diff --git "a/b2b8ccc4-370c-4e5b-892a-3926d6fc8783.json" "b/b2b8ccc4-370c-4e5b-892a-3926d6fc8783.json" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/b2b8ccc4-370c-4e5b-892a-3926d6fc8783.json" @@ -0,0 +1,40 @@ +{ + "interaction_id": "b2b8ccc4-370c-4e5b-892a-3926d6fc8783", + "search_results": [ + { + "page_name": "What are Trump's policy goals for a second term? : NPR", + "page_url": "https://www.npr.org/2023/11/19/1214042408/what-are-trumps-policy-goals-for-a-second-term", + "page_snippet": "NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with national political reporter Jill Colvin of The Associated Press about the policy goals underlying Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.What are Trump's policy goals for a second term? NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with national political reporter Jill Colvin of The Associated Press about the policy goals underlying Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. The public's heard a lot about Donald Trump's legal challenges, but what will happen if he survives those and wins the election a year from now? His proposals haven't gotten that much attention. He's sat out the Republican debates. But to his base, he's been busy outlining his goals, and in many cases, he's promising to go further than he did in his first term. DONALD TRUMP: We will start by exposing every last crime committed by crooked Joe Biden because now that he indicted me, we're allowed to look at him. And I will direct a completely overhauled DOJ to investigate every Marxist prosecutor in America. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with national political reporter Jill Colvin of The Associated Press about the policy goals underlying Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. ... The public's heard a lot about Donald Trump's legal challenges, but what will happen if he survives those and wins the election a year from now?", + "page_result": "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat are Trump's policy goals for a second term? : NPR\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n
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\n What are Trump's policy goals for a second term? NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with national political reporter Jill Colvin of The Associated Press about the policy goals underlying Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.\n
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What are Trump's policy goals for a second term?

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What are Trump's policy goals for a second term?

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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with national political reporter Jill Colvin of The Associated Press about the policy goals underlying Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

The public's heard a lot about Donald Trump's legal challenges, but what will happen if he survives those and wins the election a year from now? His proposals haven't gotten that much attention. He's sat out the Republican debates. But to his base, he's been busy outlining his goals, and in many cases, he's promising to go further than he did in his first term. Jill Colvin is a national political reporter for the Associated Press. She's been following Trump's 2024 campaign and joins us now. Welcome to the program.

JILL COLVIN: Thanks so much for having me.

RASCOE: Let's start with immigration - what many would consider to be a big weak spot for President Biden. This year alone, the U.S.-Mexico border has received a record number of migrants - 2.4 million - and that's causing problems even in Democratic strongholds like Chicago and New York. So what is Donald Trump saying that he'd do?

COLVIN: You know from covering him that immigration has always been one of the former president's key issues. And what he's proposing for a second term goes far beyond what he tried to accomplish the first - with ideas that are far more extreme. He is proposing what he calls the largest-ever deportation operation in American history. He says that he wants to reimpose that travel ban that targeted Muslim-majority countries. He wants to expand that. He's proposing these ideological tests where he says that anybody coming into the country - they will test to see whether they're communists, whether they are bigots and people who dislike the United States - that he will bar those people as well. And he's also proposed a radical reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment that would bar the constitutional right of birthright citizenship to people who are born in the country.

RASCOE: The economy is another spot where Biden has been seen as weak because of high inflation. What are Trump's priorities here?

COLVIN: Well, Trump, as I'm sure you'll not be surprised to hear, has been quite focused on tariffs. He wants to implement a universal tariff on all imported goods. He's talked about 10% as a potential benchmark. And the way that Trump talks about tariffs - he presents it as though - that it doesn't impact the price that the consumers pay when they're actually purchasing these items, which, of course, is not the way that tariffs work.

RASCOE: And tariffs are an area where a president has a lot of power, right?

COLVIN: Yeah, absolutely, and that's something, you know, that he was very aggressive on in his first term in office. And, you know, he's somebody who has been very skeptical of trade deals - you know, somebody who pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. And so it's an area, you know, where he learned during his first term that the president has a lot of, you know, ability to push through things without, you know, needing the help of Congress.

RASCOE: As we mentioned earlier, Trump is caught in a web of criminal indictments and civil suits. It seems like he has a plan for dealing with even that. Here's a clip of what Trump said earlier this month.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DONALD TRUMP: We will start by exposing every last crime committed by crooked Joe Biden because now that he indicted me, we're allowed to look at him. And I will direct a completely overhauled DOJ to investigate every Marxist prosecutor in America.

RASCOE: As president, he could make some of these changes, right?

COLVIN: Absolutely. I mean, this is, I think, the most significant thing that we're going to be talking about today - the proposals that he has put forward replacing, you know, everybody there - his perceived enemies. And he's gone as far as to say that he intends to appoint a special prosecutor to go after Biden, to go after his family. He could even - and he intends, even - to go after potential opponents if somebody is doing well, he says - if somebody is potentially beating him, even though he couldn't run for another term. He wants to go after those people and indict them as well. And so he's really viewing the Justice Department as a tool that he can use to enact retribution and to punish the people that he feels have gone after him unfairly.

RASCOE: Why would there be or why has there been criticism of Trump's proposed approach to the Justice Department?

COLVIN: Well, there's been a long-standing tradition in this country of the Justice Department being thought of as independent from the White House, from the president. You know, it's quite, you know, stunning to hear, you know, a political candidate talking about using that power to target their political enemies. But, you know, we saw during Trump's first term the extent to which he really thought of the federal government as sort of his - he implied that the lawyers who worked in the White House counsel's office and the Justice Department as sort of being his lawyers, and they're to serve him. And so this is really an extension of that kind of thinking.

RASCOE: In addition to all of these, like, legal issues, there are a lot of issues that, you know, you could call culture wars that he has keyed in on a lot, like transgender rights. What has Trump said about these?

COLVIN: You know, it's interesting. At Trump's rallies now, he gets the biggest applause line still when he talks about transgender issues and proposes things like banning men from participating in women's sports, you know? He says that he will push Congress to enact a bill establishing that there are only two genders recognized by the U.S. government. And it's not just transgender issues that he's been talking about. He's also been talking about crime, you know, sending the federal - you know, National Guard into cities like Chicago that he deems out of control, talking about a federal takeover of Washington, D.C., because of crime and because when he drives through, he sees graffiti that he doesn't like. These proposals really, you know, run the gamut and are quite popular with his supporters.

RASCOE: It seems like a lot of supporters of Trump and Trump himself are trying to learn from his term in office before. With that knowledge that they have now, how much more prepared do you think they are?

COLVIN: Trump and his allies are extraordinarily more prepared if he wins a second term in office. You know, when they arrived at the White House in 2017, it was chaos. They knew very little about the levers of federal power. They tried to push through these executive orders that were immediately mired in the courts, had to go through one iteration after the next in order to get these things to stand up legally. And so they are far more prepared not just because they had four years in office to sort of learn, you know, the levers of federal power but because they've had these years since to work on these issues, to lay out plans.

RASCOE: That's Jill Colvin, an Associated Press national political reporter. Thank you so much for joining us.

COLVIN: Thanks for having me.

(SOUNDBITE OF BREMER/MCCOY'S \"MASSIV\")

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", + "page_last_modified": "" + }, + { + "page_name": "Here's the full list of President Donald Trump's executive orders", + "page_url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/here-s-full-list-donald-trump-s-executive-orders-n720796", + "page_snippet": "It's been less than a month since Donald Trump took office, and the 45th president has already signed a dozen executive orders.It's been less than a month since Donald Trump took office, and the 45th president has already signed a dozen executive orders. President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order to advance construction of the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House on Jan. 24.Kevin Lamarque / Reuters \"Never has there been a president \u2014 with few exceptions, in the case of FDR, he had a major Depression to handle \u2014 who's passed more legislation, who's done more things than what we've done,\" Trump said. \"I think we've been about as active as you can possibly be at a just about record-setting pace.\" Trump's claim hinges on the slew of executive orders he has signed, which in his first 100 days exceeded that of any other recent president. President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order to advance construction of the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House on Jan. In his first three weeks alone, Trump signed a burst of orders to undo many of President Barack Obama's policies. Later in June, in his first meeting with his Cabinet, he claimed to have accomplished more than most previous U.S. presidents: \"Never has there been a president \u2014 with few exceptions, in the case of FDR, he had a major Depression to handle \u2014 who's passed more legislation, who's done more things than what we've done,\" Trump said. President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order to advance construction of the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House on Jan. 24.Kevin Lamarque / Reuters ... Feb. 14, 2017, 10:39 PM UTC / Updated Oct. 17, 2017, 3:58 PM UTC \u00b7 By Avalon Zoppo, Amanda Proen\u00e7a Santos and Jackson Hudgins \u00b7 Since Donald Trump took office early this year he has signed a long and ever-growing list of executive orders, hoping to fulfill a number of his campaign promises.", + "page_result": "Here's the Full List of Donald Trump's Executive Orders
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Here's the Full List of Donald Trump's Executive Orders

It's been less than a month since Donald Trump took office, and the 45th president has already signed a dozen executive orders.
\"Image:
President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order to advance construction of the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House on Jan. 24.Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Since Donald Trump took office early this year he has signed a long and ever-growing list of executive orders, hoping to fulfill a number of his campaign promises.

In his first three weeks alone, Trump signed a burst of orders to undo many of President Barack Obama's policies. Later in June, in his first meeting with his Cabinet, he claimed to have accomplished more than most previous U.S. presidents:

\"Never has there been a president \u2014 with few exceptions, in the case of FDR, he had a major Depression to handle \u2014 who's passed more legislation, who's done more things than what we've done,\" Trump said. \"I think we've been about as active as you can possibly be at a just about record-setting pace.\"

Trump's claim hinges on the slew of executive orders he has signed, which in his first 100 days exceeded that of any other recent president.

\"Image:
President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order to advance construction of the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House on Jan. 24.Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Here's an updated overview of each of Trump's orders:

\"Executive Order Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act\"

Signed: Jan. 20, 2017

Hours after being sworn in, Trump signed an executive order aimed at reversing the Affordable Care Act \u2014 Obama's landmark legislation \u2014 which Republicans vowed to \"repeal and replace\" throughout the campaign.

The executive order states that the Trump administration will \"seek prompt repeal\" of the law. To minimize the \"economic burden\" of Obamacare, the order instructs the secretary of health and human services and other agency heads to \"waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation\" of any part of the law that places a fiscal burden on the government, businesses or individuals.

Also in the order are directions to give states more control over implementing health care laws.

\"Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals for High-Priority Infrastructure Projects\"

Signed: Jan. 24, 2017

The order outlines how the administration will expedite environmental reviews and approval of \"high priority\" infrastructure projects, such as repairs to bridges, airports and highways.

The order directs the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), within 30 days of a request, to determine a project's environmental impact and decide whether it is \"high priority.\" Project review deadlines are to be put in place by the CEQ's chairman.

The order is widely believed to have been issued in response to the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

\"Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States\"

Signed: Jan. 25, 2017

The order outlines changes to a few immigration policies, but most notably it strips federal grant money to so-called sanctuary cities.

In addition, the secretary of homeland security is ordered to hire 10,000 more immigration officers, create a publicly available weekly list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants and review previous immigration policies.

The order also creates an office to assist the victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants and calls on local and state police to detain or apprehend people in the United States illegally.

\"Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements\"

Signed: Jan. 25, 2017

The order is aimed at fulfilling one of Trump's key campaign promises \u2014 enhancing border security \u2014 by directing federal funding to construction of a wall along the Mexico-U.S. border. It instructs the secretary of homeland security to prepare congressional budget requests for the wall and to \"end the abuse of parole and asylum provisions\" that complicate the removal of undocumented immigrants.

Other parts of the order call for hiring 5,000 more Border Patrol agents, building facilities to hold undocumented immigrants near the Mexican border and ending \"catch-and-release\" protocols, in which immigrants in the United States without documentation are not detained while they await court hearings.

\"Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States\"

Signed: Jan. 27, 2017

The order suspends the entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries \u2014 Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia \u2014 for 90 days and stops all refugees from entering the country for 120 days. Syrian refugees are banned indefinitely. During the time of the ban, the secretary of homeland security and the secretary of state will review and revise the refugee admission process.

Also in the order is the suspension of Obama's 2012 Visa Interview Waiver Program, which allowed frequent U.S. tourists to bypass the visa interview process.

White House officials have made a number of contradictory statements, at times calling the order a \"ban\" and at other times referring to it as a \"travel restriction.\" After the order was signed, thousands of protesters popped up at airports across the country to denounce it.

Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world - a horrible mess!

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017

\"Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Appointees\"

Signed: Jan. 28, 2017

This order stops all executive branch officials from lobbying for five years after they leave office and places a lifetime ban on lobbying a foreign government.

The order enacts a number of other lobbying restrictions, including banning appointees from accepting gifts from registered lobbyists and banning appointees who were lobbyists from participating in any issues they petitioned for within the last two years.

Some raised concerns over how Trump will fill the jobs in his administration under the new rules.

\"Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs\"

Signed: Jan. 30, 2017

The order states that executive departments and agencies must slash two regulations for every one new regulation proposed. Regulation spending cannot exceed $0, and any costs associated with regulations must be offset with eliminations.

The order also directs the head of each agency to keep records of the cost savings, to be sent to the president.

