The country began to see the effects of President Donald Trump’s policies in his second week in office, with the White House implementing tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, border crossings plummeting, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs shuttering, and the federal workforce facing the decision to return to the office or resign.
As promised, Trump’s administration has been moving at warp speed to implement his agenda, signing more than 200 executive actions just hours after taking the Oath of Office. Trump immediately cracked down on immigration, and by the beginning of his second week in office, migrant encounters dropped significantly. The number of migrants arriving at the southern border plummeted by 63% as of Monday.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem participated in an immigration enforcement raid in New York City, targeting “murderers, kidnappers, and individuals charged of assault and burglary.” The operation continued through Friday. Border czar Tom Homan said that as of Monday, the Trump administration had removed and returned 7,300 illegal immigrants and had deported them to Mexico, Jordan, Brazil, and El Salvador.
The president also signed the Laken Riley Act into law, the first piece of legislation to become law in his second administration. The measure directs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants arrested or charged with theft-related crimes, or those accused of assaulting a police officer. The law also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration.
Beyond the border, the president’s action to end DEI programs across the federal government has continued. The Office of Personnel Management ordered agency heads and directors to close their DEI offices, and an Office of Management and Budget memo was released, which aimed to freeze funding to various federal programs that were focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Justice Department fired more than a dozen key officials who worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team prosecuting Trump, after Acting Attorney General James McHenry said they could not be trusted in “faithfully implementing the president’s agenda.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt held her first-ever press briefing in the James S. Brady room and fielded many questions from reporters on the memo. She maintained that programs including Social Security benefits, Medicare, food stamps, welfare benefits, and other assistance going directly to individuals would not be impacted. However, by Tuesday evening, a federal judge imposed an administrative stay, pausing the Trump administration’s action. On Wednesday, the White House opted to rescind the memo, but stressed to Fox News Digital that it was committed to freezing federal grants and loans aimed at woke programs.
The Office of Personnel Management sent a note to federal workers offering them the option to resign and receive full pay and benefits through Sept. 30. The administration demanded that all federal workers return to in-person, in-office work, and federal workers have until Feb. 6 to decide if they will return to work or if they will resign.
The rapid changes came to a quick halt on Wednesday night after an American Airlines plane and Army helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. The flight had left Wichita, Kansas, earlier that day. All 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed dead.
The president signed two executive orders addressing aviation, following a deadly D.C. crash. The president also signed an executive order to create a Task Force 250, a White House task force focused on coordinating the plans and activities surrounding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The president also signed a memo that would lift the collective bargaining agreements that former President Joe Biden put into effect before leaving office. The memo would also create a task force to plan an “extraordinary celebration” for the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
As for the Cabinet, Duffy was confirmed as Transportation secretary; Doug Burgum was confirmed as secretary of the Interior; Lee Zeldin was confirmed as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; and Scott Bessent was confirmed as Treasury secretary.
