A Comprehensive Overview of Trump's Executive Orders
Shortly after taking office in his second term, President Donald Trump and his administration issued executive actions related to federal grant funding, immigration, health care, student financial aid, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), global health, and other areas. These orders, proclamations, and directives have touched various sectors, reflecting the administration's policy priorities.
Federal Grant Funding and Oversight
On Aug. 7, the Trump administration issued the executive order “Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking." The order directs each agency head to designate a senior appointee to create a process to “review new funding opportunity announcements and to review discretionary grants to ensure that they are consistent with agency priorities and the national interest.
Immigration Policies
Several executive actions focused on immigration, including the proclamation issued on Sept. 19, 2025, titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers." This proclamation restricts H-1B visa holders from entering or re-entering the United States to work on an H-1B visa unless accompanied or supplemented by a payment of $100,000.
Another immigration-related action orders the Attorney General to publish a list of States and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws (sanctuary jurisdictions).
The administration also invoked the Alien Enemies Act to make Tren de Aragua (TdA) subject to immediate apprehension, detention, and removal, and further that they shall not be permitted residence in the United States.
Read also: Impact of Trump on Student Debt
Healthcare Initiatives
The Trump administration issued several executive orders related to healthcare, including the executive order Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients issued on May 12. On Feb. 25, the Trump administration issued the executive order Making America Healthy Again by Empowering Patients with Clear, Accurate, and Actionable Healthcare Pricing Information. On Feb. 13, the Trump administration issued the executive order Establishing the President’s Make America Health Again Commission. The order tasks the commission (chaired by the Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
In his first week in office, President Trump issued a series of executive orders (EOs) targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the public and private sectors. These executive orders are designed to chill and prohibit lawful efforts to advance equal opportunity.
On Jan. 25, the Trump administration issued the executive order Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-based Opportunity which directed the attorney general and secretary of education to issue joint guidance within 120 days to state and local educational agencies and higher education institutions receiving federal funds regarding measures and practices required to comply with the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard Supreme Court decision. This executive order also directed the OMB director to compile a report outlining recommendations for enforcing federal civil rights laws and encouraging the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences.
Global Health
On Jan. 20, the Trump administration issued an executive order providing notice that the United States intends to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). This order sets a 12-month notice for the United States to leave the WHO and discontinue its financial contributions.
The administration also expressed its commitment to UNHRC, UNESCO, and UNRWA, indicating an intent to withdraw from UNHRC and halt UNRWA funding.
Read also: The Impact on Education
Education
On April 23, President Donald Trump signed seven executives orders impacting elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education. Inez “Annette” Albright, who previously worked in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2024, was on hand as a special guest for the signing ceremony. In June 2016, Albright - who worked as a substitute teacher, tutor, and behavioral modification technician - was involved in an altercation with students. No public school in North Carolina has ever been designated persistently dangerous.
This order says, “It is the policy of the United States to optimize and target Federal investments in workforce development to align with our country’s reindustrialization needs and equip American workers to fill the growing demand for skilled trades and other occupations. In her statement, McMahon said, “Not every student needs to attend a four-year university to enter a family-sustaining career.
“University accreditation is currently a process controlled by third party organizations - that’s by statute, by law,” said Sharf. “The existing accreditation monopoly raises costs, contributes to the ever-increasing tuition and fees faced by American families, favors legacy four-year institutions, blocks new accreditors from the market, interferes with states’ governing board decisions, and pushes universities in ideological directions when they should be focused on core subjects,” said McMahon in her statement. A law passed during the 2023 long session now requires North Carolina colleges and universities to change accreditors every 10 years, or after each cycle.
Additional Executive Actions
- Protecting Children: On Jan. 28, the Trump administration issued the Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation executive order, intended to prohibit gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19.
- Government Efficiency: On Feb. 26, the Trump administration issued the executive order Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative.
- Civil Rights: On Feb. 14, the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, in guidance issued through a Dear Colleague letter, warned that educational institutions who fail to comply with federal civil rights law may lose federal funding. The letter signaled its intent to enforce an expanded interpretation of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v.