\"Core Principles for Regulating the United States Financial System\"

Signed: Feb. 3, 2017

The order lays the administration's \"Core Principles\" regarding the U.S. financial system, which includes:

  • Making regulation \"efficient, effective and appropriately tailored\"
  • Preventing government bailouts
  • Ensuring that U.S. firms are competitive with foreign companies

The order directs the treasury secretary to review financial regulations and report back to the president 120 days later with a determination of whether current policies promote the \"Core Principles.\"

\"Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety\"

Signed: Feb. 9, 2017

The order directs Attorney General Jeff Sessions to create a task force that would propose new legislation to reduce crime, highlighting drug trafficking, illegal immigration and violent crime. The task force will submit yearly reports to the president.

Throughout the campaign, Trump promised voters a return to \"law and order\" in the United States and said minorities from inner cities are \"living in hell\" because of violent crime.

\"Preventing Violence Against Federal, State, Tribal, and Local Law Enforcement Officers\"

Signed: Feb. 9, 2017

The order calls on the Justice Department to \"enhance the protection and safety\" of law enforcement by increasing penalties for crimes committed against officers.

The attorney general is also instructed to review and determine whether existing federal laws adequately protect law enforcement and later to propose legislation to better protect officers. The order directs the Justice Department to recommend changes in federal grant funding to law enforcement programs if they do not protect officers.

\"Enforcing Federal Law With Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking\"

Signed: Feb. 9, 2016

The order outlines the administration's approach to cutting down on organized crime \u2014 including gangs, cartels and racketeering organizations \u2014 by enhancing cooperation with foreign governments and the ways in which federal agencies share information and data.

It identifies human trafficking, drug smuggling, financial crimes, cyber-crime and corruption as \"a threat to public safety and national security.\"

The Threat Mitigation National Intelligence \u2014 of which Sessions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and the secretary of homeland security are co-chairmen \u2014 will review and recommend changes to federal agencies' practices in a report to be delivered to the president within 120 days.

\"Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice\"

Signed: Feb. 9, 2017

Two weeks after Trump fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, this order changes the order of succession for Sessions, who won approval as attorney general last week. The sequence is: the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

A week before leaving office, Obama signed an executive order changing the order of succession without explanation.

\"Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda\"

Signed: Feb. 24, 2017

Under this order, each agency must designate an official as its Regulatory Reform Officer (RRO), who will be responsible for reviewing current regulations and making recommendations to the agency head on how to modify them. The RRO must hone in on certain regulations, such as those that are outdated or are perceived to curtail job creation.

The order reiterate's Trump's plan to cut down on regulations and comes nearly a month after the president signed an executive order requiring agencies to slash two regulations for every one proposed.

\"Restoring the Rule of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the 'Waters of the U.S.' Rule\"

Signed Feb. 28, 2017

The order calls on federal agencies to revise a regulation put in place by former president Barack Obama called the Clean Water Rule. Signed in 2015, the rule expanded the number of bodies of water protected by the federal government to include streams, ponds and smaller waterways.

Trump's order directs the administrator of the EPA and the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works to review the rule and propose a new one that either eliminates or revises Obama's rule.

\"White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities\"

Signed Feb. 28, 2017

The order transfers the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (WHHBCU) from the Department of Education to the Executive Office of the President. Since its creation under President Ronald Reagan, the initiative had been under the purview of the Education Department.

Trump met with dozens of HBCU presidents the day prior for a listening session, which many students and college leaders were quick to protest out of skepticism that the president was using the meeting as a PR stunt.

In an interview with NBC News, Omarosa Manigault said of the order, \"We understand that the executive order starts the action but there are so many different steps in terms of defining programming.\"

\"Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the U.S.\"

Signed: March 6, 2017

The order revises Trump's original U.S. immigration ban, which was hit with dozens of lawsuits shortly after being signed in February and blocked by a federal judge in Washington state. The new order, which goes into effect March 16, bans citizens from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

The countries include Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya. Iraq was removed from the list after the Iraqi government said it would increase information sharing with the United States.

\"Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch\"

Signed: March 13, 2017

The order assigns the Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney to propose a plan to \"reorganize and governmental functions and eliminate unnecessary agencies\" in an effort to cut down of federal spending and improve \"efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of that agency.\" Within 180 days, the heads of select agencies must submit individual plans to Mulvaney, who will have another 180 days to send a plan to the president.

During a daily press briefing, Press Secretary Sean Spicer called the executive order \"long overdue\" and said agencies will undergo a \"thorough investigation\" into fiscal waste, though he was unable to provide a target goal for the amount of money the order aims to save.

\"The Revocation of Federal Contracting Executive Orders\"

Signed: March 27, 2017

The executive order revokes key components of the Obama administration's previous executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or identity, gay rights advocates say.

Organizations representing the LGBTQ community say the \"Presidential Executive Order on the Revocation of Federal Contracting Executive Orders\" hobbles several of Obama's previous orders including the \"Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces\" order by revoking the requirement that companies seeking federal contracts prove they've complied with federal laws banning discrimination based on sexual identity or orientation.

\"Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth\"

Signed: March 28, 2017

The order directs the Environmental Protection Agency to review another executive order, called the Clean Power Plan, signed by Barack Obama in 2014. Obama's plan, which aimed to reduce carbon pollution from power plants, was halted by the Supreme Court in 2016.

Trump's new order also asks agencies to review any regulations that could \"potentially burden the development or use\" of oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy resources. Within 180 days, the agencies must submit reports to the Office of Management and Budget, which will take action to eliminate regulations.

\"Establishing the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis\"

Signed: March 29, 2017

The order creates the \"Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and Opioid Crisis,\" which will study the federal government's effectiveness in fighting drug addiction by reviewing funding levels, accessibility of treatment services, prescription practices and youth educational messages. A report will be sent to the president within 90 days of the order being signed.

Trump appointed Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey as head of the commission.

\"Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits\"

Signed: March 31, 2017

The order directs the Commerce Department and U.S. Trade Representative to compile a report on trade practices that contribute to the trade deficit. The report will look at each of America's trade partners and assess whether the country's trade practices unfairly discriminate against the U.S.

Forms of discrimination the report will assess includes non-tariff barriers, anti-dumping and intellectual property theft. Within 90 days, the report will be sent to the White House detailing causes for the deficit.

.@POTUS @realDonaldTrump signs executive orders on trade that will set the stage for revival in American manufacturing. #AmericaFirst pic.twitter.com/oQexlbnLtn

\u2014 Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) March 31, 2017

\"Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice\"

Signed: March 31, 2017

The order changes the succession line for the Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The new sequence is:

  • United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia
  • United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina
  • United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas

\"Establishing Enhanced Collection and Enforcement of Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties and Violations of Trade and Customs Law\"

Signed: March, 31, 2017

The order directs the secretary of homeland security to develop a plan within 90 days to combat two types of non-trade barriers placed against the U.S.: anti-dumping and countervailing duties.

The order also directs the DHS Secretary and Treasury secretary to step up seizure of counterfeit goods and protect American companies from intellectual property right infringement.

\"Buy American, Hire American\"

Signed: April 18, 2017

The order has two parts. The \"Hire American\" portion of the bill targets the H-1B visa program, which allows businesses to hire high-skilled workers from outside the U.S., by putting less emphasis on the lottery system used to determine which companies can sponsor visas.

The \"Buy American\" portion of the order directs agencies to tighten rules that give priority to U.S. companies when hiring contractors or purchasing goods. This would be done by reducing the use of waivers and exceptions to current laws. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross must submit a review of \"Buy American\" loopholes within 220 days.

\"Identifying and Reducing Tax Regulatory Burdens\"

Signed: April 21, 2017

The order directs Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin to review within 60 days all tax regulations put in place in 2016 and 2017 that put an \"undue financial burden on United States taxpayers.\"

Within 150 days, Mnunchin will submit a plan to the president detailing ways to alleviate \"the burden imposed by regulations\" identified in the initial review.

'Presidential Executive Order on Identifying and Reducing Tax Regulatory Burdens'
Executive Order: https://t.co/vk0jEZDHPo pic.twitter.com/6p0vtWh4Xy

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2017

\"Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America\"

Signed: April 25, 2017

The order creates a task force, led by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, that will identify policy options to promote U.S. agriculture business and job growth in rural America. The task force must submit a report to Trump within 180 days.

The task force will look at regulations that impede U.S. agricultural growth and for ways to encourage the use of agricultural products made in America.

'Presidential Executive Order on Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America'
Executive Order: https://t.co/PMz29hioJN pic.twitter.com/cpwTMWgRme

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2017

\"Review of Designations Under the Antiquities Act\"

Signed: April 26, 2017

The order directs the Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke to review federal monument designations \u2014 including national parks \u2014 made since 1996 that cover more than 100,000 acres of land. Under the 1906 Antiquities Act, presidents have the power to protect land.

Trump's order names one national monument designation in particular: Obama's 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Zinke must submit a report to Trump within 45 days.

\"Enforcing Statutory Prohibitions on Federal Control of Education\"

Signed: April 26, 2017

Under the order, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is directed to study federal overreach in local and state education systems.

As a strong advocate for charter schools, DeVos will determine within 300 days whether federal education regulations take control away from states in areas such as curriculum, school administration and textbook or library content.

\"Improving Accountability and Whistleblower Protection\"

Signed: April 27, 2017

The order is aimed at improving accountability within the Department of Veterans Affairs, which found itself at the center of a 2014 controversy in which dozens of veterans reportedly died while on the wait list for medical care. The order directs Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin to create the \"Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection\" in the department within 45 days.

The office will be charged with investigating wrongdoing within the department and terminating any VA employee who fails to \"carry out his or her duties on behalf of veterans.\"

\"We will always stand with those who stood for freedom and who stood for us. They protected us, they made it all possible, and now we\u2019re going to protect and take care of them,\u201d Trump said at the signing.

\"Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy\"

Signed: April 28, 2017

The order reverses a ban on Arctic leasing put in place under the Obama administration in December and directs Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to review areas available for off-shore oil and gas exploration.

\u201cWe are unleashing American energy and clearing the way for thousands and thousands of high-paying American energy jobs,\u201d President Trump said during the announcement.

\"Establishment of Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy\"

Signed: April 29, 2017

The order establishes the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, which will advise Trump on policies to increase economic growth and decrease the trade deficit. Leading the new office is Trump appointee and National Trade Council Director Peter Navarro, who said he wants to renegotiate NAFTA.

The office will also help implement the \"Buy American, Hire American\" executive order signed by Trump on April 18.

\"Addressing Trade Agreement Violations and Abuses\"

Signed: April 29, 2017

The order directs Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to review all U.S. trade agreements, as well as relations with countries that run trade deficits with America.

Within 180 days, Ross must send a performance review to Trump detailing any violations.

#ICYMI- On Saturday I signed two EO's to help keep jobs & wealth in our country.
EO1: https://t.co/XJggnJAiPi
EO2: https://t.co/AKxef169fm pic.twitter.com/1IZnxAXUGU

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2017

\"Establishment of the American Technology Council\"

Signed: May 1, 2017

The order launches the American Technology Council, headed by 19 different Trump administration officials and cabinet members who will be tasked with modernizing the federal government's digital services and technology.

The task force, which ends in 2021, will \"coordinate the vision, strategy, and direction\" regarding the federal government's use of information technology.

\"Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty\"

Signed: May 4, 2017

The order eases IRS enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, which bans churches from engaging in political speech. It also gives relief to companies that disagree with the Affordable Care Act mandate on contraception in health care coverage.

Although the order shows Trump delivering on a key campaign promise, congressional approval is needed to fully repeal the law.

\"Establishment of the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity\"

Signed: May 11, 2017

The order creates a commission, led by Vice President Mike Pence, to investigate allegations of voter fraud and voter suppression in the U.S. voting process. The commission, called the \"Presidential Commission on Election Integrity,\" will review vulnerabilities in the election system.

It comes following persistent and unfounded claims by President Donald Trump that the 2016 election was rigged and that millions of \"illegals\" voted to cost him the popular vote.

\"Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure\"

Signed: May 11, 2017

The order aims to strengthen the cybersecurity of networks within the federal government by having agency heads adhere to an outlined plan.

It directs the Director of the American Technology Council to present a report to Trump within 90 days outlining steps to take for a \"modern, secure, and more resilient\" IT structure. The Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Homeland Security are also directed to find ways to \"dramatically [reduce] threats perpetrated by automated and distributed attacks.\"

\"Expanding Apprenticeships in America\"

Signed: June 15, 2017

The order calls for the establishment of the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion, led and appointed by the labor secretary, which will \"identify strategies and proposals to promote apprenticeships, especially in sectors where apprenticeship programs are insufficient.\"

Apprenticeships, defined in the order as paid work with an educational component, are aimed at providing workers with relevant experience and skills that offer affordable paths to employment.

The order provides funding to promote apprenticeship programs across different industries, calls for the expansion of apprenticeship participation among students at educational institutions and instructs agencies to eliminate current federally funded apprenticeship programs deemed ineffective.

\"Amending Executive Order 13597\"

Signed: June 21, 2017

The order amends an executive order issued by the Obama administration on visa and foreign visitor processing that aimed \"to enhance and expedite travel to and arrival in the United States by foreign nationals.\"

It eliminates the clause that required 80 percent of non-immigrant visa applicants to be interviewed within three weeks of application receipt, and calls on the secretaries of State and Homeland Security to revise the visa expediting implementation plan laid out in Obama's order \"as necessary and appropriate.\"

\"Reviving the National Space Council\"

Signed: June 30, 2017

The order \"revives\" The National Space Council, a council tasked with advising the president on space strategy that was first established in a 1989 executive order by George H. W. Bush. It appoints the Vice President as chairman and establishes the agency heads that will compose it.

