Executive Orders and Presidential Memoranda of the Trump Administration in First 100 Days


As with other presidents, President Trump used executive orders and presidential memoranda to fulfill various campaign promises (1, 2).  His first executive order "Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal" came the day he was sworn in.  During his first 100 days Trump issued a total of 30 executive orders.

The most controversial of these was the executive order "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States" which Trump signed on Jan. 27.  This broad edict included a suspension of refugee admissions for 180 days and prohibition of entry from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days.  Commentators variously described the order as the immigration ban, travel ban or "Muslim ban," although the administration refuted the latter characterization.  The order was issued without warning, giving officials no time to prepare and leading to very messy implementation.  For several days the news media were filled poignant stories of individuals being detained or turned back at airports.  Legal challenges quickly arose, and on Feb. 3, in response to a lawsuit by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, U.S. District Judge James Robart issued a nationwide temporary restraining order blocking key provisions (1, 2).  Trump responded with a Tweet, "The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!"  However, on Feb. 9 a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling (>).  Trump introduced a revised executive order on March 6 (+), but that was held up in a May 25 ruling by a divided Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (>).  The adminstration took the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court, which on June 26 allowed parts of the order to take effect and said it would hear the case ([PDF], +).

While the travel ban generated a huge furor, others of Trump's executive actions were likewise broad and far-reaching and perhaps much more consequential.  For example, an executive order from Jan. 23 set out a hiring freeze, one from Jan. 30 said that "for every one new regulation issued, at least two prior regulations be identified for elimination," and one from Mar. 13 charged the OMB Director with developing a comprehensive plan for reorganizing the Executive Branch.  An executive order from Jan. 25 on "Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements" drew concern from the immigrant community when the Department of Homeland Security issued details on implementation on Feb. 20.  An effort to withhold federal grant money from sanctuary jurisdictions, set out in another executive order from Jan. 25 ("Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States") was blocked on April 25 by U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick (+).  A presidential memorandum from Jan. 28 raised eyebrows for including Assistant to the President and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon on the Principals Committee, while leaving off the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence; a subsequent presidential memorandum from April 4 removed Bannon.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13792
April 26, 2017

Review of Designations Under the Antiquities Act

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13793
April 27, 2017

Improving Accountability and Whistleblower Protection at the Department of Veterans Affairs
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13794
April 28, 2017

Implementing and America-First Offshore Energy Policy




EXECUTIVE ORDER 13789
April 21, 2017

Identifying and Reducing Regulatory Tax Burdens
 

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13790
April 25, 2017

Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13791
April 26, 2017

Enforcing Statutory Prohibitions on Federal Control of Education




EXECUTIVE ORDER 13786
March 31, 2017

Regarding the Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13787
March 31, 2017

Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13788
April 18, 2017

Buy American and Hire American
 




EXECUTIVE ORDER 13783
March 28, 2017

Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13784
March 29, 2017

Establishing the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13785
March 31, 2017

Establishing Enhanced Collection and Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duties and Violations of Trade and Customs Laws




EXECUTIVE ORDER 13781
March 13, 2017

 Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13782
March 27, 2017
Revocation of Federal Contracting Executive Orders




EXECUTIVE ORDER 13777
Feb. 24, 2017

Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13778
Feb. 28, 2017

Restoring Rule of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the "Waters of the United States" Rule
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13779
Feb. 28, 2017

The White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities




EXECUTIVE ORDER 13774
Feb. 9, 2017

Preventing Violence Against Federal, State, Tribal, and Local Law Enforcement
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13775
Feb. 9, 2017

Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13776
Feb. 9, 2017

Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety




EXECUTIVE ORDER 13771
Jan. 30, 2017

Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13772
Feb. 3, 2017

Core Principles for Regulating the United States Financial System
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13773
Feb. 9, 2017
 
Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking





EXECUTIVE ORDER 13770
Jan. 28, 2017

Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Appointees




EXECUTIVE ORDER 13765
Jan. 20, 2017

Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13766
Jan. 24, 2017

Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals For High Priority Infrastructure Projects
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13767
Jan. 25, 2017
 

Federal Register

Presidential Memoranda
PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
April 21, 2017

Financial Stability Oversight Council

PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
April 21, 2017
Orderly Liquidation Authority
PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
April 27, 2017

Aluminum Imports and Threats to National Security




PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
April 4, 2017

Organization of the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and Subcommittees
PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
April 12, 2017

Delegation of Authority under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017

PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
April 20, 2017
 Steel Imports and Threats to National Security




PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
March 6, 2017
Implementing Immediate Heightened Screening and Vetting of Applications for Visas and Other Immigration Benefits


PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
March 19, 2017
Delegation of Authority Under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017
PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
April 3, 2017

Principles for Reforming the Military Selective Service Process




PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 28, 2017

 Plan to Defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 28, 2017

Organization of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council

PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Feb. 3, 2017

Fiduciary Duty Rule




PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 24, 2017

Construction of American Pipelines

PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 24, 2017

Streamlining Permitting and Reducing Regulatory Burdens for Domestic Manufacturing
PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 27, 2017

Rebuilding the U.S. Armed Forces




PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 23, 2017

The Mexico City Policy

PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 24, 2017

Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline

PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 24, 2017

Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline




PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 20, 2017

Regulatory Freeze Pending Review
PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 23, 2017

Hiring Freeze
PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
Jan. 23, 2017

Withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations and Agreement