Factbox-Here’s what we know about Trump’s planned executive orders after swearing-in
2025.01.20 15:43
(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would issue what is expected to be a flurry of executive orders and directives, as he sought to put his stamp on his new administration on matters ranging from energy to immigration.
Two sources familiar with the plans said more than 200 such orders and directives could be released in what is known internally as a “shock-and-awe” effort.
Here is what we know about the executive orders so far:
IMMIGRATION
In an inaugural address shortly after being sworn in to a second term in the White House, Trump said he will declare illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border a national emergency, send troops there and ramp up deportations of criminal offenders.
He also said he would invoke a 1798 wartime law known as the Alien Enemies Act to target foreign gang members in the U.S., a legal authority last used to detain non-citizens of Japanese, German, and Italian descent in internment camps during World War Two, and designate criminal cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
The Trump administration also is ending asylum for people who cross U.S. borders illegally, enhancing vetting and screening of “aliens,” suspending refugee resettlements and committing to building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the White House’s website.
ENERGY
Trump said he would immediately declare a national energy emergency, promising to fill up strategic oil reserves and export U.S. energy all over the world.
“We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it,” he said.
Trump, who vowed during his campaign to “drill, baby, drill,” will also sign an executive order focused on Alaska, an official with the incoming administration said, adding that the state was critical to U.S. national security and could allow exports of liquefied to other parts of the U.S. and allies.
The U.S. also will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and end leasing to wind farms, according to the White House website. In addition, Trump said he would revoke what he has called an electric vehicle mandate.
Members of his team are recommending sweeping changes to cut off support for EVs and charging stations and to strengthen measures blocking the import of cars, components and battery materials from China, according to a document seen by Reuters.
They have also recommended imposing tariffs on all battery materials globally, a bid to boost U.S. production, and then negotiating individual exemptions with allies, the document shows.
Trump’s executive orders will also likely seek to roll back the Biden administration’s climate regulations on power plants, end a pause on LNG export approvals, and revoke waivers allowing California and other states to have tighter pollution rules.
TARIFFS
Trump said on Monday he would tariff and tax countries to enrich Americans, promised an overhaul of the trade system, and said the U.S. would establish an “External Revenue Service” to collect all tariffs, duties and revenues from foreign sources.
He also will issue a broad trade memo on Monday that stops short of imposing new tariffs on his first day in office, but rather directs federal agencies to evaluate U.S. trade relationships with China, Canada and Mexico, an incoming Trump administration official said.
The Republican president has pledged tariffs of 10% on global imports, 60% on Chinese goods and a 25% import surcharge on Canadian and Mexican products, duties that may upend trade flows, raise costs and draw retaliation.
The official, confirming a Wall Street Journal report, said Trump will direct agencies to investigate and remedy persistent trade deficits and address unfair trade and currency policies by other nations.
The memo will single out China, Canada and Mexico for scrutiny but will not announce new tariffs, the official said. It will direct agencies to assess Beijing’s compliance with its 2020 trade deal with the U.S., as well as the status of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, the official said.
Trump believes tariffs would help boost U.S. economic growth, although opponents warn that the costs would likely be passed along to consumers.
DIVERSITY AND TRANSGENDER RIGHTS
Trump will issue executive orders that slash diversity, equity and inclusion programs and proclaim the U.S. government will only recognize two sexes – male and female – that cannot be changed, an incoming White House official said on Monday.
The official added that more actions on DEI programs were expected “very soon.”
During his first term, Trump signed an executive order to curtail efforts to address racial disparities in the workplace, through programs including diversity training inside companies. Biden reversed that executive order on his first day in office in January 2021.
Trump also has vowed to sign an executive order ending transgender rights in the U.S. military and inside U.S. schools.
In a campaign video in 2023, Trump said that on his first day in office he would revoke the Biden administration’s policies that provide information and resources to those seeking medical care so they can align their bodies with the gender they identify with. That care can include hormone therapy and surgery.
As for transgender athletes, he told a rally on Sunday that he would act on his first day to stop the participation of trans athletes in women’s sports.
PARDONS
Trump is preparing to issue sweeping pardons to defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and intends to cut short sentences for people who attacked police, ABC News reported on Monday, citing unidentified sources.
Reuters was not immediately able to confirm the report. ABC News reported the plans could change before pardons are formally issued.
ABC News reported that Trump planned to wipe away convictions for those who did not commit violence during the riot at the Capitol. Trump is seeking to commute the sentences of those convicted of assaults on law enforcement, a move that could allow supporters currently in prison to be released, according to the report.
FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY
Trump will freeze hiring of bureaucrats except in essential areas and force federal workers to work from their offices, according to the White House website.
During his presidential campaign, Trump had vowed to end the work-from-home arrangements for tens of thousands of federal employees, which were greatly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In December, Trump said if federal workers refuse to return to the office, “they’re going to be dismissed.”
By forcing government workers back into the office, Trump and his allies hope it could trigger large-scale resignations, which would assist in their goal of reducing the size of the federal bureaucracy.
