The following story ran first on The Politician, the political newspaper of The Rider Online. Check The Politician often for updates on President Donald Trump as well as other political news.
It has been little over one week since President Donald J. Trump has been inaugurated, and he has already been hard at work to “make America great again.” President Trump has taken no time to enjoy his first days of his presidency and has been getting straight to work to fulfill the promises he made the millions of voters who voted for him. Check out the list below to see what he’s already done.
Bye Obamacare
President Trump has taken the first steps to repeal the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, which grants over 20 million Americans government-funded or subsidized health insurance plans.
Build the Wall
The newly elected president revealed his plans to construct a wall in between Mexico and the United States to block illegal immigration, a major promise that he made on his campaign trail. He signed an executive order for construction of the wall, and further strained relations with Mexico when he announced that they will be paying for the wall with a 20 percent import tax. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto emphasized that Mexico will not be paying for the wall.
Submitted Cabinet
President Trump submitted his Cabinet picks to the U.S. Senate for approval. The U.S. Senate has already approved James Mattis as the new Defense Secretary and John Kelly as the Homeland Security Secretary.
Cut Taxes for Big Business
President Trump met with business executives and promised to cut taxes for them, but has threatened to implement a heavy border tax if they decide to move their jobs and companies overseas.
Hiring Freeze
The president has called for a temporary hiring freeze for government workers. His memorandum specifically states that “no vacant positions existing at noon on Jan. 22, 2017, may be filled, and no new positions may be created, except in limited circumstances.”
Breaks Up with the TPP
The Trans-Pacific Partnership’s purpose was to exponentiate economic growth by slashing tariffs and fostering trade. Twelve countries were involved including the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia and Vietnam. Concerned that this partnership will hurt American workers and jobs, he officially removed the United States from those relations.
Visa Ban
Controversy arose when President Trump signed an executive order banning visas to the United States from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. These seven countries have majority Muslim populations, and President Trump cited protection from terrorism as his main reason for the ban. An outburst of protests began at DFW International Airport after nine people were detained coming from those countries in Terminal D. Customs and Border Protection announced the detainees would be released to their families on Sunday, Jan. 29.
Approved Dakota Access Pipeline
President Trump approved the construction of the 1,200 mile Dakota Access Pipeline which would 470,000 barrels of crude oil a day across four states. Controversy arose when construction would go over Native American Reservations, and environmental activists worried of extreme fossil fuel emissions.
