It’s been seven days since Donald Trump’s inauguration and the new President of the United States has already made some big changes. Keep reading for the five things we think should know about his first week in the White House.
1. Increased Security Around our Nation’s Borders:
On Wednesday, Donald Trump signed two executive orders that require a more strict border patrol, especially in border cities of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. As promised during his campaign, Trump still plans on building a wall between the US and Mexico. However, some politicians are still unsure of how he is going to make Mexico pay for this wall if the country’s Government is not compliant. He is expected to take his plan one step further by restricting refugees from entering the country, as well as denying individual’s visas and green cards from certain countries sometime within the next week.
2. Rollback of the Affordable Care Act:
Donald Trump, as stated in his campaign, has had no delay in signing another executive order that tells the Department of Health and Human Services (among other departments) to roll back certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. In 2015, Obamacare covered over 16 million people who would not have been covered if it wasn’t for the ACA. While President Trump’s orders do not necessarily give these agencies the power to alter the ACA yet, it proves to the American people that he will not hesitate to do so in the future.
3. The Executive Order Banning Federal Money to be used for Abortions:
On Monday, President Trump signed another executive order, banning any money obtained by the government from going to international groups that perform abortions. This order prohibits any federal funds from being used in family planning agencies, which not only includes abortions, but physician counseling for the patients as well. Donald Trump is prohibiting these organizations from using their own money under this order. Even though it does not pertain to anywhere inside the United States just yet, the President does support an abortion ban in here in the US. By signing this, Trump expanded what was already known as the Global Gag Rule.
4. Opted out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership:
One of Donald Trump’s first acts as President was to withdraw from the negotiations process over the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This partnership boosted trade between the US and 11 other countries, but also raised questions about environmental regulations, among other things. He referred to this free trade agreement as a “job killer” and addressed it immediately upon being sworn into office. Although Trump decided to opt out of this agreement in order to save jobs from going overseas, it actually gives China an opportunity to expand its economic power in Asia… allowing the country to become more powerful than it already is. Trump plans on redesigning the US’s trade agreements with other countries by always putting America first.
5. Energy Production and Oil Pipelines:
Donald Trump has also recently signed orders reviving two disputed oil pipelines, the Keystone XL pipeline between the United States and Canada, and the Dakota Access Pipeline, running from North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa, and into Illinois. This pipeline transports over 450,000 barrels of crude oil a day across the four states. The Dakota Access Pipeline has been the victim of protests for months due to the controversial location of the pipeline. It runs through Lake Oahe, near a Sioux Tribe in North Dakota and the Sioux people claim that the pipeline will pollute the lake and ruin their peaceful way of life. President Trump signed orders that approve these pipelines and set aside roadblocks for the Dakota Access Pipeline, insisting that it won’t disturb the Sioux tribe’s way of life directly.
