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What Trump Did And Did Not Achieve In His First 200 Days

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Michael Bastasch DCNF Managing Editor
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President Donald Trump has been in office for 200 days, and in that time he’s made some headway on his campaign promises, but the administration still has a lot on its plate, especially when it comes to some of the biggest campaign pledges.

Trump got a good start on rolling back Obama-era regulations and pushing policies to boost U.S. energy production, but the administration has been unable to get a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act through Congress.

The president made good on his promise to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, but he hasn’t started laying the groundwork for tax reform, nor has he made much progress on the 2018 budget.

Here’s a list of Trump’s major accomplishments in his first 200 days, along with major goals he has yet to meet:

Accomplishments

  • Pulling out of the Paris agreement

Trump announced his withdrawal from the climate accord in June, and the Department of State formally notified the United Nations that the U.S. will leave the deal in November 2019.

  • Repealing regulations

The administration has rescinded or delayed 860 regulations, meaning that 16 regulations have been repealed for every new one put in place, including most of former President Barack Obama’s “Climate Action Plan.”

  • Energy

Along with repealing regulations, the Trump administration has taken steps to open up federal lands and waters to energy development. Most recently, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke issued an order to address the huge backlog of oil and natural gas drilling applications.

  • Massive gains against ISIS

After months of heavy fighting, Iraqi coalition forces finally pushed Islamic State militants out of Mosul in early July. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters Monday that the U.S. is also supporting efforts to rid the Philippines of ISIS cells.

  • VA reform

Trump signed legislation in June to make it easier to fire and punish Veterans Affairs employees, including those who are convicted of felonies.

  • Illegal immigration

Illegal border crossings fell in May fell 64 percent from 2016 and arrests at the border were down 53 percent from the year before, according to government data.

  • SCOTUS

The Senate confirmed Neil Gorsuch as the newest U.S. Supreme Court justice in April.

Still To Go

  • Repeal Obamacare

Republican leadership has twice failed to push legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act. “Repeal and replace” was one of Trump’s main promises on the campaign trail.

  • Tax reform

Nowhere in sight.

  • Immigration

The White House is supporting legislation to cut the number of green cards and favor more skilled immigrants, but it hasn’t gone through the political sausage-making machine.

  • NAFTA

Trump recently released his goals for renegotiating the landmark trade deal, but that process hasn’t begun. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. businesses dissuaded Trump from attacking NAFTA earlier this year.

  • Thousands of positions to fill

Trump has to fill 4,000 positions, and about 1,200 of those need Senate approval. So far, Trump has appointed only 277 people to fill these positions, 124 of which have been confirmed.

  • Refugees

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld parts of Trump’s executive order temporarily banning refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, meaning it’s only partly in effect. There are still legal challenges to the order winding its way through court.

  • The wall

The administration has started the process of building the U.S.-Mexico border wall, but Congress hasn’t approved funding needed to complete the project.

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