The council will meet at least annually to review policies and develop strategies for space activity. The order mandates that the group submit a report to the President \"setting forth its assessment of, and recommendations for, the space policy and strategy of the United States Government\" within the next year.

\"The establishment of the council is another demonstration of the Trump Administration's deep interest in our work, and a testament to the importance of space exploration to our economy, our nation, and the planet as a whole,\" said acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot in a statement about the order.

\"Allowing Additional Time for Recognizing Positive Actions by the Government of Sudan and Amending Executive Order 13761\"

Signed: July 11, 2017

The order comes in relation to a 1997 executive order issued by Bill Clinton, which named Sudan an \"unusual and extraordinary threat to national security\" for its support of terrorism, attempts at destabilizing regional governments, and serious human rights violations. The original order imposed a number of sanctions on Sudan, including a halt of all import and export deals with the country.

President Trump's new order is issued a day before a deadline proposed in a relatedexecutive order issued by the Obama administration, which pointed out that Sudan had since taken positive actions to address the issues cited in Clinton's order and called for a reevaluation of the punitive sanctions. Obama's order instructed relevant government bodies to \"provide to the President a report on whether the Government of Sudan has sustained the positive actions\" on or before July 12, 2017.

Trump's order extends the deadline for the report to October 12, 2017 to allow for \"additional fact-finding and a more comprehensive analysis of the Government of Sudan's actions.\" It also revokes a section of Obama's order requiring the same report to be updated annually and made available to the public.

\"Establishing a Presidential Advisory Council on Infrastructure\"

Signed: July 19, 2017

The order creates a Presidential Advisory Council on Infrastructure within the Department of Commerce in order to \"advance infrastructure projects that create high-quality jobs for American workers, enhance productivity, improve quality of life, protect the environment, and strengthen economic growth.\"

The council will be composed of up to 15 members appointed by Trump, private citizens with expertise in areas such as finance, real estate, construction and environmental policy. The group will submit a report to the president on potential infrastructure projects that could be carried out over the next 10 years, and is scheduled to be dissolved shortly after, unless given an extension by the president.

\"Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States\"

Signed: July 21, 2017

The order names national manufacturing as essential to economic strength and national security of the United States, and calls the loss of manufacturing jobs and an industrial base in the country a threat to national security.

In light of this, it demands that the Secretary of Defense and other relevant agencies provide \"a comprehensive evaluation of the defense industrial base and supply chains\" within 270 days of the executive order. The report will assess the strengths and weaknesses of national manufacturing capabilities, identify the manufacturing goods most essential to national security and recommend pertinent action by the President.

\u201cEstablishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process for Infrastructure\u201d

Signed: August 15, 2017

The order aims to increase the efficiency of the Federal infrastructure permitting process and revokes an Obama-era Executive Order that created stricter environmental review standards for federal projects in flood-prone areas.

It establishes \u201cOne Federal Decision\u201d for major infrastructure projects, assigning each project a lead Federal agency and creating a performance accountability system to track its progress. It also sets a goal of 2 years for the average completion time of the permitting process. While announcing the order, Trump called the current permitting process \"a massive, self imposed wound.\"

The order also revokes Executive Order 13690, which mandated stricter environmental review standards in floodplains as part of Obama\u2019s Climate Action Plan. That order required planners use flooding predictions that incorporated climate science.

\u201cImposing Sanctions with Respect to the Situation in Venezuela\u201d

Signed: August 25, 2017

The order prohibits the purchase of certain Venezuelan government bonds on the American market while still allowing for the import of crude oil.

Trump narrowly tailored sanctions to disrupt the Venezuelan government\u2019s ability to raise money by selling bonds or securities within the United States. The sanctions were in response to reports of human rights abuses and increasing authoritarianism in Venezuela, including the dissolution of the elected legislature. The country\u2019s economy is in shambles; the International Monetary Fund predicts its inflation rate will reach 2,349% in 2018.

\u201cRestoring State, Tribal, and Local Law Enforcement\u2019s Access to Life-Saving Equipment and Resources\u201d

Signed: August 28, 2017

The order revokes Obama-era limits on the repurposing of military equipment for law enforcement use.

On January 16, 2015, the former president issued an Executive Order seeking to limit police access to repurposed military gear. The order came in the wake of national criticism surrounding the police crackdown on protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, which included armored vehicles, tear gas, and heavily armed riot police in camouflage. Protesters were responding to the killing of Michael Brown, an 18-year old black man shot by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

Obama later approved recommendations that banned the transfer of certain equipment \u2014 like tracked armored vehicles and grenade launchers \u2014 to police forces completely, and mandated strict new guidelines for departments that acquired other military-issue devices.

The executive order nullifies those restrictions. On the day of the signing, Jeff Sessions told a Fraternal Order of Police conference in Nashville that the Executive Order would \u201csend a strong message that we will not allow criminal activity, violence and lawlessness to become the new normal.\u201d

\u201cProposed Acquisition of Lattice Semiconductor Corporation by China Venture Capital Fund Corporation Limited\u201d

Signed: September 13, 2017

The order bars a Chinese-backed venture capital firm from purchasing an American semiconductor company.

Trump acted in accordance with a recommendation from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), who determined the proposed takeover of the Lattice Semiconductor Corporation by an investment group linked to the Chinese government threatened national security interests. Lattice produces integrated circuits that could conceivably have military applications. In describing the risk, CFIUS cited the transfer of intellectual property, the Chinese government\u2019s role in the deal, the importance of domestic semiconductor supply chain integrity, and the previous use of Lattice products by the US Government as the main factors in their decision.

\u201cImposing Additional Sanctions with Respect to North Korea\u201d

Signed September 21, 2017

The order imposes wide-ranging sanctions that penalize North Korea and anyone doing business with the country.

It seeks to cut off sources of revenue to North Korea and punish anyone trading in goods, services, or technology with the country, including by barring ships or planes that enter North Korea from the United States for 180 days. The order allows the Secretary of the Treasury to sanction any foreign financial institution that conducts business with North Korea or North Korean individuals involved in illicit trade.

The order came shortly after North Korean conducted two intercontinental ballistic missile launches and an underground nuclear test. In a speech to the UN General Assembly three days before the signing of the Order, Trump told foreign leaders, \u201cNo one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea.\u201d

\u201cContinuance of Certain Federal Advisory Committees\u201d

Signed September 29, 2017

The order extends certain federal advisory committees until September 30, 2019.

Trump extended 32 federal advisory committees, including the Invasive Species Advisory Committee, the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee, and the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Presidents routinely issue similar orders extending the lifetime of federal advisory committees.

\u201cRevocation of Executive Order Creating Labor-Management Forums\u201d

Signed September 29, 2017

The order revokes an Obama-era Executive order that established a National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations and mandated the creation of labor-management forums.

Obama signed Executive Order 13522 in 2009, which created the 10 person National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations to advise the president on labor-management relations in the executive branch. It also created Labor-Management forums \u2014 committees or councils meant to increase dialogue between managers and employees represented by unions in the federal government. Trump ended both, describing the efforts as a waste of taxpayer resources and a failure in the Order.

\u201cPromoting Healthcare Choice and Competition Across the United States\u201d

Signed October 12, 2017

Trump\u2019s Executive Order on health care seeks to do three main things: allow small businesses more leeway to group together when providing or purchasing insurance, increase the availability and duration of short-term health insurance plans and widen the use of Health Reimbursement Arrangements, which let employers reimburse employees for health expenses rather than provide insurance themselves.

Analysts expect it will increase the availability of cheaper, bare bones plans for the young and healthy and raise premiums for older and sicker Americans. On Twitter, Senator Chuck Schumer called it \"a spiteful act of vast pointless sabotage leveled at working families and the middle class in every corner of America.\"

", + "page_last_modified": "" + }, + { + "page_name": "30 Things Donald Trump Did as President You Might Have Missed - ...", + "page_url": "https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/01/18/trump-presidency-administration-biggest-impact-policy-analysis-451479", + "page_snippet": "Trump\u2019s presidency may be best remembered for its cataclysmic end. But his four years as president also changed real American policy in lasting ways, just more quietly. We asked POLITICO\u2019s best-in-class policy reporters to recap some of the ways Trump changed the country while in office, ...Trump\u2019s presidency may be best remembered for its cataclysmic end. But his four years as president also changed real American policy in lasting ways, just more quietly. We asked POLITICO\u2019s best-in-class policy reporters to recap some of the ways Trump changed the country while in office, for better or worse. The Trump administration played a major but little-noticed role in pushing Congress to enact the most sweeping overhaul of financial crimes safeguards in decades, measures intended to stop money flowing to terrorists, drug traffickers and other wrongdoers. The legislation made its way into the National Defense Authorization Act, historically a must-pass bill each year. The move toward legalization is likely to accelerate under a Biden administration, which is expected to pressure Congress to pass legislation fixing some legal problems for cannabis companies, such as access to banking, and might even move to change its illegal status under the federal Controlled Substances Act. \u2014 Mona Zhang \u00b7 Trump dismantled Obama-era policies that were designed to curb abuses by for-profit colleges, including rules designed to make it easier for borrowers to obtain loan forgiveness if they were cheated or duped by their college. The upshot: Biden promised during his campaign that he would support expanding the number of high-skilled visas available, but after first reforming the temporary visa system to prevent favoring \u201conly entry level wages and skills.\u201d That\u2019s likely to be a heavy lift; Congress hasn\u2019t been able to pass comprehensive immigration reform since 1986. \u2014 Rebecca Rainey \u00b7 Trump\u2019s EPA essentially blew up a bipartisan deal to more strictly regulate toxic chemicals that Americans are exposed to daily and instead tapped a group of chemicals industry experts to run and advise the program.", + "page_result": "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n30 Things Donald Trump Did as President You Might Have Missed - POLITICO\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\n\nThe Big Idea\n

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\n30 Things Donald Trump Did as President You Might Have Missed\n

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Trump\u2019s presidency may be best remembered for its cataclysmic end. But his four years as president also changed real American policy in lasting ways, just more quietly. We asked POLITICO\u2019s best-in-class policy reporters to recap some of the ways Trump changed the country while in office, for better or worse.

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\nPresident Donald Trump changed some key areas of federal policy in ways that may have lasting impact well after his four years are up. | AP/Getty Images/POLITICO illustration\n

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By POLITICO Staff

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Many Americans will remember President Donald Trump\u2019s presidency as a four-yearlong storm of tweets, rallies and on-air rants that ended in a mob riot and historic second impeachment. But there was more to the Trump presidency than attention-hogging political drama and conflict; often unnoticed, Trump and his administration actually did succeed in changing some of the ways Washington works.

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From imposing a ban on Chinese-made drones to rolling back rules on sexual harassment, from cracking down on robocalls to letting states legalize marijuana, Trump changed some key areas of federal policy in ways that may have lasting impact well after he\u2019s gone.

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But here\u2019s the thing \u2014 between all the news coverage of the president himself, a global pandemic and various other upheavals, there\u2019s a good chance you missed a lot of them. So here is POLITICO\u2019s list of 30 important policy changes Trump made as president, how they\u2019ve affected our lives, families and businesses, and the prospects they will survive the incoming Biden administration.

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Obamacare

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Trump didn\u2019t repeal Obamacare \u2014 he accidentally bolstered it

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Trump came into office vowing to repeal Obamacare \u2014 and even took the law to court when that failed in Congress. But his most significant imprint on the Affordable Care Act was an accidental boost that happened when he stumbled into pouring billions of extra federal dollars into subsidizing Americans\u2019 coverage.

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The move: House Republicans had tried for years to cut off subsidies that helped low-income Obamacare enrollees with the co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles that come with their health plans. In 2017, Trump finally did it through administrative means after the GOP effort to replace the law fell apart \u2014 and he immediately drew intense outcry from Democrats and policy experts who called the move \u201csabotage.\u201d

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The impact: The health exchanges didn\u2019t collapse, as Trump had hoped. Instead, health plans and states quickly figured out a way to claw back the federal dollars they lost: They built the costs of the subsidies into premiums for Obamacare\u2019s benchmark \u201csilver\u201d policies. This meant that premiums for these \u201csilver\u201d plans spiked and as a result, the premium subsidies the government had to pay for low-income enrollees vastly increased. The concept, known as \u201csilver-loading,\u201d grew government subsidizing of the exchanges by upwards of $20 billion per year.

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The upshot: While Trump\u2019s moves made Obamacare plans increasingly unaffordable for the unsubsidized, Democrats quickly tamped down their criticisms since it accomplished their goal of significantly boosting funding for Obamacare. The incoming Biden administration isn\u2019t likely to reverse course.
\u2014 Susannah Luthi

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Strategy

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Trump refocused national security on great power competition

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Defense policy documents are so abundant they could wallpaper the Pentagon. But the Trump administration\u2019s \nNational Defense Strategy stands out as one of the most important defense policy shifts of the last generation, reorienting the American military to confront rising and increasingly aggressive powers Russia and China.

