Donald Trump has started his second week back in the White House with a controversial halt of all federal aid.
The funding pause, revealed in a memo sent to government agencies, was due to come into force on Tuesday evening but was stopped by a federal judge at the eleventh hour.
Also on Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order targeting transgender medical care for under 19s.
He has signed a number of orders since taking office, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and reshaping the federal government. He has also issued a number of controversial pardons.
His use of executive orders – both swift and broad – carry the weight of law but can be more easily overturned. Some face legal challenges.
Government spending
Halt to federal aid
A two-page memo from the Office of Management and Budget and sent to government agencies ordered a pause to all grants and loans until mid-February, to ensure all programmes match the administration’s agenda. The action is now on hold.
Doge and Elon Musk
Trump has signed a directive creating the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) – a new advisory body on cutting government costs. It is expected to be led by Elon Musk – who Trump separately said would get an office for about 20 employees.
Freeze on federal hiring
Another order halts any new federal hiring – except within the US military and several other categories – until the Trump administration has full control over the government.
Federal employees returning to the office
Trump has also signed a memorandum mandating that federal workers must work in the office and are not allowed to work from home.
Defence
Trump signed an order mandating a process to build a missile defence shield called an Iron Dome to protect the US.
He also enacted moves to reshape the US military by eliminating DEI programmes and reviewing the US of transgender troops.
Immigration
‘National emergency’
Trump has proclaimed that “America’s sovereignty is under attack”, declaring this to be a national emergency that allows him to free up more funding to reinforce the border with Mexico.
Border wall
The same directive tells officials to relaunch efforts to build a border wall with Mexico that was started under his first presidency. This is not an executive order and it is unclear how such an effort might be funded.
Birthright citizenship
Trump has ordered that officials deny the right to citizenship to the children of migrants either in the US illegally or on temporary visas. This faces legal challenges.
Terrorism designation for gangs and cartels
Trump has designated drug cartels and international gangs as foreign terrorist organisations – adding the likes of Salvadoran gang MS-13 to a list that includes the so-called Islamic State.
Shutting down legal routes
The order also shut down a major Biden-era immigration pipeline: a sponsorship initiative that allowed up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to fly to the US. It had been designed to cut illegal crossings.
Refugee resettlement
Trump has suspended the US refugee resettlement programme, although details remain unclear.
Tariffs
Trump has said blanket tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico could come on 1 February.
He has ordered federal officials to review US trade relationships for unfair practices, including those with Canada, Mexico and China.
A spat with Colombia over deportations sparked a threat by Trump to implement 25% tariffs but a deal was reached to avert a trade war.
Climate and energy
Pull out of the Paris agreement (again)
Trump has signed off on withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement – the landmark international deal to limit rising global temperatures. He will have to wait a year before it happens. He previously withdrew in 2017, before Biden re-entered.
‘Energy emergency’
Trump has declared a “national energy emergency”, promising to fill up oil reserves. In his inaugural address, he vowed to “drill, baby, drill” for more fossil fuels.
Alaskan fuel
He signed an executive order titled “unleashing Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential”, pledging to “unlock” oil, gas and other natural resources from the state.
End Green New Deal
Trump has halted the Green New Deal, a series of Biden measures that were aimed at boosting green jobs, regulating the fossil fuel industry and limiting pollution.
World Health Organization
Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the US from the UN’s health body, the World Health Organization (WHO).
This marks the second time Trump has ordered the US be pulled out of the WHO, after Biden re-entered it. He was critical of how the Geneva-based institution handled Covid-19.
Transgender people
Trump has declared that the US will only recognise “two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality”. It will affect official documents like passports and visas.
An executive order called “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” will restrict access to gender-affirming medical care such as hormone therapy and surgery for minors9.
DEI
A memo, followed by an executive order, has shut down all the offices of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes within the federal government.
TikTok
Trump has signed a directive postponing by 75 days the implementation of a law that would ban Chinese-owned app TikTok in the US unless a new American owner was found.
Trump formerly backed a TikTok ban, but indicated he reversed course after his campaign videos attracted billions of views.
Pardoning hundreds who stormed US Capitol
Trump has issued pardons for nearly 1,600 of his supporters who were arrested in the riot at the US Capitol in 2021.
He has repeatedly referred to those arrested in the riot as “hostages”. At least 600 were charged with assaulting or impeding federal officers.
Commuting sentences of Oath Keepers, Proud Boys
Trump also commuted sentences for members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, far-right groups who were convicted of seditious conspiracy in relation to the riot.
Anti-abortion activists
Twenty-three people described by the White House as “peaceful pro-life protesters” were pardoned by Trump. Ten of them were prosecuted under the Biden administration for blocking an abortion clinic in Washington DC in 2020.
Silk Road
Trump said he signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the creator of Silk Road, a dark web marketplace where illegal drugs were sold. Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 on a narcotics and money-laundering conspiracy but Trump said this was government overreach.
‘American-First’
Trump has announced he is pausing foreign aid, outlining that he wants a review of foreign assistance programs.
Israeli settler sanctions
Trump rescinded sanctions that Biden began imposing on extremist Israeli settlers and settler groups in the occupied West Bank nearly one year ago. The last administration’s executive order was in response to a surge in attacks on Palestinians and their property in the territory.
Regulatory freeze
Another order directs federal agencies to refrain from issuing any new regulations until the Trump administration has full control of the government.
Unvaccinated federal workers
As part of a directive reversing Biden-era policies, Trump revoked a mandate that federal workers must be vaccinated with the Covid vaccine. He has promised to reinstate the 8,000 military service members who were discharged over this.
Tackling inflation
Trump has signed a directive asking every US federal department and agency to address the cost of living. The directive, which is not an executive order, asks agencies to look at lowering the costs of housing, healthcare and key household items, groceries and fuel.
It asks for a report in 30 days. It not clear how the Trump administration intends to lower these costs – and this is not detailed in the directive.
Artificial Intelligence
Trump has signed a directive called the Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, looking to make the US “the global leader in AI”.
It aligns with Trump’s recent announcement of Stargate, a proposed $500bn (£404bn) project aimed at creating massive AI data centres in the US.
Science and technology
This directive establishes what the White House calls the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
The group will consist of no more than 24 members, including an assistant to the president for science and technology and a special adviser for AI and crypto.
The group will be tasked with advising Trump on science and tech matters to inform policy decisions and “harness the full power of American innovation”.
Digital financial technology
Trump has signed an executive order to regulate and promote the crypto industry, and to explore the creation of digital-assets.
Declassification of records on JFK shooting
Trump has signed a directive ordering the release of classified documents related to the assassination of President John F Kennedy in 1963, as well as the 1968 killings of Senator Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
‘Gulf of America’ and Alaska’s Mount Denali
Trump has directed the secretary of the interior to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”.
The same order also directs the secretary to rename Alaska’s Mount Denali to Mount McKinley – in honour of America’s 25th president admired by Trump.
Federal Recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina
Trump has signed a directive supporting full federal recognition of the Lumbee tribe, a group of about 55,000 Native Americans who mostly live in one North Carolina county. This brings with it legal rights and government benefits.