The very start of Trump’s
presidency could well be his favorite time. We have pictures of him sitting
very seriously and very importantly at his desk signing executive orders
in his very bold, angular signature. With one stroke of
his pen he changes the country and the world! Or so he thinks.
I wonder.
For example, he
will build the wall along the Mexican border! Well, I think it takes $15 billion to do that, and that is up to Congress to fund. I understand he has some administrative funds
at his discretion, but we shall see if the tight-fisted Republican Congress obeys
his commands.
(No, wait! News just came across the wire! – Trump will
pay for the wall with a 20% tax on the food and goods imported from Mexico – yes, of
course, Mexico will pay for the wall after all!
No, wait… Americans will pay for the wall by paying higher prices for
Mexican food and goods. It’s going to take a lot of beer and tomatoes to pay
for a $15 billion wall.)
Is this what he promised - to have Americans pay for the wall in higher prices?
I think he
thinks he has been made king. We shall see.
I believe General Eisenhower was surprised to learn that the Executive
Branch was not like the Army – giving an order didn’t mean that it was carried
out. It’s more complicated in politics
than the military - or in a privately owned one man business enterprise.
Here is a list of
his executive orders and tweet commands so far per Lisa Desjardins of PBS:
12. Border wall. This order also directs the
hiring of an additional 5,000 border patrol agents, subject to funding. Congress?
11. Deportations and sanctuary cities. The order also directs the hiring
of 10,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, though it states
that is subject to funding. Congress?
10. Review manufacturing regulations. With the aim of finding ways to
speed up permitting and all federal processes for them. Congress? The Courts?
9.
American steel in pipelines. “to
the maximum extent possible.” Congress?
The Courts?
8.
Speeding up environmental reviews for all priority infrastructure. Congress? The
Courts?
6 + 7. Speeding approval
of Dakota Access and Keystone Oil Pipelines. The Courts?
5. Federal hiring freeze. The president has told agencies
they cannot fill any
vacant positions nor
open new ones, with two exceptions: military personnel and critical public
safety positions.
4.
TPP. This
memorandum withdraws the
United States from all Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and from signing the trade deal.
Congress is already refusing to ratify this.
3.
Abortion. President
Trump has ordered that federal dollars cannot go to organizations
that provide abortion services. Oh well, when Reps gets into office
this is what they do.
2.
Regulation freeze. The
president has frozen all
regulations now in
process (but not approved) until they are approved by him or an agency after he
took office. Obama's symbolic actions at his end are being countered by Trump's symbolic action at his start.
1. ACA rollback. Mr. Trump has allowed all agency
heads to waive
requirements of the Affordable Care Act to the “maximum extent permitted by
law.” Congress and the Courts will have
a lot to say about this.
It’s possible that he and his team will get everything on this
list, plus the multitude of executive orders and Command Tweets to come, but …
really?
I think Mr. Trump may find out he is not a king after all, but
just the top person in one third of the government – Executive, Legislative,
and Judicial. And, by the way, since he
has decided to wage war against the Fourth Estate – the press – and his own
Intelligence agencies, I am not sure that he is in quite as commanding position that he thinks he is right
now.