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The move: The 2018 strategy rewired the Defense Department\u2019s vast bureaucracy away from a focus on fighting insurgents and terrorists in the Middle East toward a long-term strategic competition with China and Russia. As a result, the military is changing how it trains personnel, which technologies it buys, and the geographic areas of the world where it prioritizes its forces.

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The impact: Already it has led to a reordering of the Pentagon budget and new investments supported by a bipartisan majority in Congress, including billions of dollars to beef up the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific.

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The upshot: Despite differences in tone and rhetoric, this is a refocusing of the United States\u2019 military posture that is expected to continue in the Biden administration.
\u2014 Bryan Bender

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Coronavirus

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Trump failed to provide workplace guidance, making safety harder for workers

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Arguably the most consequential decision Trump made involving American workers was something it chose not to do: It declined to implement a so-called \u201cemergency temporary standard\u201d when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Such a standard, issued when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration determines workers are in \u201cgrave danger,\u201d would have established immediate and mandatory workplace safety rules employers must follow to protect employees from exposure.

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The move: Despite pressure from Democrats, unions and worker advocates, OSHA refused to set rules for worker safety during the pandemic. Republicans defended the decision by saying the burden on companies struggling to stay afloat amid the recession would be too great. In the absence of a standard, employers have only had to comply with a mix of optional guidelines, able to pick and choose what precautions they take.

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The impact: The agency\u2019s backseat approach to workplace safety means Americans still face a dangerously unpredictable range of safety conditions when they show up to work. Though OSHA has cited some companies for coronavirus-related transgressions, many large corporations received meager fines even in cases where workers died from Covid-19. Democrats have attempted to include language mandating an emergency temporary standard in future rounds of pandemic aid \u2014 but their efforts have been unsuccessful.

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The upshot: One of the first things a Biden administration will likely move to do is instruct OSHA to step up worker safety enforcement \u2014 including by enacting an emergency standard and ramping up penalties on violators. Biden\u2019s campaign also pledged to double the number of OSHA investigators to enforce the law and existing standards.
\u2014 Eleanor Mueller

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Religion in schools

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Trump boosted religious organizations in education

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Trump failed to enact any sweeping school choice policy that sends money to parents to help them pay for private and religious schools. But his administration, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a devout Christian, found ways to expand federal support for religious schools and organizations at the Education Department.

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The move: DeVos tweaked a wide range of federal education policies, large and small, to bolster faith-based organizations. She changed regulations, for example, to make it easier for members of religious orders to access federal financial aid and expanded federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness to cover clergy members. And she created new protections for faith-based campus organizations at public universities.

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At the K-12 education level, DeVos stopped enforcing a policy that had prohibited religious organizations from providing publicly funded services\u2014such as tutoring, technology and counseling\u2014in private schools. And she opened up federal grants for charter schools to religiously affiliated organizations.

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The impact: Many religious education groups praised DeVos\u2019 changes, which she often described as effort to expand religious liberty. \u201cToo many misinterpret the \u2018separation of church and state\u2019 as an invitation for government to separate people from their faith,\u201d she said.

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The upshot: The Biden administration is expected to move quickly to roll back many of DeVos\u2019 education policies, but it\u2019s not yet clear how the incoming administration will approach her various policy tweaks to promote religious organizations.
\u2014 Michael Stratford

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Oversight

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Trump\u2019s Interior Department set a new standard for ignoring Congress

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Trump\u2019s Interior Department set a precedent that, while it may have escaped notice outside Washington, D.C., is almost certain to be influential going forward: It stonewalled Congressional oversight and got away with it.

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The move: Interior Secretary David Bernhardt showed up for Congressional hearings that decided the fate of the department\u2019s budget, but otherwise refused invitations from the House Natural Resources Committee to defend its policy actions under Trump. The attitude flowed down to sub-agency heads as well. Scott Angelle, the administration\u2019s head of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the office in charge of setting offshore drilling safety standards, told the committee he was \u201ctoo busy\u201d to answer the committee\u2019s request that he explain its practice of handing out waivers on regulation put in place in response to the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster.

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The impact: The foot-dragging in providing even basic information stretched to written requests from Congress and the public. House Democrats complained that Interior, in responding to written questions, would flood the zone with thousands of documents that had little relation to the topic at hand and even include pages containing \nnothing but Wingdings font. Interior was also sued by outside groups and subject to an internal watchdog audit over complaints it was slow walking public information requests.

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The upshot: All in all, the agency got away with it: Democrats complained but never followed through on a subpoena threat. By the final six months of the Trump administration, Interior officials completely stopped attending House hearings meant to flag issues with the department. The behavior all but guarantees that future administrations will follow suit.
\u2014 Ben Lefebvre

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Cannabis

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Legal marijuana spreads across most of the country

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Cannabis legalization advocates were alarmed when Trump picked Jeff Sessions as his first attorney general. For marijuana supporters, Sessions\u2019 anti-cannabis rhetoric harkened back to \u201creefer madness\u201c days, and they feared he would crack down on the burgeoning state-regulated marijuana industry. Their fears were founded: In January 2018, Sessions \nrescinded the Cole memo, an Obama-era Justice Department guidance that called for deprioritizing marijuana enforcement. The memo had provided some protection for state-legal marijuana markets and informed how state governments set up their own cannabis laws. But a Sessions-led crackdown never materialized.

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The move: Despite its anti-weed rhetoric, the Trump administration stood to the side as 18 states liberalized their marijuana laws from 2016 to 2020, including \nstaunchly conservative states like Mississippi and South Dakota. Despite former Attorney General William Barr\u2019s \nanti-trust scrutiny of cannabis deals, the federal government remained relatively hands-off on marijuana policy.

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The impact: Cannabis is now legal in some form in 36 states, meaning that a majority of Americans have some form of legal access even though the drug remains officially illegal at the federal level. In fact, \nmore than one-third of Americans now live in states with full legalization.

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The upshot: Cannabis has become a massive business, generating billions in state revenues. The move toward legalization is likely to accelerate under a Biden administration, which is expected to pressure Congress to pass legislation fixing some legal problems for cannabis companies, such as access to banking, and might even move to change its illegal status under the federal Controlled Substances Act.
\u2014 Mona Zhang

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Loan forgiveness

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Trump curbed relief for defrauded students

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Trump dismantled Obama-era policies that were designed to curb abuses by for-profit colleges, including rules designed to make it easier for borrowers to obtain loan forgiveness if they were cheated or duped by their college. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the Obama administration\u2019s approach was too lenient, akin to allowing borrowers to access \u201cfree money\u201d at taxpayer expense.

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The move: DeVos rewrote the Obama administration\u2019s rules that govern when federal student loan borrowers can have their debt wiped out as a result of their college\u2019s misconduct, imposing stricter standards of proof. She also required the Education Department to provide only partial loan relief in many cases, a departure from the Obama administration\u2019s policy of providing full loan forgiveness. Congress moved to block the rules, with 10 GOP senators joining Democrats, but Trump vetoed the legislation and the new rules took effect.

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The impact: Borrowers seeking to have their loans wiped out because of the misconduct of their college \u2014 such as misleading or deceiving students about their job prospects \u2014 will have a tougher time proving their claims. The Education Department estimates that the Trump policy will reduce federal loan forgiveness by hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

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The upshot: Biden has already committed to swiftly reversing Trump\u2019s changes to the rules, which are known as \u201cborrower defense to repayment.\u201d But he\u2019s facing pressure from progressives to go further and provide sweeping debt cancellations to all borrowers, regardless of whether they were defrauded.
\u2014 Michael Stratford

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Shell companies

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Trump made it easier to prosecute financial crimes like money laundering

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The Trump administration played a major but little-noticed role in pushing Congress to enact the most sweeping overhaul of financial crimes safeguards in decades, measures intended to stop money flowing to terrorists, drug traffickers and other wrongdoers. The legislation made its way into the National Defense Authorization Act, historically a must-pass bill each year. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin personally negotiated the anti-money laundering safeguards with Republicans and Democrats who crafted the deal.

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The move: The new law would require millions of business entities to report their true owners, puncturing the veil of anonymity that shell companies give to money launderers and tax evaders and making it easier for prosecutors to literally follow the money.

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The impact: The information businesses report to the Treasury Department would be accessible to law enforcement agencies that would have an unprecedented tool to investigate shell companies. Banks, which are responsible for policing criminal activity by their customers, would also be able to tap into the database.

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The upshot: Criminals will keep finding ways to operate in the shadows. But the new disclosure rules could give law enforcement leverage over their frontmen and may make it harder for bad guys to find lawyers willing to help hide their money because of the new paper trail.
\u2014 Zachary Warmbrodt

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Poverty

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Trump shrank the food safety net \u2014 a lot

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Under Trump, the Agriculture Department scaled back the $60 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the food support program for low-income Americans formerly known as food stamps. The administration said it wanted to cut back on waste and save money within the program.

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The move: In 2018, the Agriculture Department introduced a new rule that aimed to more strictly enforce certain work mandates under the program, making it more difficult for states to seek waivers from SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults who aren\u2019t caring for children or other dependents.

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The impact: 755,000 Americans have lost their access to food aid under SNAP, according to the USDA\u2019s own estimates.

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The upshot: The courts could reverse the change. In October, a judge halted the rule and said that it \u201cradically and abruptly alters decades of regulatory practice, leaving states scrambling and exponentially increasing food insecurity for tens of thousands of Americans.\u201d But the Trump administration appealed that decision in December, prolonging the legal battle.
\u2014 Liz Crampton

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Overtime pay

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Millions of workers lost access to extra pay for long hours

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Under Trump, the federal government rolled out a series of employer-friendly rules and decisions, many of which slid under the national radar. One of the most significant: His Labor Department finalized an overtime rule notably weaker than that issued under Obama, leaving millions of workers ineligible.

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The move: In 2016, Obama\u2019s Labor Department finalized a rule that would raise the salary threshold for overtime eligibility from around $24,000 to some $47,000 a year, with triennial increases. At the time, only about 6 percent of workers were eligible. But Trump\u2019s White House declined to defend the rule in court, and in 2019, proposed its own, much more lax rule, which would raise the threshold to about $35,000 with no scheduled raises.

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The impact: The Trump rule applies to just 15 percent of full-time, salaried workers, whereas the Obama rule would have applied to twice as many. That\u2019s at least \n8 million workers who would have been eligible for overtime pay under the 2016 version and now are ineligible; some estimates place the amount of wages lost at \naround $1 billion annually.

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The upshot: Biden\u2019s role in the Obama administration, which proposed the original rule, and his sweeping pro-worker agenda indicate that he will likely overturn the Trump rule and issue his own overtime rule \u2014 though when, exactly, that will happen remains unclear.
\u2014 Eleanor Mueller

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Greenhouse gases

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On gas emissions, Trump went the opposite direction from the rest of the world

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Trump\u2019s attempts to roll back Obama-era rules aimed at cracking down on methane emissions had major implications for not only the near-term warming caused by this potent greenhouse gas, but also shrunk the United States\u2019 stature on the global stage.

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The move: The Trump administration loosened the standards oil and gas companies had to meet for how much methane \u2014 the largest chemical component of natural gas and a major heat-trapping substance \u2014 they could allow to leak out of pipelines, storage tanks and other oil field infrastructure. Senate Republicans had failed to kill the Obama rule at the beginning of the Trump administration, leaving the White House to roll back an environmental regulation even some oil and gas companies supported as a way to keep an increasingly green-minded public on their side.

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The impact: Trump\u2019s stance was the polar opposite of what China and European countries pledged to do to rein in emissions of a gas considered one of the leading causes of climate change. The Trump rollbacks, finalized in August, were considered so out of the norm that even oil companies such as BP and Shell publicly spoke out against them. The French government stepped in to force trading firm Engie, in which it owns a stake, to reject a proposed contract to import U.S. gas, citing reputational risk. Trump\u2019s rejection of strict methane standards has also allowed Europe to claim the global mantle for fighting climate change.

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The upshot: Trump\u2019s rule changes are still being litigated in court and will be immediately in Biden\u2019s sights for reversal when he officially takes office. But reputational damage has already been done.
\u2014 Ben Lefebvre

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Drones

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Trump imposed a near-ban on government use of Chinese drones

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Like many Chinese products and services, Chinese-made drones became a focal point for the Trump administration. Federal agencies seeking to end China\u2019s dominance of the drone market, amid concerns that equipment could be used to spy, have looked for ways to bolster domestic production.

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The move: In late 2019, the Interior Department temporarily stopped all non-emergency use of its mostly Chinese-made drones after officials from several agencies \u2014 including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice \u2014 warned that drones and drone equipment made in China might be used for espionage. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt further escalated efforts in October when he told department leadership that all future drone purchases should be vetted against a list of DoD-approved, U.S.-made drones. More recently the Commerce Department added China-based manufacturer DJI, which is the largest civilian drone manufacturer in the world, to a trade blacklist, citing concerns about the company\u2019s possible involvement in human rights abuses by the Chinese government.

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The impact: DJI\u2019s placement on the trade blacklist doesn\u2019t affect ordinary consumers or businesses, but it\u2019s a significant blow to U.S. companies, such as Microsoft and PrecisionHawk, who do business with DJI including provide components for their drones. This is bad timing for those companies, since the FAA is getting ready to greenlight new commercial uses, such as drone-based delivery services, which will increase sales. What\u2019s more, Congress may soon put even more restrictions on use of Chinese-made technology because of security concerns.