- NIH Grant Funding: On Feb. 7, the NIH issued a notice seeking to implement “a standard indirect rate of 15% across all NIH grants for indirect costs [also known as facilities and administrative (F&A) reimbursements] in lieu of a separately negotiated rate for indirect costs in every grant.” The AAMC led the filing of a lawsuit with four other organizations arguing that the Feb. 7 notice from the NIH was illegal and would result in irreparable harm if it went into effect. On Feb., District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted the AAMC’s motion and issued a nationwide temporary restraining order.
- Agency Communications: On Jan. 21, Acting HHS Secretary Dorothy Fink, MD, directed agency leaders to temporarily pause external communications and public meetings. This policy was expected to remain in effect only until Feb.
- Federal Hiring Freeze: On Jan. 20, the administration issued a freeze on the hiring of federal civilian employees throughout the executive branch.
- FEMA Review Council: Extends the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council through March 25, 2026, and continues the interagency body established to assess FEMA's structure, performance, and disaster response capabilities. Assigns the Secretary of Homeland Security responsibility for administering the Council under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (P.L.
- Combating Fentanyl Trafficking: Designates illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and directs the use of national security, criminal, sanctions, intelligence, and military-support authorities to combat fentanyl trafficking.
- Terrorist Organizations: Designates certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, specifically those in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). Designates Antifa as a "domestic terrorist organization" and directs all relevant federal agencies to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle its operations. Authorizes investigatory and prosecutorial actions against those who provide material support or funding to Antifa-linked activities.
- Child-Welfare System: Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to modernize the nation's child-welfare system by improving data collection, updating state systems, expanding the use of advanced technology, and publishing annual performance scorecards.
- Ambler Road Project: Approves AIDEA's appeal under ANILCA, reverses BLM's 2024 denial, and reinstates federal authorizations for the 211-mile Ambler Road Project.
- Federal Advisory Committees: Renews 22 federal advisory committees across multiple agencies through September 30, 2027. Assigns responsibility for each committee to the relevant agency head and replaces earlier committee renewal provisions from Executive Order 14109 of September 29, 2023.
- Expedited Immigrant Visas: Allows foreign nationals or corporations to secure expedited immigrant visas by making a substantial financial gift to the Department of Commerce.
- Enforcing Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act: Further extends the federal government's delay on enforcing the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (P.L.
- Memphis Safe Task Force: Establishes a multi-agency "Memphis Safe Task Force" to coordinate resources to combat violent crime in Memphis and authorizes mobilizing National Guard.
- Intelligence Activities: Agency for Global Media to the list of agencies performing intelligence or national security functions.
- Cash Bail Reform: Directs federal agencies to identify and potentially suspend funding to jurisdictions that have substantially eliminated cash bail for crimes posing public safety risks, including offenses involving violent, sexual, or indecent acts, or burglary, looting, or vandalism.
- Commercial Space Industry: Aims to streamline commercial license and permit approvals for United States-based commercial space industry operators.
- 2028 Summer Olympics: Establishes a White House Task Force to coordinate federal actions supporting the 2028 Summer Olympics, focusing on security, transportation, visa processing, and emergency preparedness.
- EPA Regulations: This proclamation concerns the EPA’s April 5, 2024 final rule on ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions, which imposes stricter controls on commercial sterilization facilities. It grants a two-year exemption from the new requirements to certain facilities listed in Annex I. Steel and Cleveland-Cliffs. Grants a two-year exemption from compliance with the EPA’s HON Rule for 25 specified chemical manufacturing facilities. Exempts six coal-fired power units in Ohio, Colorado, and Illinois from compliance with EPA’s revised Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for two additional years, through July 8, 2029.
- Nuclear Energy: Directs DoD and DOE to deploy advanced nuclear reactors for military and AI infrastructure by 2028, with site deployment at DOE facilities within 30 months. Directs the Department of Energy to submit a comprehensive fuel cycle report, expand enrichment and reprocessing under the Defense Production Act (DPA), and fund reactor restarts and construction through the Loan Programs Office (LPO). Directs the Department of Energy to reform national lab processes and establish a pilot program to approve at least three advanced reactor test sites outside the labs, with operations targeted by July 4, 2026. Directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to undergo structural, cultural, and regulatory reform to accelerate licensing timelines, reduce costs, and support rapid deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.
