Donald Trump came into office on Jan. 20, 2025, and started off with a bang, signing 36 executive orders in just his first week. According to Hearst Television Data Team, Trump set the record by signing more executive orders in a week than any of the last 15 presidents.
Historically, executive orders were used to execute promises made by presidents during their campaigns that Congress might oppose. Trump has taken full advantage of this ability, affecting issues like immigration, climate change, and more.
Here are four executive actions that have major impacts and what they mean:
Federal Funding Freeze: Trump issued a memorandum that temporarily paused financial assistance programs such as grants and loans from the federal agency. This leads to schools, hospitals, and nonprofits that rely on federal funding to no longer get the appropriate money to serve the public. Head Start programs, Risk school meal programs, critical medical research, and more would be cut off from vital resources.
Birthright Citizenship: This order aims to revoke birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, asserting that those in the U.S. illegally shouldn’t be given this right. After a lawsuit in Maryland by five undocumented pregnant women and two nonprofit organizations that work with immigrants, temporary relief was granted. The lawsuit claimed that the action violated the 14th Amendment and that citizenship through birth is a fundamental right practiced for 250 years.
Defining Sex as Only Male or Female on Official Documents: Trump altered how federal agencies define gender by requiring that the “biological sex” assigned at birth is what individuals should accept. This action sidelines transgender and nonbinary people, reversing decades of slow but steady progress on LGBTQ+ rights.
Environmental Protection Laws: Many executive orders issued by Trump focused on minimizing critical climate protections and drastically increasing fossil fuel extraction. Some would argue this ignores decades of scientific research and focuses on reversing the fundamental mandate of the EPA to reduce greenhouse gasses. This can lead to an increase in dangerous pollution, extreme weather events, and harm to the public.
There are many more executive actions taken by Donald Trump that affect the nation as a whole. The only way these orders can be overturned is if Congress passes legislation that invalidates it—which is still likely to happen if enough people are willing to go against the orders. It will be interesting to see whether the disagreements surrounding these decisions will lead the United States to act.
