It is no secret that the Trump Administration has, in less than a few weeks, already “flipped the script” on policy and regulatory skulking in the federal government.
On the surface, it seems to many that President Trump has signed many, many executive actions in his first few days. However, when you understand the “down and dirty” of executive actions, he has only pushed forth about 8 actions, according to The White House. The only president who has signed more executive actions than any other president was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, per the expectation of his (at best) lackluster plans to bring the U.S. out of the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Granted, though, the actions are monumental compared to past administrations’ executive actions. This is especially the case, based on the point of view that is invited when an outsider looking in views a move to limit immigration or order a hiring freeze. In an effort to get past the political ambitions of his executive actions, President Trump has presented his political and policy agenda for the next four years with the ratification of these actions and the subject matter, in which, they deal with.
As we saw, the first “monumental” executive action President Trump pushed forth on the executive branch was to start limiting the economic and regulatory burden on the American people, invited by Obamacare. Naturally, the proponents of Obamacare saw this as the early stages of a potential repeal and replace. They weren’t wrong to fret. Pushing a repeal and replacement plan for the health care reform has long been a mission for the President while he was on the campaign trail and for the Congressional Republicans who seek to still have their seats in 2 to 6 years. Coinciding this assessment on the situation for Obamacare, the future of the plan is, rightfully, in doubt and (due in part to the compelling sentiments of the new executive branch leadership) will be corrected to allow for freer health care markets.
Nevermore, Obamacare rollback actions have been dissected like no other. With this, though, the executive action that I view that is the most indicative of the coming weeks, months, and years of policy under a Trump presidency is the regulatory freeze and the installation of the 1 for 2 rule for any new rulemaking.
The regulatory freeze did more than just stop final Obama policies, at the cusp of the peaceful transition of power. It currently prevents any unnecessary rule making that will put a stranglehold on the economy even more than these “rules” already do. The 1 for 2 rulemaking model also proves effective when agencies which to update and streamline regulations and codes to be more efficient, and (better yet) smaller in some cases. For every new rule, an agency creates, 2 old rules will be removed, forcing the agencies to be precarious and accountable, even a little more.
Though I do not wish to provide too much commentary on the immigration and refugee resettlement actions, I will contend that these such actions, and really all of them, have some unseen benefit for American citizens in the marketplace. I admit that I voted for President Trump with reluctance and very generous optimism, but at the moment in time, I feel my optimism is well placed. Pushing the argument further, the simplest fact to all of this is that some could say that Trump is ordering away the Obama policies from the past eight years. The sentiment is not too far-fetched; but, what it really comes down to is when is it appropriate for President Trump to know when enough is enough, in regards to executive actions.
President Trump must not overly abuse the executive orders powers given to him in his new post. I think we all can agree that Trump has a crossroads to overcome: abusing the executive power bestowed upon him like his predecessors or allowing Congress to legislate how the people and the government interact.
A government researcher and emissions scientist is not a product designer. An EPA regulator is not a manufacturing plant worker. And, most importantly, the president is not an everyday American.