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The upshot: While a Biden administration might be less prone to take actions to disrupt the global supply chain, it also might try to avoid perceptions of being soft on China. A Biden administration might use the Commerce Department\u2019s blacklist as a \u201cbargaining chip\u201d with the Chinese government, meaning DJI might stay on the list for some time. Biden also has expressed support for bolstering U.S. drone manufacturing, which could translate to further actions that would reduce U.S. reliance on Chinese technology.
\u2014 Stephanie Beasley

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Defense spending

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Trump made it possible to follow the Pentagon\u2019s money

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The Pentagon makes up the largest slice of discretionary spending in the federal budget, so it might surprise you that until Trump, no one had conducted an audit of where America\u2019s defense dollars go, and its financial accounting systems were notoriously messy and complicated.

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The move: In 2018, the Trump administration for the first time attempted a Defense Department-wide audit. An army of 1,000 outside accountants and 150 personnel from the Defense Department inspector general\u2019s office fanned out to some 600 locations and collected 40,000 pages of financial documents.

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The impact: In the end, as widely expected, the Pentagon failed the audit overall; too much paperwork was missing or incomplete. Officials now predict the Defense Department won\u2019t be able to pass a full audit until 2027 at the earliest. But there are bright spots: for example, the first time around the military pay system, an enormous stream of dollars, came back clean. In follow-up audits conducted in 2019 and 2020, meanwhile, a few more defense agencies and military components \nwere added to the clean column.

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The upshot: The overall exercise is seen as a milestone in the odyssey to someday verify where all our defense tax dollars are going. What\u2019s more, the audit effort is helping Pentagon managers make their programs more efficient and minimize waste. Efforts to inject more accountability into Pentagon spending are likely to get even more intense during the Biden administration.
\u2014 Bryan Bender

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Taxes

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Trump goosed the economy with tax cuts that didn\u2019t pay political dividends

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Trump\u2019s biggest legislative achievement was arguably the $1.5 trillion tax cut package Republicans pushed through Congress, which he said would super-charge the economy.

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The move: The 2017 tax bill slashed individual and corporate tax rates and made dozens of other major changes to the tax code that affected virtually every facet of the economy, from small businesses to university endowments.

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The impact: The tax cuts helped goose the economy before the coronavirus struck, as unemployment fell steeply and the economy expanded, though many economists argued it was a sugar high or questioned whether a direct line could be drawn between the cuts and the good times. Also, the economic impact wasn\u2019t all good \u2014 the tax cuts also fueled record deficits. Supporters inside and outside the Trump administration still insist the cuts will pay for themselves in the long run through economic growth \u2014 though many economists are skeptical, or outright dismissive, of that prediction.

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The upshot: While the tax cuts benefited the economy in the short turn, they failed to pay political dividends for Trump. Polls showed the tax bill was never very popular, with the Democrats doing a good job of convincing voters it mainly benefited the wealthy. Biden has vowed to roll back much of the tax cut, particularly for high earners, by boosting the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent and raising the top individual income tax rate to 39.6 percent from 37 percent for those earning more than $400,000 annually. However, he could have a hard time getting that through Congress, with Democrats holding a one-vote majority in the Senate and a diminished number of House seats.
\u2014 Toby Eckert

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Robocalls

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Trump cracked down \u2014 mostly successfully \u2014 on unwanted calls and texts

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For years the federal government made little headway against the plague of unwanted automated phone calls that have annoyed Americans \u2014 19 billion such calls last year alone. Despite plenty of rancor, Trump and his agency heads succeeded in working with Congress to make significant headway in curbing \u2014 but not yet eliminating \u2014 the annoyance.

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The move: At the end of 2019, Trump signed into law carefully crafted bipartisan legislation designed to ensure phone companies would install technology to verify that calls were authentic and bolster federal enforcement powers. These efforts built on work already underway at the FCC and among state attorneys general to ward off the unwanted calls and crack down on the perpetrators, many of whom were slapped with record-setting fines in recent years under FCC Chair Ajit Pai.

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The impact: The volume of robocalls in 2020 seems to be on track to be lower than the previous two years, although the global pandemic could be affecting the numbers in ways not immediately apparent (not to mention prompting scams specific to Covid-19).

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The upshot: Although these efforts will provide a strong foundation for any moves under Biden to further tamp down the number of calls, businesses say they still lack the legal clarity they need to use automated phone calls and texts for legitimate communication with their customers. Biden and Congress will now face pressure to provide such clarity.
\u2014 John Hendel

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Climate science

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Trump exiled climate scientists from Washington\u2014literally.

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The Agriculture Department went to great lengths to quietly quash scientific research conducted by its employees or funded by government dollars, in particular research about how the agriculture industry could play a critical role in combating climate change. Secretary Sonny Perdue was aggressive in reshaping USDA, most overtly by relocating many of the department\u2019s research scientists out of Washington to the Midwest.

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The move: Officials refused to publicize dozens of studies that carry warnings about the effects of climate change on the agriculture sector. The department even stopped the release of a plan on how to respond to the climate change crisis.

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The impact: Perdue\u2019s contentious decision to relocate hundreds of scientists to Kansas City was among the reasons morale has been so low among department employees, prompting many of them to jump ship, leaving research agencies with a fraction of their former staff.

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The upshot: The Biden administration is facing pressure to quickly rehire scientists to get USDA research agencies back to full capacity, and they are expected to boost spending on research studying threats facing the food system, including climate change.
\u2014 Liz Crampton

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Medical records

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Trump took a big swing at finally fixing health-care technology

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Patients who have had to tote x-ray scans around hospitals, or explain their medicine allergies for the umpteenth time, are familiar with the problem Trump tried to fix: that having spent billions of dollars digitizing the health care system\u2019s medical records, the information in those records does not exactly zip around at the speed of the internet.

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The move: Early in 2020 \u2014 just before coronavirus upended daily life \u2014 the Trump administration released a big ball of rules meant to sweep aside barriers to sharing health information. The administration\u2019s rules have several targets but they focus on practices like \u201cinformation blocking,\u201d whereby companies or providers might not release necessary data for competitive advantage, and require companies to use standardized recipes to exchange information.

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The impact: Not much, yet. Providers and other parts of the industry successfully argued that complying with the rules would be too heavy a lift amid the pandemic, so the Trump administration has delayed the effective date.

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The upshot: The provisions are, broadly speaking, popular and flow from bipartisan work beginning in the Obama administration. If anything, the biggest critics of the rules want them to be tougher and go into effect faster. For that reason, it\u2019s unlikely a Biden administration will be looking to reverse course.
\u2014 Darius Tahir

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Sexual harassment

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Trump rescinded rules protecting workers at federal contractors

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On the eve of the #MeToo era, Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress repealed transparency safeguards designed to protect \nhundreds of thousands of people working for companies bidding for federal contracts from sexual harassment. Business groups vehemently opposed the requirements, which they dubbed the \u201cBlacklist Rule,\u201d arguing that the regulation was so broadly worded that potential contractors could be barred from doing work with the government based on allegations alone.

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The move: In March 2017, Trump signed a Congressional Review Act resolution to revoke a \nregulation enacted under Obama the previous year that required businesses to publicly disclose any sexual harassment or labor law violations over the previous three years whenever they bid on large federal contracts. The goal of the rule was to prevent federal money from flowing to firms with a history of such infractions. The Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule also barred companies with federal contracts of more than $1 million from requiring that workers address claims of sexual harassment or sexual assault in private arbitration, taking away their option to sue in court.

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The impact: Federal contractors with a history of sexual harassment or other labor violations can win bids without having to reveal their problematic history.

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The upshot: Biden can reinstate the executive order, but it\u2019s legally murky for the Department of Labor to reissue the rule because the Congressional Review Act bars agencies from issuing \u201csubstantially the same\u201d regulation after it\u2019s been overturned by Congress.
\u2014 Rebecca Rainey

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Auto emissions

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Trump went all-in on ending curbs on auto emissions, dividing the industry

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Obama used his stimulus leverage over the auto manufacturers to negotiate landmark federal rules to curb carbon dioxide pollution from new vehicles through 2025 \u2014 a central component of his work to fight climate change. Automakers took advantage of Trump\u2019s election to ask for moderate changes to those targets, but Trump instead completely scrambled the regulatory scheme, attacked California\u2019s special regulatory authority and created a schism among automakers.

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The move: The Obama administration\u2019s plan would have required automakers to improve fuel efficiency by 5 percent per year, but the Trump administration rolled those targets back to just 1.5 percent improvement each year.

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The impact: Vehicle emissions represent the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and the rollback was likely the biggest climate-related action of Trump\u2019s term, especially as electric utilities continue to move away from coal on their own and as electric vehicles are slow to take hold in the U.S. But some of the effect was mitigated when the state of California brokered a deal with five major auto manufacturers to meet standards similar to the Obama-era ones.

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The upshot: The Biden administration is expected to laser in on the auto rules for reconsideration, but the multiyear lead time manufacturers need to design and test their vehicles means the gains mandated under the Obama-era rules but scaled back by Trump are all but forfeited.
\u2014 Alex Guill\u00e9n and Annie Snider

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Antitrust

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The anti-monopolists started winning \u2014 despite Trump at first, then with his help

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For the past decade, politicians on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns about the growing size, power and influence of tech giants including Facebook, Google and Amazon, but rarely took action against them. Progressive anti-monopoly advocates were largely overruled during the Obama years at the U.S.\u2019 two antitrust agencies, the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department. But amid growing conservative anger at the tech giants, Trump\u2019s regulators eventually joined the fight and dusted off an antitrust legal playbook that hadn\u2019t been used since the breakup of AT&T in the 1980s.

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The move: Early on, Trump\u2019s tenure seemed to be following recent patterns by waving through major mergers like the combination of telecom giants Sprint and T-Mobile. But two Trump picks, FTC Chair Joe Simons and DOJ\u2019s Barr, have spent the past two years more aggressively looking into antitrust concerns raised by Silicon Valley. In recent months, the DOJ filed a landmark antitrust case against Google, its biggest monopolization case since the 1990s suit against Microsoft. The FTC, meanwhile, is pursuing its own watershed suit against Facebook that could see the social network broken up.

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The impact: It\u2019s too soon to tell whether the antitrust actions will succeed in forcing changes at Google or Facebook, but they have sent a signal that there will be more scrutiny of their business practices going forward.

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The upshot: Both lawsuits will continue into the Biden administration \u2014 and possibly beyond. Major antitrust cases can take 3 to 5 years, and a trial in the Google suit likely won\u2019t even begin till the fall of 2023.
\u2014 Leah Nylen

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Immigration

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A big crackdown on legal immigrants

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While it was no surprise to anyone who followed his 2016 presidential campaign that Trump wanted to crack down on illegal immigration at the southern border, his administration also imposed tighter restrictions on legal immigration, even of the high-skilled workers he claimed to want in the country.

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The move: The Department of Homeland Security has pushed through restrictions and changes to the H-1B visa program that allows U.S. businesses to hire high-skilled foreign workers for \u201cspecialty\u201c jobs. Businesses rely on these workers to fill jobs they say they can\u2019t fill with U.S. citizens. The administration, however, said U.S. employers are abusing the work visa because they want to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor. The administration\u2019s most recent rules sought to limit the types of jobs foreign workers can apply for, while also requiring employers to pay them more.

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The impact: Some changes \u2014 including those that narrow the definition of a \u201cspecialty occupation\u201d and that require employers to pay foreign workers more \u2014 were expected to reduce the number of approved H-1B visa petitions by one-third. Those efforts have since been halted in court. Businesses seeking these non-immigrant worker visas also saw an increase in requests to provide more evidence in their applications and a higher rate of visa denials.

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The upshot: Biden promised during his campaign that he would support expanding the number of high-skilled visas available, but after first reforming the temporary visa system to prevent favoring \u201conly entry level wages and skills.\u201d That\u2019s likely to be a heavy lift; Congress hasn\u2019t been able to pass comprehensive immigration reform since 1986.
\u2014 Rebecca Rainey

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Toxic chemicals

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Trump impeded regulation \u2014 even though Republicans wanted it

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Trump\u2019s EPA essentially blew up a bipartisan deal to more strictly regulate toxic chemicals that Americans are exposed to daily and instead tapped a group of chemicals industry experts to run and advise the program. The 2016 overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act, supported by both Democrats and Republicans, had given EPA new teeth to go after well-known dangerous chemicals, like asbestos and methylene chloride, in a bid to boost public confidence in the safety of consumer products.

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The move: Trump officials muzzled scientists and civil servants at the agency and crafted narrow approaches to assessing chemicals\u2019 dangers that have massive loopholes. Specifically, while under the new law Congress urged EPA to consider all possible exposures to a chemical, cumulatively, whether in the water, air, through consumer uses or exposure at work. But Trump\u2019s EPA opted only to look at risks from exposures that couldn\u2019t be regulated under other laws; for instance, they wouldn\u2019t weigh potential exposure to a chemical in drinking water since it could be regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, even if it wasn\u2019t. Trump\u2019s EPA also mostly whiffed statutory deadlines to finish studying risks for the first round of chemicals under the 2016 law and was slapped by a federal court for ignoring certain ways Americans are exposed to toxins.

