Executive Order News

Washington may be burning with talk of impeachment, but President Donald Trump is not fiddling. He’s continuing to deliver valuable results on regulatory reform. On Oct. 9, he issued two executive orders (here and here) that protect the public—the people, their employers, and their communities—against unknown agency interpretations of the law that could cost them…

It’s rare to find good news when it comes to the federal government’s fiscal health. The national debt is now a staggering $22.8 trillion, the current fiscal year deficit is likely to exceed $1 trillion, and annual federal spending increases far exceed economic growth even during good years. All this makes the latest executive order…

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that he said would “fundamentally” change the health care market by requiring hospitals to disclose in an easy-to-read format what patients pay out of pocket for services. The order, which the Department of Health and Human Services will implement, is designed to improve consumer incentives to shop…

President Donald Trump issued an executive order effectively freezing federal pay for 2019 at current 2018 levels. Had the president not issued this executive order (and lacking congressional action on federal pay), federal workers would have received a 2.1 percent across-the-board pay increase, as well as a 25 percent increase in locality-based pay. A 2.1…

President Donald Trump’s critics have found something else to rend their garments over: his determination to end so-called “birthright citizenship.” Why, they thunder, it’s unconstitutional. And even if it could be changed, it can’t be by executive order. They’re wrong on both counts. That probably comes as a surprise to many Americans, including some who…

When it comes to the 14th Amendment, my good friend and fellow Justice Department veteran Andy McCarthy agrees that it does not require birthright citizenship. And we’re not alone: Other experts, such as noted constitutional law scholar John Eastman, law professor and former dean of the Fowler School of Law at Chapman University and a…

President Donald Trump’s new executive order allowing the sanctioning of foreign individuals attempting to influence American elections is a necessary step in the right direction, but more can be done. The Heritage Foundation consistently recommends pushing back against nation-state actors who use cyber and other means to attack American interests. This new executive order is…

When President Donald Trump recently issued three executive orders that made it easier to fire poorly performing government employees, the backlash from public-sector unions was fierce. Union leaders did not like it—one called it an “assault on federal employees.” But a recent poll shows a slight majority of government workers—51 percent—supports the administration’s efforts. Moreover,…

President Donald Trump is making welfare reform a major priority and will sign an executive order laying out the administration’s goals while also urging action by Congress, a White House official said Thursday. Trump’s executive order will be twofold, said Paul Winfree, director of budget policy at the White House. The order will state the…

President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Thursday that moves health care a step in the right direction. The executive order instructs the secretaries of treasury, labor, and health and human services to propose regulatory changes that would increase choice and competition in health insurance. This is the right course of action. In…

Draining the swamp doesn’t just mean shrinking the size of federal bureaucracies. It means reducing the role of government throughout our society—including its ability to seize land. A good place to start is President Donald Trump’s executive order, which calls for a review of national monument designations—a tool long used by presidents to unilaterally restrict…

As promised, President Donald Trump has issued an “energy independence” executive order to undo several of the Obama administration’s climate change regulations. To the benefit of all Americans who desire affordable, dependable energy, the executive order will help energy companies establish some independence from overzealous regulators. Here’s what the order does: Orders the Environmental Protection…

Two federal judges, both nominated by President Barack Obama, have issued injunctions against President Donald Trump’s revised executive order temporarily restricting travel from six terrorist safe havens in the Middle East and Africa. The decisions by Derrick Kahala Watson in Hawaii and Theodore David Chuang in Maryland should shock no one—not because the judges are…

Washington talks a tough game about tackling federal spending, but President Donald Trump is beginning to take real action. On Monday, Trump issued a new executive order that would require the director of the Office of Management and Budget to conduct a review of all executive branch agencies and, in an effort to improve efficiency,…

President Donald Trump’s revised executive order restricting travel from terrorist safe havens is just as constitutional and legal as his original order, despite what some courts such as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said about the original order. But the revisions he has made, which clarify that the executive order does not apply…

In light of President Donald Trump’s executive order that should put an end to the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, The Heritage Foundation released the following statement: President Trump’s executive order instructing the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to reevaluate the Waters of the United States rule is welcomed…

President Donald Trump is moving rapidly to fulfill campaign promises early. With little activity from Congress so far, Trump has used executive actions to achieve what he pledged to do. Trump is on track to begin his fourth week in the White House having issued 12 executive orders. While questions have surfaced over Trump’s use…

President Donald Trump took a swipe at overregulation this week, issuing his first executive order aimed at controlling—and reducing—regulatory costs. The order requires that federal agencies adopting a new regulation must eliminate two existing regulations from the books. Borrowed from similar rules in effect in countries including the United Kingdom and Canada, the idea has…

President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Monday demanding federal agencies repeal two regulations for every new one issued, marking the delivery of a campaign promise to cut most federal rules. Trump’s making good on a promise to repeal 75 percent of federal regulations, including rolling back most of the $900 billion in regulations…