A month into his second administration, President Donald Trump has signed dozens of executive actions and advanced key policies that are reshaping both Washington and the office of the presidency.
These actions, taken within weeks of his retaking office, have made him one of the fastest-moving executives in U.S. history, although his opponents in Washington allege that some of his actions may be illegal.
The president has issued more than 100 executive actions affecting the economy, national security, federal government, immigration, foreign policy, energy, health, and education.
The orders include one issuing a national emergency at the southern border; one revoking a slew of executive actions from former President Joe Biden; one ending all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at federal agencies; and one establishing an “America First” foreign relations policy.
Lawsuits challenging Trump’s sweeping actions have moved as quickly as the president himself, with more than 70 tallied by Just Security as of Feb. 17.
Some of the lawsuits challenge the access that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has to certain federal data and IT systems. Another targets the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program offering federal employees eight months of full pay and benefits if they willingly leave their jobs.
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DOGE, helmed by Elon Musk, has resulted in nearly $55 billion in savings since Trump took office, according to its website as of Feb. 18. An analysis of DOGE’s data by Reuters puts that total at $8.5 billion.
Recent DOGE highlights include a $486 million cut from prospective spending on a “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening” and the arrival of DOGE personnel at the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has welcomed the scrutiny.
Trump has also overseen mass layoffs within the federal government, with more than 75,000 federal workers accepting the administration’s buyout offer. It allows them to receive full pay and benefits until Sept. 30 while being exempt from daily attendance rules and layoffs.
Thousands of probationary employees across a swath of government agencies, from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Environmental Protection Agency, have also been terminated.
Trump also declared a national emergency at the southern border and issued a flurry of executive orders aimed at curbing illegal immigration.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has carried out increased immigration enforcement operations in major metropolitan areas such as Chicago, New York City, and elsewhere since the president’s inauguration.
These efforts have won wide approval from Republicans, but have been met with substantial criticism from Democrats.
Trump recently ordered the military to prepare Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to house illegal immigrants, and the first flights arrived on Feb. 4.
The president was set to impose 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican imports before entering into negotiations with both nations’ leaders.
Trump accused both countries of not doing enough to prevent illegal immigration and illicit fentanyl from crossing their borders into the United States. In response, Mexico agreed to send troops to its border, while Canada said it would create a “fentanyl czar” to respond to the drug trafficking crisis.
As a result, Trump agreed to pause tariffs on Mexico and Canada for 30 days while continuing talks with the countries’ leaders.
Trump also vowed to levy a 10 percent tariff on top of existing tariffs on Chinese imports, citing the Chinese regime’s role in manufacturing fentanyl precursor chemicals.
The China tariffs took effect on Feb. 4 and Beijing immediately issued counter-tariffs, including a 15 percent tariff on U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas products and a 10 percent tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery, and large-displacement engine cars.
Trump also signed an order for plans to be drafted for the release of any remaining records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy (JFK), Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
On Feb. 11, the FBI confirmed that it had discovered roughly 2,400 new records related to JFK’s assassination.
As Trump moves rapidly to reshape the executive branch, the president’s Democrat opponents are becoming increasingly vocal about a “constitutional crisis,” particularly stemming from DOGE’s efforts.
Groups have also filed more than 70 lawsuits in response to the Trump administration’s new policies, several of which have already resulted in direct action by judges.
Four federal judges have issued preliminary injunctions blocking Trump’s efforts to limit birthright citizenship.
Two judges have blocked the administration’s spending freeze, and another judge temporarily paused Trump’s federal worker buyout program before resuming it last week.
The Justice Department has already appealed against multiple decisions.
—Jacob Burg, Joseph Lord
BOOKMARKS
The Senate has confirmed Kash Patel as the new Director of the FBI, following a 51 to 49 vote. “The politicalization of our justice system has eroded public trust—but that ends today,” Patel wrote on X following his confirmation.
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss has temporarily blocked Donald Trump’s administration from deporting a group of asylum seekers while they sue to halt a previous immigration-related executive order by the president. The plaintiffs are anonymous in the court documents, and are listed only by their initials.
The Kennedy Center was forced to evacuate after a fake bomb threat targeting the Shen Yun dance company. The threat is one of many recent “pranks meant to scare theaters and audience members,” according to a statement by Shen Yun.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2026. The senator is serving his seventh term in the upper chamber, but has recently experienced a decline in health.
Vice President JD Vance is confident that Trump will be able to pull through a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “I really believe we’re on the cusp of peace in Europe for the first time in three years because we have leadership from the Oval Office that we haven’t had in four years,” he said in an interview with Mercedes Schlapp at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
—Stacy Robinson