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The impact: The administration\u2019s approach paves the way for less stringent regulation of toxic chemicals. If the Biden EPA leaves the laxer evaluations intact, its subsequent regulations will not be able to limit certain ways people are exposed \u2014 meaning Americans may not get comprehensive protection. While it is likely the Biden administration will take a more holistic look at future chemicals EPA reviews, it is unclear whether it will have time to re-analyze the chemicals the Trump administration already finished reviewing.

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The upshot: Biden\u2019s EPA is expected to take a more holistic approach to assessing and addressing chemicals\u2019 risks, but because of strict timelines set under the 2016 law, it is unclear to what extent it will be able to redo assessments done under the Trump administration.
\u2014 Alex Guill\u00e9n and Annie Snider

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Internet upgrade

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Trump rallied the world against China\u2019s 5G dominance

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The Trump administration put national security concerns around 5G in the spotlight, arguing that Chinese equipment used to build next-generation Internet networks posed a surveillance threat to Western countries. In practice, that meant the White House launched a campaign against some of China\u2019s top communications companies, from Huawei to ZTE to China Telecom; even TikTok became swept up in the mix.

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The move: Trump carried out a handful of different actions to block companies like Huawei and ZTE from getting any foothold in the U.S. telecom marketplace and limit their ability to trade with U.S. companies. These domestic actions were combined with a global full-court press in which Trump lobbied America\u2019s allies in Europe and beyond to avoid using Chinese network equipment in any telecom infrastructure.

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The impact: Trump notched victories in countries like Britain and Australia, who made decisions to reject Huawei from their domestic 5G buildouts. The administration also nailed down plans to force smaller U.S. telecom carriers to rip out and replace any scattered gear from Huawei and ZTE being used in their networks.

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The upshot: Although many expect Biden to take a more multilateral approach, Trump\u2019s concerns won bipartisan backing within the U.S. and are likely to keep dominating global and domestic talks. Many countries are still mulling whether they share the alarm coming from U.S. officials.
\u2014 John Hendel

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Farm aid

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Trump doled out billions in aid to farmers

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Faced with years of declining prices and shrunken foreign markets, farmers have been struggling throughout the Trump administration. Trump officials have tried to mend food producers\u2019 finances by doling out billions in assistance in order to keep the industry afloat.

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The move: Trump\u2019s USDA \nsteered billions in subsidies to farmers suffering from tariffs imposed by foreign countries as a consequence of the president\u2019s trade wars, an amount that far outpaced the massive auto bailout in 2008.

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The impact: The vast majority of the aid went to traditional row crop farmers, many of whom were part of Trump\u2019s political base. Government payments are forecast to be at their highest level ever and account for nearly 40 percent net farm income this year.

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The upshot: Biden faces a difficult choice in deciding whether to continue the payments: The effects of Trump\u2019s trade war will stick around well into 2021, and producers have come to rely on the assistance to stay in business.
\u2014 Liz Crampton

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Banking

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Trump rolled back rules on banks designed to prevent another financial crisis

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Trump fulfilled a major GOP priority in 2018 by signing the first big bank deregulation bill since the landmark Dodd-Frank Act was enacted in 2010. It was a victory for the nation\u2019s lenders, which spent years fighting to roll back rules enacted in the wake of the 2008 Wall Street meltdown. Republicans and moderate Democrats had been working on some of the proposals well before the 2016 election, but the Trump administration played a key role in making it possible.

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The move: The smallest banks won relaxed mortgage regulations and streamlined capital requirements while escaping restrictions intended to discourage risky bets in bank trading. A number of large lenders escaped Federal Reserve rules targeted at the biggest \u201csystemically important\u201d banks. One of the most controversial provisions in the legislation shields small lenders from mortgage disclosure requirements intended to help fight discrimination. The bill\u2019s opponents warned that it would hurt consumers and wasn\u2019t necessary at a time when the industry was racking up record profits.

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The impact: Since the passage of the legislation, large banks that lobbied for the looser restrictions have begun to merge. SunTrust and BB&T combined in 2019 to form Truist, the eighth-biggest U.S. bank at more than $504.3 billion in assets. PNC, the country\u2019s 10th-largest lender, agreed to buy the U.S. operations of BBVA to form another mega-bank.

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The upshot: Even with Democrats in control of Congress, it\u2019s unlikely they will try to undo the law, which the party\u2019s centrists helped pass. Biden\u2019s nominees to regulatory agencies may reconsider some of the rules drafted to execute the legislation but it probably won\u2019t be a top priority.
\u2014 Zachary Warmbrodt

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Social media

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Trump galvanized an anti-Silicon Valley movement in the GOP

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Lawmakers furious at Silicon Valley have for years taken aim at Section 230, a crucial 1996 legal provision that shields online platforms from lawsuits over the user content they host or decide to restrict. But it was a niche issue until Trump escalated the attacks over allegations that social media companies are biased against conservatives.

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The move: Trump signed an executive order in May asking federal agencies to narrow Section 230\u2019s liability protections, which Republicans say enable Silicon Valley censorship of conservatives. Trump has also taken an unusually active role in pushing his allies at federal agencies and in Congress to weaken the legal shield.

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The impact: Pressure from Trump prompted the Federal Communications Commission to launch a controversial rulemaking process to \u201cclarify\u201d the scope of Section 230. The Justice Department unveiled its own proposal to pare it back. And congressional Republicans once wary of changing the law have rallied around Trump\u2019s efforts by introducing bills to do just that.

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The upshot: While there\u2019s bipartisan support for revamping the law, those GOP-led efforts focused on the bias charges are likely to be blocked by Democrats in Congress.
\u2014 Cristiano Lima

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Environmental impacts

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Trump reduced environmental approvals for infrastructure projects

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For a short time during his first year in office, Trump\u2014himself a former developer\u2014 was in the habit of whipping out \na flow chart almost as long as he is tall detailing the cumbersome process infrastructure projects have to go through to get approved and completed. During his last year in office, he took his most aggressive action yet to shorten that flow chart and, potentially, shortchange the environmental and community protection benefits embedded in it.

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The move: In July, the White House Council on Environmental Quality issued \nsweeping policy changes setting shorter deadlines for agencies to complete environmental reviews and drastically reducing the scope of environmental impacts federal agencies should consider. Under the new rule, agencies need only consider emissions caused by the building of a project but not the use of the project, such as increased vehicle emissions caused by a highway expansion.

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The impact: New projects can be more polluting or damaging to the environment over the long term and still be approved \u2013 and community groups will have less leverage to challenge them.

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The upshot: The Department of Transportation is moving forward with its effort to implement the new rule, despite multiple petitions to hold off. Five separate lawsuits are challenging the Trump changes to NEPA policy; however, it is unlikely the Biden Administration will continue to defend the changes in court, which makes is more likely they will be overturned.
\u2014 Tanya Snyder

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Artificial intelligence

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Trump\u2019s White House took quiet steps to promote U.S. development of AI

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Washington is consumed with beating China in the race for technological supremacy on artificial intelligence. Trump took notable steps in that direction, even if some in the industry think he didn\u2019t go far enough.

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The move: Trump in 2019 signed an executive order aimed at boosting the federal government\u2019s role in promoting the development of AI and at providing guidance to agencies on how to regulate the technology. The White House also threw its support behind European efforts to develop global AI standards.

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The impact: Even as Trump disengaged from other areas of international rulemaking, his actions helped give the U.S. a global presence in the international debate over how to regulate AI.

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The upshot: Industry leaders are still looking for the federal government to seize an even more active role in championing AI development, and to provide more funding for R&D. And they\u2019re hoping the incoming Biden administration will go much farther than Trump did.
\u2014 Cristiano Lima

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Housing segregation

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Trump rolled back rules on racially segregated housing

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The Trump administration succeeded on several fronts in rolling back Obama\u2019s efforts to combat racial segregation in housing. Arguing that the main barrier to broader homeownership is affordability rather than racial discrimination, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson was eager to pare back an Obama regulation he\u2019d once derided as \u201csocial engineering.\u201d

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The move: Carson scrapped the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which threatened to withhold housing funds from cities that fail to take active steps to end segregation. The new version also revamped the agency\u2019s \u201cdisparate impact\u201d rule to make it harder for plaintiffs to bring claims of unintentional discrimination. In addition, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gave small banks an exemption from data collection requirements that help track racial discrimination in the mortgage market. The agency also dramatically cut back on enforcing fair lending laws during the Trump administration.

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The impact: The reduced focus on fair housing comes as the gap in homeownership rates between Black and white Americans yawns as widely as it ever has, including when housing discrimination was legal. About 70 percent of white households own their homes, compared with about 40 percent of Black households \u2014 a disparity the ongoing and lopsided economic crisis is expected to exacerbate.

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The upshot: Because the 2015 rule was already on the books, the incoming administration can simply revoke the replacement regulation and revert to the original, although it will have to update the data tools that form the backbone of the rule. Rebuilding an aggressive enforcement division at the CFPB will take longer.
\u2014 Katy O\u2019Donnell

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Trade rules

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Trump made trade a top priority, but had only mixed results

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Trump prioritized trade concerns far more than any other president in recent history, pursuing a hyperactive agenda that flummoxed allies and adversaries alike. In particular, Trump shifted the United States toward a more nationalist trade policy characterized by an aggressive use of tariffs and sharp criticism of China, the European Union and the World Trade Organization.

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The move: Trump abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement supported by most other Republicans and ran roughshod over the rules-based trading system to pursue his political objective of boosting U.S. industry. He imposed tariffs on more than $350 billion worth of Chinese goods and on billions of dollars\u2019 worth of steel and aluminum imports. He struck a trade deal with China that eliminates many agricultural trade barriers but left many other serious trade issues unaddressed. He also used the threat of withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement to strike a more protectionist version of the agreement with Canada and Mexico.

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The impact: Trump elevated concerns about China\u2019s trade practices and acquisition of American technology to a new level and helped usher in what many now are calling a cold war between the world\u2019s two largest economies. He also weakened the World Trade Organization through his willingness to hamstring the group\u2019s dispute settlement system and to unilaterally impose tariffs to punish trading partners and protect domestic industries.

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The upshot: Trump leaves office with a mixed record on trade. The new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement has groundbreaking provisions on labor enforcement and costly new rules for North American automakers. Trump fell far short on his promise to negotiate bilateral trade deals to make up for his decision to pull out of the TPP, although he did negotiate a number of partial trade deals with the EU, Japan and Brazil and borrowed heavily from the TPP in his NAFTA update.
\u2014 Doug Palmer

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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", + "page_last_modified": " Mon, 11 Mar 2024 05:41:48 GMT" + }, + { + "page_name": "Policy issues under the Trump administration - Ballotpedia", + "page_url": "https://ballotpedia.org/Policy_issues_under_the_Trump_administration", + "page_snippet": "Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia of American PoliticsClick on the tiles below to learn more about President Donald Trump's policies. ... In the contract, Trump also said that he would \"work with Congress to introduce the following broader legislative measures and fight for their passage within the first 100 days of my Administration\": In the contract, Trump also said that he would \"work with Congress to introduce the following broader legislative measures and fight for their passage within the first 100 days of my Administration\": \u2191 1.0 1.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. \u2191 2.0 2.1 DonaldJTrump.com, \"Donald Trump\u2019s Contract with the American Voter,\" accessed October 25, 2018 In his contract with American voters, President Donald Trump outlined his administration's domestic, economic, and foreign policy objectives. Explore what Trump has done during his time in office and how it compares to what he said he would do before taking office by clicking on the policy tiles below. ... Click on the tiles below to learn more about President Donald Trump's policies. Click on the tiles below to learn more about President Donald Trump's policies. ... Click on the tiles below to learn more about President Donald Trump's policies.", + "page_result": "\n\n\n\n\nPolicy issues under the Trump administration - Ballotpedia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
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Policy issues under the Trump administration

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Trump Administration

\"US-WhiteHouse-Logo.svg\"

President Donald Trump
Vice President Mike Pence

Cabinet \u2022 White House staff \u2022 Transition team

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Policy positions
Domestic affairs: Abortion \u2022 Crime and justice \u2022 Education \u2022 Energy and the environment \u2022 Federal courts \u2022 Firearms policy \u2022 First Amendment \u2022 Healthcare \u2022 Immigration \u2022 Infrastructure \u2022 LGBTQ issues \u2022 Marijuana \u2022 Puerto Rico \u2022 Social welfare programs \u2022 Veterans \u2022 Voting issues
Economic affairs and regulations: Agriculture and food policy \u2022 Budget \u2022 Financial regulation \u2022 Jobs \u2022 Social Security \u2022 Taxes \u2022 Trade
Foreign affairs and national security: Afghanistan \u2022 Arab states of the Persian Gulf \u2022 China \u2022 Cuba \u2022 Iran \u2022 Iran nuclear deal \u2022 Islamic State and terrorism \u2022 Israel and Palestine \u2022 Latin America \u2022 Military \u2022 NATO \u2022 North Korea \u2022 Puerto Rico \u2022 Russia \u2022 Syria \u2022 Syrian refugees \u2022 Technology, privacy, and cybersecurity

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Polling indexes: Opinion polling during the Trump administration\n
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In his contract with American voters, President Donald Trump outlined his administration's domestic, economic, and foreign policy objectives. Explore what Trump has done during his time in office and how it compares to what he said he would do before taking office by clicking on the policy tiles below.\n


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Trump administration on domestic policy

