it discriminates on the basis of race, gender and many other factors, is not merely immoral, it is also illegal,” Elon Musk wrote on X.
Epstein said that while Trump is aiming to reframe DEI efforts, those programs are beneficial.
“(DEI) efforts … have been shown to increase educational outcomes, increase economic outcomes, and help focus on historically proven institutional, discrimination to try to create more equity,” Epstein said.
Trump also has promised to make the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) requirements firmer by reducing eligibility and expanding work rules. According to the USDA, about 12% of Americans receive SNAP benefits and the U.S. spends around $100 billion per year funding SNAP.
Republicans have targeted SNAP, also known as food stamps, as a place to cut federal spending, meaning it would be significantly harder for millions of Americans to receive nutritional assistance. Robert F. Kennedy, Trump’s pick for health secretary, also wants SNAP benefits to stop applying to processed foods and sugary drinks.
Jackson, the Illinois Rep., said the Illinois Democrats will fight to keep SNAP benefits.
“I am committed to fighting to preserve the benefits of SNAP,” Jackson said. “We are seeing rising malnutrition. Now is not the time to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.”
In addition to Trump’s executive orders, his administration is delivering orders and memos of their own. On Jan. 27, the Office of Management and Budget sent a memo to all federal agencies directing them to pause activities related to the disbursement of federal financial assistance, which caused widespread confusion.
The funding freeze would have affected programs that would run counter to Trump’s executive actions; however, programs like SNAP and Medicaid were not included. The next day, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan temporarily blocked the funding freeze.
Jackson said Trump should be shifting his focus away from cutting programs.
“What he should be advocating for is Medicare for all. What he should be advocating for is expanding education beyond K through 12 and K through college for those that want to go,” Jackson said. “He should be talking about what makes American life better.”
Epstein said it is important for Americans to find sources that help them decide what matters most.
“One thing that I think we can all pay attention to is the ability of people to find out what’s going on and to bear witness,” Epstein said.
Jake Cox contributed to this report.
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