President Donald Trump continued full speed ahead in his third week back in office, ending a 60-year agency, brokering trade deals, jailing illegal immigrants abroad, Gaza plans, China tariffs, banning transgender athletes, and Musk’s controversial DOGE reforms.
Republicans praised his actions, while Democrats raised objections about legality and congressional oversight.
Here are eight takeaways from Trump’s third week.
Deals With Mexico, Canada
On Feb. 3, Trump announced deals with Canada and Mexico on tariffs.
Earlier, Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on both, citing the threat of illegal immigration and fentanyl.
Following backlash, Trump on Feb. 3 reached deals with both countries on Feb. 3. Mexico will deploy troops to its border, while Canada appointed a “fentanyl czar” and invested $100 million to curb trafficking.
China Tariffs
Trump also vowed on Feb. 1 to levy 10 percent tariffs on Chinese imports on top of existing imports that target key products, including semiconductors.
China retaliated by imposing tariffs on U.S. energy imports and other products, including agricultural machinery and large-engine automobiles.
China said it would implement a 15 percent tariff on coal and liquified natural gas products, as well as 10 percent tariffs on crude oil, both of which would take effect on Feb. 10.
DOGE Steamrolls Forward Amid Lawsuits
Since DOGE began its ambitious goal of rooting out government waste last month, the advisory commission has drawn the ire of some Democratic lawmakers as it sends teams to multiple federal agencies, installing advisors and accessing data and IT systems.
Those Democrats see DOGE’s efforts as a breach of congressional oversight if the team’s actions lead to changes in federal funding or what agencies continue to operate, which are under Congress’s authority.
Republicans, meanwhile, have defended DOGE in a broader goal to cut costs and eliminate wasteful spending.
So far, the DOGE team has accessed IT systems at multiple agencies.
Trump has defended DOGE, saying that its work is done at his discretion and guidance.
Trump Floats Relocating Palestinians from the Gaza Strip
Trump also announced a controversial plan for the Gaza Strip following the conclusion of the war between Israel and Hamas.
In a Feb. 6 post on Truth Social, Trump suggested that Israel would turn over the Gaza Strip to the United States “at the conclusion of fighting” and that Palestinians “would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region.”
The End of USAID
This week also saw the de facto end of a 60-year-old government agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
On Feb. 3, the Trump administration closed USAID’s offices and placed most of its employees on administrative leave, appointing Secretary of State Marco Rubio as acting director of the agency. USAID’s Washington offices in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center were stripped of exterior signage.
The next day, the president indicated that the agency may be shuttered and its functions permanently transferred to the State Department.
Ban on Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports
On Feb. 5, Trump signed an executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” banning transgender athletes from participating on women’s athletic teams.
The order aimed to uphold the administration’s interpretation of federal Title IX rules, created in 1972, which banned sex-based discrimination in education. Title IX also created the groundwork for women’s athletic programs. Trump’s order defines women based on biological sex at birth instead of “gender identity.”
Admin Reviews J6 Cases, Biden Gun Policies
The Department of Justice (DOJ) also took actions this week to evaluate the former DOJ’s handling of January 6 cases. Meanwhile, Trump also ordered the review of former President Joe Biden’s Second Amendment policies.
On Feb. 6, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the creation of a “Weaponization Working Group” to investigate what she described as the weaponization of the government against Trump in the previous administration.
The group will review actions taken during the previous administration that appear to have been “designed to achieve political objectives or other improper aims rather than pursuing justice or legitimate governmental objectives,” Bondi wrote.
In a Feb. 7 executive order, Trump called for a review of all Second Amendment-related policies, projects, rules, and government actions from January 2021 through January 2025.
Trump has long expressed alignment with pro-gun stances, having vowed on the campaign trail to uphold the Second Amendment.
Task Force to Root out ‘Anti-Christian Bias’
On Feb. 6, Trump signed an executive order to form a task force that would “eradicate anti-Christian bias” within the federal government.
“The mission of this task force will be to immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ—which was absolutely terrible, the IRS, the FBI, terrible—and other agencies,” Trump said in announcing the move, which came during one of two National Prayer Breakfast events that he attended on Thursday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi will chair the task force, which will include the heads of at least 15 federal entities, including the departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Labor, and Health and Human Services.
—Jacob Burg, Joseph Lord
BOOKMARKS
A half-dozen former Jan. 6 prisoners are sharing their side of a story that they say has been suppressed and distorted for the past four years. The Epoch Times’ Janice Hisle reported on what these men had to say following their pardon by Trump.
Many men are increasingly taking on an active role in the pro-life movement. The Epoch Times’ TJ Muscaro spoke to some of these to learn what’s driving the trend.
A Democratic senator has said that he and his fellow Democrats are open to shutting down the government in March if President Donald Trump’s recent actions to slim down the federal government are not halted. It comes as Democrats raise increasing objections to Trump’s unilateral use of executive authority.
Office of Management and Budget chief Russ Vought, who recently took over as the acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), said on Feb. 8 that he is suspending the flow of new funding to the agency, The Epoch Times’ Jacob Burg reported. Vought scrutinized CFPB’s budget, saying the agency’s $711.6 million in the bank is “excessive in the current fiscal environment.”