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Click on the tiles below to learn more about President Donald Trump's policies.\n\n

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Trump administration on economic affairs and government regulations

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Click on the tiles below to learn more about President Donald Trump's policies.\n\n

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Trump administration on foreign policy and national security

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Click on the tiles below to learn more about President Donald Trump's policies.\n\n

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Trump's contract with American voters

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In his contract with American voters, President Donald Trump promised to do the following:\n

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\u201c\nSix measures to clean up the corruption and special interest collusion in Washington, DC:\n
  • FIRST, propose a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress.
  • \n
  • SECOND, a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce the federal workforce through attrition (exempting military, public safety, and public health).
  • \n
  • THIRD, a requirement that for every new federal regulation, two existing regulations must be eliminated.
  • \n
  • FOURTH, a five-year ban on White House and Congressional officials becoming lobbyists after they leave government service.
  • \n
  • FIFTH, a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government.
  • \n
  • SIXTH, a complete ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for American elections.
\n


\nSeven actions to protect American workers:\n

\n
  • FIRST, I will announce my intention to renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from the deal under Article 2205.
  • \n
  • SECOND, I will announce our withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
  • \n
  • THIRD, I will direct the Secretary of the Treasury to label China a currency manipulator.
  • \n
  • FOURTH, I will direct the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to identify all foreign trading abuses that unfairly impact American workers and direct them to use every tool under American and international law to end those abuses immediately.
  • \n
  • FIFTH, I will lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars\u2019 worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal.
  • \n
  • SIXTH, lift the Obama-Clinton roadblocks and allow vital energy infrastructure projects, like the Keystone Pipeline, to move forward.
  • \n
  • SEVENTH, cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs and use the money to fix America\u2019s water and environmental infrastructure.
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\nFive actions to restore security and the constitutional rule of law:\n

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  • FIRST, cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama.
  • \n
  • SECOND, begin the process of selecting a replacement for Justice Scalia from one of the 20 judges on my list, who will uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution.
  • \n
  • THIRD, cancel all federal funding to sanctuary cities.
  • \n
  • FOURTH, begin removing the more than two million criminal illegal immigrants from the country and cancel visas to foreign countries that won\u2019t take them back.
  • \n
  • FIFTH, suspend immigration from terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur. All vetting of people coming into our country will be considered \u201cextreme vetting.\u201d[1]
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\u201d\n
\u2014President Donald Trump[2]\n
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In the contract, Trump also said that he would \"work with Congress to introduce the following broader legislative measures and fight for their passage within the first 100 days of my Administration\":\n

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\u201c\n\n
  • Middle Class Tax Relief and Simplification Act
\n
  • An economic plan designed to grow the economy 4% per year and create at least 25 million new jobs through massive tax reduction and simplification, in combination with trade reform, regulatory relief and lifting the restrictions on American energy. The largest tax reductions are for the middle class. A middle-class family with two children will get a 35% tax cut. The current number of brackets will be reduced from seven to three, and tax forms will likewise be greatly simplified. The business rate will be lowered from 35% to 15%, and the trillions of dollars of American corporate money overseas can now be brought back at a 10% rate.
\n
  • End the Offshoring Act
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  • Establishes tariffs to discourage companies from laying off their workers in order to relocate in other countries and ship their products back to the U.S. tax-free.
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  • American Energy and Infrastructure Act
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  • Leverages public-private partnerships, and private investments through tax incentives, to spur $1 trillion in infrastructure investment over ten years. It is revenue neutral.
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  • School Choice and Education Opportunity Act
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  • Redirects education dollars to give parents the right to send their kid to the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school of their choice. Ends Common Core and brings education supervision to local communities. It expands vocational and technical education, and makes two- and four year college more affordable.
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  • Repeal and Replace Obamacare Act
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  • Fully repeals Obamacare and replaces it with Health Savings Accounts, the ability to purchase health insurance across state lines and lets states manage Medicaid funds. Reforms will also include cutting the red tape at the FDA: there are over 4,000 drugs awaiting approval, and we especially want to speed the approval of life-saving medications.
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  • Affordable Childcare and Eldercare Act
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  • Allows Americans to deduct childcare and eldercare from their taxes, incentivizes employers to provide on-site childcare services and creates tax-free dependent care savings accounts for both young and elderly dependents, with matching contributions for low-income families.
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  • End Illegal Immigration Act
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  • Fully-funds the construction of a wall on our southern border with the full understanding that the country of Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost of such wall; establishes a two-year mandatory minimum federal prison sentence for illegally re-entering the U.S. after a previous deportation, and a five-year mandatory minimum federal prison sentence for illegally re-entering for those with felony convictions, multiple misdemeanor convictions or two or more prior deportations; also reforms visa rules to enhance penalties for overstaying and to ensure open jobs are offered to American workers first.
\n
  • Restoring Community Safety Act
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  • Reduces surging crime, drugs and violence by creating a task force on violent crime and increasing funding for programs that train and assist local police; increases resources for federal law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors to dismantle criminal gangs and put violent offenders behind bars.
\n
  • Restoring National Security Act
\n
  • Rebuilds our military by eliminating the defense sequester and expanding military investment; provides veterans with the ability to receive public VA treatment or attend the private doctor of their choice; protects our vital infrastructure from cyber-attack; establishes new screening procedures for immigration to ensure those who are admitted to our country support our people and our values.
\n
  • Clean Up Corruption in Washington Act
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  • Enacts new ethics reforms to drain the swamp and reduce the corrupting influence of special interests on our politics.[1]
\n
\u201d\n
\u2014President Donald Trump[2]\n
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Footnotes

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  1. \u2191 1.0 1.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.\n
  2. \n
  3. \u2191 2.0 2.1 DonaldJTrump.com, \"Donald Trump\u2019s Contract with the American Voter,\" accessed October 25, 2018\n
  4. \n
\n
v \u2022 e
President Donald Trump's policies
Overviews\"US-WhiteHouse-Logo.svg\"
Domestic policy
Economic affairs and regulations
Foreign affairs and national security
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\n\nThe Big Idea\n

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\n30 Things Donald Trump Did as President You Might Have Missed\n

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Trump\u2019s presidency may be best remembered for its cataclysmic end. But his four years as president also changed real American policy in lasting ways, just more quietly. We asked POLITICO\u2019s best-in-class policy reporters to recap some of the ways Trump changed the country while in office, for better or worse.

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\nPresident Donald Trump changed some key areas of federal policy in ways that may have lasting impact well after his four years are up. | AP/Getty Images/POLITICO illustration\n

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By POLITICO Staff

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Many Americans will remember President Donald Trump\u2019s presidency as a four-yearlong storm of tweets, rallies and on-air rants that ended in a mob riot and historic second impeachment. But there was more to the Trump presidency than attention-hogging political drama and conflict; often unnoticed, Trump and his administration actually did succeed in changing some of the ways Washington works.

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From imposing a ban on Chinese-made drones to rolling back rules on sexual harassment, from cracking down on robocalls to letting states legalize marijuana, Trump changed some key areas of federal policy in ways that may have lasting impact well after he\u2019s gone.

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But here\u2019s the thing \u2014 between all the news coverage of the president himself, a global pandemic and various other upheavals, there\u2019s a good chance you missed a lot of them. So here is POLITICO\u2019s list of 30 important policy changes Trump made as president, how they\u2019ve affected our lives, families and businesses, and the prospects they will survive the incoming Biden administration.

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Obamacare

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Trump didn\u2019t repeal Obamacare \u2014 he accidentally bolstered it

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Trump came into office vowing to repeal Obamacare \u2014 and even took the law to court when that failed in Congress. But his most significant imprint on the Affordable Care Act was an accidental boost that happened when he stumbled into pouring billions of extra federal dollars into subsidizing Americans\u2019 coverage.

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The move: House Republicans had tried for years to cut off subsidies that helped low-income Obamacare enrollees with the co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles that come with their health plans. In 2017, Trump finally did it through administrative means after the GOP effort to replace the law fell apart \u2014 and he immediately drew intense outcry from Democrats and policy experts who called the move \u201csabotage.\u201d

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The impact: The health exchanges didn\u2019t collapse, as Trump had hoped. Instead, health plans and states quickly figured out a way to claw back the federal dollars they lost: They built the costs of the subsidies into premiums for Obamacare\u2019s benchmark \u201csilver\u201d policies. This meant that premiums for these \u201csilver\u201d plans spiked and as a result, the premium subsidies the government had to pay for low-income enrollees vastly increased. The concept, known as \u201csilver-loading,\u201d grew government subsidizing of the exchanges by upwards of $20 billion per year.

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The upshot: While Trump\u2019s moves made Obamacare plans increasingly unaffordable for the unsubsidized, Democrats quickly tamped down their criticisms since it accomplished their goal of significantly boosting funding for Obamacare. The incoming Biden administration isn\u2019t likely to reverse course.
\u2014 Susannah Luthi

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Strategy

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Trump refocused national security on great power competition

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Defense policy documents are so abundant they could wallpaper the Pentagon. But the Trump administration\u2019s \nNational Defense Strategy stands out as one of the most important defense policy shifts of the last generation, reorienting the American military to confront rising and increasingly aggressive powers Russia and China.

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The move: The 2018 strategy rewired the Defense Department\u2019s vast bureaucracy away from a focus on fighting insurgents and terrorists in the Middle East toward a long-term strategic competition with China and Russia. As a result, the military is changing how it trains personnel, which technologies it buys, and the geographic areas of the world where it prioritizes its forces.

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The impact: Already it has led to a reordering of the Pentagon budget and new investments supported by a bipartisan majority in Congress, including billions of dollars to beef up the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific.

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The upshot: Despite differences in tone and rhetoric, this is a refocusing of the United States\u2019 military posture that is expected to continue in the Biden administration.
\u2014 Bryan Bender

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Coronavirus

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Trump failed to provide workplace guidance, making safety harder for workers

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Arguably the most consequential decision Trump made involving American workers was something it chose not to do: It declined to implement a so-called \u201cemergency temporary standard\u201d when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Such a standard, issued when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration determines workers are in \u201cgrave danger,\u201d would have established immediate and mandatory workplace safety rules employers must follow to protect employees from exposure.

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The move: Despite pressure from Democrats, unions and worker advocates, OSHA refused to set rules for worker safety during the pandemic. Republicans defended the decision by saying the burden on companies struggling to stay afloat amid the recession would be too great. In the absence of a standard, employers have only had to comply with a mix of optional guidelines, able to pick and choose what precautions they take.

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The impact: The agency\u2019s backseat approach to workplace safety means Americans still face a dangerously unpredictable range of safety conditions when they show up to work. Though OSHA has cited some companies for coronavirus-related transgressions, many large corporations received meager fines even in cases where workers died from Covid-19. Democrats have attempted to include language mandating an emergency temporary standard in future rounds of pandemic aid \u2014 but their efforts have been unsuccessful.

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The upshot: One of the first things a Biden administration will likely move to do is instruct OSHA to step up worker safety enforcement \u2014 including by enacting an emergency standard and ramping up penalties on violators. Biden\u2019s campaign also pledged to double the number of OSHA investigators to enforce the law and existing standards.
\u2014 Eleanor Mueller

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Religion in schools

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Trump boosted religious organizations in education

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Trump failed to enact any sweeping school choice policy that sends money to parents to help them pay for private and religious schools. But his administration, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a devout Christian, found ways to expand federal support for religious schools and organizations at the Education Department.

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The move: DeVos tweaked a wide range of federal education policies, large and small, to bolster faith-based organizations. She changed regulations, for example, to make it easier for members of religious orders to access federal financial aid and expanded federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness to cover clergy members. And she created new protections for faith-based campus organizations at public universities.

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At the K-12 education level, DeVos stopped enforcing a policy that had prohibited religious organizations from providing publicly funded services\u2014such as tutoring, technology and counseling\u2014in private schools. And she opened up federal grants for charter schools to religiously affiliated organizations.

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The impact: Many religious education groups praised DeVos\u2019 changes, which she often described as effort to expand religious liberty. \u201cToo many misinterpret the \u2018separation of church and state\u2019 as an invitation for government to separate people from their faith,\u201d she said.

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The upshot: The Biden administration is expected to move quickly to roll back many of DeVos\u2019 education policies, but it\u2019s not yet clear how the incoming administration will approach her various policy tweaks to promote religious organizations.
\u2014 Michael Stratford

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Oversight

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Trump\u2019s Interior Department set a new standard for ignoring Congress

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Trump\u2019s Interior Department set a precedent that, while it may have escaped notice outside Washington, D.C., is almost certain to be influential going forward: It stonewalled Congressional oversight and got away with it.

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The move: Interior Secretary David Bernhardt showed up for Congressional hearings that decided the fate of the department\u2019s budget, but otherwise refused invitations from the House Natural Resources Committee to defend its policy actions under Trump. The attitude flowed down to sub-agency heads as well. Scott Angelle, the administration\u2019s head of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the office in charge of setting offshore drilling safety standards, told the committee he was \u201ctoo busy\u201d to answer the committee\u2019s request that he explain its practice of handing out waivers on regulation put in place in response to the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster.

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The impact: The foot-dragging in providing even basic information stretched to written requests from Congress and the public. House Democrats complained that Interior, in responding to written questions, would flood the zone with thousands of documents that had little relation to the topic at hand and even include pages containing \nnothing but Wingdings font. Interior was also sued by outside groups and subject to an internal watchdog audit over complaints it was slow walking public information requests.