- Drug Prices: drug prices with those in other developed nations, ensuring American patients pay a fair share for pharmaceutical R&D.
- Criminal Regulatory Offenses: Eases the criminal enforcement of criminal regulatory offenses. Within 365 days of the date of this order, the head of each agency shall provide to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a report that lists all criminal regulatory offenses enforceable by the agency or the Department of Justice.
- Southern Border Security: Directs the Secretaries of Defense, Interior, Agriculture and Homeland Security to grant the Department of Defense jurisdiction over federal lands, excluding Indian reservations, for military activities to secure the southern border. Additionally, the Secretary of Defense will assess and propose options to expand the Maritime Industrial Base using both government authorities and private capital, and within 90 days, several cabinet members will deliver a report on addressing workforce challenges in the maritime sector.
- Grid Reliability: Orders emergency action to boost grid reliability, fast-tracking approvals for max power generation during threats.
- Smithsonian Funding: Prohibits Smithsonian funding for divisive exhibits.
- Election Integrity: This Order enforces the federal ban on foreign nationals voting and requires citizenship proof and state/local verification. Provide Social Security and death records to election officials. EAC must stop funding non-compliant states. AG to share info on election law violations and prioritize enforcement against foreign contributions.
- Investments: government to restrict PRC investments in strategic sectors and create a fast-track process for allied investments.
- Foreign Policy: Requires all foreign policy officers to follow the President’s direction. Failure leads to discipline, including separation.
- South Africa: Orders the United States to not provide aid or assistance to South Africa.
- International Criminal Court: Order imposes sanctions and visa restrictions on ICC officials targeting America and Israel.
- Religious Freedom: Order ensures that any unlawful and improper conduct, policies, or practices that target Christians are identified, terminated, and rectified.
- Iran: Imposes maximum pressure on Iran to end nuclear threats, missile programs, and terrorism support. Enforces sanctions, reviews waivers, halts oil exports, isolates Iran diplomatically, and restricts technology flow.
- Trade Tariffs: Imposes an additional 25% duty on all products of Mexico. Imposes an additional 20% duty on all products of the People's Republic of China. Imposes a 25% duty on Canadian products, except for energy, which faces a 10% duty.
- Collective Bargaining Agreements: No approval of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) 30 days before a new president.
- Federal Workforce: Order merit-based recruitment, hiring, and promotion, prioritizing safety and ability.
- Assassination Records: Declassification of Records Concerning the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- Refugee Admissions Program: Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) as of January 27, 2025, with case-by-case admissions possible. The Secretary of State will report every 90 days on resuming USRAP.
- Rescinding Orders: Rescinds several executive orders made during the Biden-Harris administration.
Implications and Reactions
The EOs also try to empower the Trump administration to interfere in private sector efforts to open up opportunity. If the Trump administration fully implements these EOs, they will erect new barriers to federal programs and employment, making the federal government less able to meet the needs of the nation.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and programs help organizations comply with civil rights laws by ensuring that all people are on an equal footing in the workplace and in educational and medical settings. Organizations that roll back these efforts risk violating anti-discrimination laws if unfair barriers persist. The EOs also do not change the reality that the American Dream is not equally available to all.
Read also: Presidential Son in Higher Education
In 2023, the Department of Education reported that it received the most civil rights complaints in its history, most of which allege race, sex, or disability discrimination. While the number of Black people with college degrees has increased over the last two decades, Black people remain relegated to lower wage jobs and less lucrative industries compared to white people with similar levels of education, and Black women experience some of the largest pay gaps. Black people and other people of color in the United States suffer disproportionately from preventable disease and premature deaths, including high rates of maternal mortality, despite living in a country with one of the most advanced medical systems in the world-racial disparities that persist even when accounting for socioeconomic status, lifestyle, insurance coverage, and other risk factors.
At the end of the day, a successful diversity, equity, and inclusion program strives to ensure that no one feels excluded or treated unfairly. Federal programs should serve everyone equally. The federal workforce is best able to serve our country if it reflects the full range of available talent.
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