Trump's Executive Orders -- The Good

I’ve been reading through all the executive orders that Trump issued in his first week.  I’m not a supporter of Trump, but I am a realist, and he is the President.  So, I want to understand what he is trying to accomplish.

I am not a policy wonk.  I am sure there are some nuances I am missing, but these orders should be comprehensible by regular citizens.

The tracker at the Akin law firm was invaluable.   Also, the Federal Register is very useful, tho it lags the orders a little. It is way too hard to parse and track all these orders, particularly those referring to prior orders — a topic for another post.

It is going to take me a few posts to get through all these.  I’m going to start with the EOs that seem largely good.  

Reducing the Regulatory Burden

It is easy to find articles about how hard it is to build anything in the US due to onerous regulations and onerous lawsuits.  The Trump orders are merely scratching the surface here, but every small step is good.  There is much much more to be done.

• No new regulations without agency head approval.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/regulatory-freeze-pending-review/.  This should probably be a standing rule forever, it would slow down regulation issuance and hold agency heads accountable.
• Remove a bunch of overlay requirements on the Infrastructure and Jobs Act.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14052.  Some of these overlays are just silly (“Spend money wisely, don’t waste it”), and some seem to create entirely new extra-legislative requirements (“combat climate change”).
• Remove a bunch of overlay requirements on the Inflation Reduction Act.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14082.  Same as above. 
• Re-evaluating how we do regulatory review. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14094.  The Biden order seemed well intended, but clearly, regulatory review is still far too onerous, so taking a fresh look seems fine.

Encouraging Economic Growth

We need to create better jobs, we need to rebuild our manufacturing competitiveness and manufacturing capacity, we need to pay down our debt, and the best way to do all that is to have robust economic growth.  Some of Trump’s orders will help with growth — though we need to do even more.

• Withdraw AI Restrictions and develop an AI Plan.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as applies to Executive Order 14110, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/removing-barriers-to-american-leadership-in-artificial-intelligence/, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/removing-barriers-to-american-leadership-in-artificial-intelligence/.  It is far too early to set rules and guidelines on AI — each week the industry is upended by some new innovation.  We need to let this industry cook.  
• Revise advisory council on science and technology.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14007, 14044, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/presidents-council-of-advisors-on-science-and-technology/.  This seems like a minor shuffling of the existing structure to align with AI and other current science and tech issues.
• America First Trade Policy pronouncement — https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/america-first-trade-policy/, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/america-first-policy-directive-to-the-secretary-of-state/.  This kicks off the request for a bunch of reports and data about our current trade status to improve it all for the United States.  This seems like appropriate data to collect (and probably much of it already exists).
• Opening up areas for oil exploration.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as it pertains to The Presidential Memorandum of March 13, 2023 and Presidential Memoranda of January 6, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-alaskas-extraordinary-resource-potential/. While we need to have the highest possible standards for protecting the environment, we should not limit ourselves on natural resource exploration.  Foreign sources are too inimical to our interests.

Stopping Obsolete Efforts

These orders are obvious — let’s stop doing things that events have overtaken.  I wish every EO and law had built-in sunset provisions so that we could reexamine all government work regularly.

• End our COVID-19 pandemic response special efforts.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 13987, Executive Order 13995, Executive Order 13996, Executive Order 13997, Executive Order 13999, Executive Order 14000, Executive Order 14002, Executive Order 14009, Executive Order 14099.   It is appropriate to sunset this work and treat our COVID-19 response as we do our response to any other pandemic threat.  Yes, there is a separate discussion about pandemic preparation, but it should not be limited to COVID-19.
• Shutting down the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14023.  This commission serves no purpose now.  It was a lost opportunity by Biden, another case where he moved too timidly in an attempt to follow the “norms.”   Whatever, there is no point in this work now.

Governing More Efficiently

Certainly, we should perform the functions of government as efficiently and cheaply as we can.  Every dollar the government spends is a dollar out of our pockets, a dollar that could be spent more wisely on market-based consumption and innovation.

• Elimination of service contract employment rules.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14055.  The canceled rule just creates complexity for subcontractors.
• Reducing presidential oversight of the Arts, Humanities, and Museum and Library Services.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14084.   Simply not a priority of the presidency, and we don’t need to waste time and money on it.
• Eliminating environmental justice regulation.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as it pertains to 14096.  If this is an important issue in managing our environment, then it should be discussed in the legislature and be part of the law.   Tacking it on the side of everything just creates confusion.
• Shut down White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14015.  This seems like priority 9,783 for the President.  I am OK if the President spends no time on this issue.
• Eliminating the Presidential Advisory Council on the African Diaspora.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14089.  The President should be highly involved in the welfare of US citizens of African descent and in our foreign relations with African nations, as he should be with US citizens of any other descent and in foreign relations with any other part of the world. I don't see the value in a rigidly defined special body to advise him – he should be dynamic and reach out as needed for the data and advice he needs.
• Elimination of rigid succession protocols at a variety of federal agencies.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as it pertains to Exectuive Orders 14134-14139 and Presidential Memoranda of Jan 3, 2025.  The President can and should name successors as needed; setting up a rigid position-based protocol is dumb.
• Eliminating the non-competitive treatment of Americorps alumni for federal jobs.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as it pertains to Exective Order 14143.  I suspect the Americorps alumni are impressive folks and can stand up to market competition.
• Eliminating pay equity and transparency requirements for subcontractors.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions as pertains to Executive Order 14069. There are already plenty of laws requiring nondiscriminatory pay.
• Shut down efforts to “restore faith in our immigration system” and “to rebuild and enhance resettlement programs”.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14012, 14013.   These EOs have a bunch of hand-waving in them. If we want to enhance resettlement programs, let's discuss and pass a law that says exactly what we are doing.

Duh

These seem completely non-controversial.

• Designating cartels as terrorist organizations. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship/.  Sure.
• Federal recognition of the lumbee tribe.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/federal-recognition-of-the-lumbee-tribe-of-north-carolina/
• Promoting beautiful civic architecture.   https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/promoting-beautiful-federal-civic-architecture/.  Sure, this is just pablum
• Declassification of records pertaining to JFK, RFK, and MLKJr assassinations.   https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declassification-of-records-concerning-the-assassinations-of-president-john-f-kennedy/.  I expect nothing out of this, but it has been ~60 years.
• Ensure foreign aid is aligned with our goals — https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/reevaluating-and-realigning-united-states-foreign-aid/.  Honestly, every president should do this all the time.

Other governance issues

Finally, a few sundry orders relating to governance and sovereignty.   These seem obvious.  

• Don’t worry about counting non-citizens in the census for reapportionment purposes.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as applies to Executive Order 13986.  Maybe it is required by the constitution, maybe not, but it is not worth creating a stink about. If you argue hard to count non-citizens, you seem suspect, as if maybe you want to extend the vote to non-citizens.
• Ignoring the International Criminal Court.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions/ as pertains to Executive Order 14022.   No President can let us be accountable to a court outside the US.
• Refutation of global tax bill absent congressional approval.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/the-organization-for-economic-co-operation-and-development-oecd-global-tax-deal-global-tax-deal/.  Yes, of course, congress should debate and decide.

Summary

While I am unhappy with Trump as President, it makes no sense to burn energy by challenging everything he does.  He is doing some stupid, harmful, and immoral things.   And I will talk about those in the next post.   

But pushing for greater economic growth and getting the government out of the way — these are good things, and we need to do even more.