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The upshot: All in all, the agency got away with it: Democrats complained but never followed through on a subpoena threat. By the final six months of the Trump administration, Interior officials completely stopped attending House hearings meant to flag issues with the department. The behavior all but guarantees that future administrations will follow suit.
\u2014 Ben Lefebvre

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Cannabis

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Legal marijuana spreads across most of the country

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Cannabis legalization advocates were alarmed when Trump picked Jeff Sessions as his first attorney general. For marijuana supporters, Sessions\u2019 anti-cannabis rhetoric harkened back to \u201creefer madness\u201c days, and they feared he would crack down on the burgeoning state-regulated marijuana industry. Their fears were founded: In January 2018, Sessions \nrescinded the Cole memo, an Obama-era Justice Department guidance that called for deprioritizing marijuana enforcement. The memo had provided some protection for state-legal marijuana markets and informed how state governments set up their own cannabis laws. But a Sessions-led crackdown never materialized.

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The move: Despite its anti-weed rhetoric, the Trump administration stood to the side as 18 states liberalized their marijuana laws from 2016 to 2020, including \nstaunchly conservative states like Mississippi and South Dakota. Despite former Attorney General William Barr\u2019s \nanti-trust scrutiny of cannabis deals, the federal government remained relatively hands-off on marijuana policy.

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The impact: Cannabis is now legal in some form in 36 states, meaning that a majority of Americans have some form of legal access even though the drug remains officially illegal at the federal level. In fact, \nmore than one-third of Americans now live in states with full legalization.

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The upshot: Cannabis has become a massive business, generating billions in state revenues. The move toward legalization is likely to accelerate under a Biden administration, which is expected to pressure Congress to pass legislation fixing some legal problems for cannabis companies, such as access to banking, and might even move to change its illegal status under the federal Controlled Substances Act.
\u2014 Mona Zhang

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Loan forgiveness

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Trump curbed relief for defrauded students

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Trump dismantled Obama-era policies that were designed to curb abuses by for-profit colleges, including rules designed to make it easier for borrowers to obtain loan forgiveness if they were cheated or duped by their college. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the Obama administration\u2019s approach was too lenient, akin to allowing borrowers to access \u201cfree money\u201d at taxpayer expense.

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The move: DeVos rewrote the Obama administration\u2019s rules that govern when federal student loan borrowers can have their debt wiped out as a result of their college\u2019s misconduct, imposing stricter standards of proof. She also required the Education Department to provide only partial loan relief in many cases, a departure from the Obama administration\u2019s policy of providing full loan forgiveness. Congress moved to block the rules, with 10 GOP senators joining Democrats, but Trump vetoed the legislation and the new rules took effect.

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The impact: Borrowers seeking to have their loans wiped out because of the misconduct of their college \u2014 such as misleading or deceiving students about their job prospects \u2014 will have a tougher time proving their claims. The Education Department estimates that the Trump policy will reduce federal loan forgiveness by hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

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The upshot: Biden has already committed to swiftly reversing Trump\u2019s changes to the rules, which are known as \u201cborrower defense to repayment.\u201d But he\u2019s facing pressure from progressives to go further and provide sweeping debt cancellations to all borrowers, regardless of whether they were defrauded.
\u2014 Michael Stratford

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Shell companies

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Trump made it easier to prosecute financial crimes like money laundering

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The Trump administration played a major but little-noticed role in pushing Congress to enact the most sweeping overhaul of financial crimes safeguards in decades, measures intended to stop money flowing to terrorists, drug traffickers and other wrongdoers. The legislation made its way into the National Defense Authorization Act, historically a must-pass bill each year. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin personally negotiated the anti-money laundering safeguards with Republicans and Democrats who crafted the deal.

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The move: The new law would require millions of business entities to report their true owners, puncturing the veil of anonymity that shell companies give to money launderers and tax evaders and making it easier for prosecutors to literally follow the money.

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The impact: The information businesses report to the Treasury Department would be accessible to law enforcement agencies that would have an unprecedented tool to investigate shell companies. Banks, which are responsible for policing criminal activity by their customers, would also be able to tap into the database.

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The upshot: Criminals will keep finding ways to operate in the shadows. But the new disclosure rules could give law enforcement leverage over their frontmen and may make it harder for bad guys to find lawyers willing to help hide their money because of the new paper trail.
\u2014 Zachary Warmbrodt

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Poverty

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Trump shrank the food safety net \u2014 a lot

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Under Trump, the Agriculture Department scaled back the $60 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the food support program for low-income Americans formerly known as food stamps. The administration said it wanted to cut back on waste and save money within the program.

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The move: In 2018, the Agriculture Department introduced a new rule that aimed to more strictly enforce certain work mandates under the program, making it more difficult for states to seek waivers from SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults who aren\u2019t caring for children or other dependents.

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The impact: 755,000 Americans have lost their access to food aid under SNAP, according to the USDA\u2019s own estimates.

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The upshot: The courts could reverse the change. In October, a judge halted the rule and said that it \u201cradically and abruptly alters decades of regulatory practice, leaving states scrambling and exponentially increasing food insecurity for tens of thousands of Americans.\u201d But the Trump administration appealed that decision in December, prolonging the legal battle.
\u2014 Liz Crampton

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Overtime pay

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Millions of workers lost access to extra pay for long hours

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Under Trump, the federal government rolled out a series of employer-friendly rules and decisions, many of which slid under the national radar. One of the most significant: His Labor Department finalized an overtime rule notably weaker than that issued under Obama, leaving millions of workers ineligible.

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The move: In 2016, Obama\u2019s Labor Department finalized a rule that would raise the salary threshold for overtime eligibility from around $24,000 to some $47,000 a year, with triennial increases. At the time, only about 6 percent of workers were eligible. But Trump\u2019s White House declined to defend the rule in court, and in 2019, proposed its own, much more lax rule, which would raise the threshold to about $35,000 with no scheduled raises.

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The impact: The Trump rule applies to just 15 percent of full-time, salaried workers, whereas the Obama rule would have applied to twice as many. That\u2019s at least \n8 million workers who would have been eligible for overtime pay under the 2016 version and now are ineligible; some estimates place the amount of wages lost at \naround $1 billion annually.

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The upshot: Biden\u2019s role in the Obama administration, which proposed the original rule, and his sweeping pro-worker agenda indicate that he will likely overturn the Trump rule and issue his own overtime rule \u2014 though when, exactly, that will happen remains unclear.
\u2014 Eleanor Mueller

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Greenhouse gases

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On gas emissions, Trump went the opposite direction from the rest of the world

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Trump\u2019s attempts to roll back Obama-era rules aimed at cracking down on methane emissions had major implications for not only the near-term warming caused by this potent greenhouse gas, but also shrunk the United States\u2019 stature on the global stage.

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The move: The Trump administration loosened the standards oil and gas companies had to meet for how much methane \u2014 the largest chemical component of natural gas and a major heat-trapping substance \u2014 they could allow to leak out of pipelines, storage tanks and other oil field infrastructure. Senate Republicans had failed to kill the Obama rule at the beginning of the Trump administration, leaving the White House to roll back an environmental regulation even some oil and gas companies supported as a way to keep an increasingly green-minded public on their side.

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The impact: Trump\u2019s stance was the polar opposite of what China and European countries pledged to do to rein in emissions of a gas considered one of the leading causes of climate change. The Trump rollbacks, finalized in August, were considered so out of the norm that even oil companies such as BP and Shell publicly spoke out against them. The French government stepped in to force trading firm Engie, in which it owns a stake, to reject a proposed contract to import U.S. gas, citing reputational risk. Trump\u2019s rejection of strict methane standards has also allowed Europe to claim the global mantle for fighting climate change.

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The upshot: Trump\u2019s rule changes are still being litigated in court and will be immediately in Biden\u2019s sights for reversal when he officially takes office. But reputational damage has already been done.
\u2014 Ben Lefebvre

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Drones

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Trump imposed a near-ban on government use of Chinese drones

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Like many Chinese products and services, Chinese-made drones became a focal point for the Trump administration. Federal agencies seeking to end China\u2019s dominance of the drone market, amid concerns that equipment could be used to spy, have looked for ways to bolster domestic production.

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The move: In late 2019, the Interior Department temporarily stopped all non-emergency use of its mostly Chinese-made drones after officials from several agencies \u2014 including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice \u2014 warned that drones and drone equipment made in China might be used for espionage. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt further escalated efforts in October when he told department leadership that all future drone purchases should be vetted against a list of DoD-approved, U.S.-made drones. More recently the Commerce Department added China-based manufacturer DJI, which is the largest civilian drone manufacturer in the world, to a trade blacklist, citing concerns about the company\u2019s possible involvement in human rights abuses by the Chinese government.

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The impact: DJI\u2019s placement on the trade blacklist doesn\u2019t affect ordinary consumers or businesses, but it\u2019s a significant blow to U.S. companies, such as Microsoft and PrecisionHawk, who do business with DJI including provide components for their drones. This is bad timing for those companies, since the FAA is getting ready to greenlight new commercial uses, such as drone-based delivery services, which will increase sales. What\u2019s more, Congress may soon put even more restrictions on use of Chinese-made technology because of security concerns.

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The upshot: While a Biden administration might be less prone to take actions to disrupt the global supply chain, it also might try to avoid perceptions of being soft on China. A Biden administration might use the Commerce Department\u2019s blacklist as a \u201cbargaining chip\u201d with the Chinese government, meaning DJI might stay on the list for some time. Biden also has expressed support for bolstering U.S. drone manufacturing, which could translate to further actions that would reduce U.S. reliance on Chinese technology.
\u2014 Stephanie Beasley

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Defense spending

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Trump made it possible to follow the Pentagon\u2019s money

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The Pentagon makes up the largest slice of discretionary spending in the federal budget, so it might surprise you that until Trump, no one had conducted an audit of where America\u2019s defense dollars go, and its financial accounting systems were notoriously messy and complicated.

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The move: In 2018, the Trump administration for the first time attempted a Defense Department-wide audit. An army of 1,000 outside accountants and 150 personnel from the Defense Department inspector general\u2019s office fanned out to some 600 locations and collected 40,000 pages of financial documents.

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The impact: In the end, as widely expected, the Pentagon failed the audit overall; too much paperwork was missing or incomplete. Officials now predict the Defense Department won\u2019t be able to pass a full audit until 2027 at the earliest. But there are bright spots: for example, the first time around the military pay system, an enormous stream of dollars, came back clean. In follow-up audits conducted in 2019 and 2020, meanwhile, a few more defense agencies and military components \nwere added to the clean column.

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The upshot: The overall exercise is seen as a milestone in the odyssey to someday verify where all our defense tax dollars are going. What\u2019s more, the audit effort is helping Pentagon managers make their programs more efficient and minimize waste. Efforts to inject more accountability into Pentagon spending are likely to get even more intense during the Biden administration.
\u2014 Bryan Bender

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Taxes

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Trump goosed the economy with tax cuts that didn\u2019t pay political dividends

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Trump\u2019s biggest legislative achievement was arguably the $1.5 trillion tax cut package Republicans pushed through Congress, which he said would super-charge the economy.

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The move: The 2017 tax bill slashed individual and corporate tax rates and made dozens of other major changes to the tax code that affected virtually every facet of the economy, from small businesses to university endowments.

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The impact: The tax cuts helped goose the economy before the coronavirus struck, as unemployment fell steeply and the economy expanded, though many economists argued it was a sugar high or questioned whether a direct line could be drawn between the cuts and the good times. Also, the economic impact wasn\u2019t all good \u2014 the tax cuts also fueled record deficits. Supporters inside and outside the Trump administration still insist the cuts will pay for themselves in the long run through economic growth \u2014 though many economists are skeptical, or outright dismissive, of that prediction.

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The upshot: While the tax cuts benefited the economy in the short turn, they failed to pay political dividends for Trump. Polls showed the tax bill was never very popular, with the Democrats doing a good job of convincing voters it mainly benefited the wealthy. Biden has vowed to roll back much of the tax cut, particularly for high earners, by boosting the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent and raising the top individual income tax rate to 39.6 percent from 37 percent for those earning more than $400,000 annually. However, he could have a hard time getting that through Congress, with Democrats holding a one-vote majority in the Senate and a diminished number of House seats.
\u2014 Toby Eckert

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Robocalls

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Trump cracked down \u2014 mostly successfully \u2014 on unwanted calls and texts

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For years the federal government made little headway against the plague of unwanted automated phone calls that have annoyed Americans \u2014 19 billion such calls last year alone. Despite plenty of rancor, Trump and his agency heads succeeded in working with Congress to make significant headway in curbing \u2014 but not yet eliminating \u2014 the annoyance.

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The move: At the end of 2019, Trump signed into law carefully crafted bipartisan legislation designed to ensure phone companies would install technology to verify that calls were authentic and bolster federal enforcement powers. These efforts built on work already underway at the FCC and among state attorneys general to ward off the unwanted calls and crack down on the perpetrators, many of whom were slapped with record-setting fines in recent years under FCC Chair Ajit Pai.

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The impact: The volume of robocalls in 2020 seems to be on track to be lower than the previous two years, although the global pandemic could be affecting the numbers in ways not immediately apparent (not to mention prompting scams specific to Covid-19).

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The upshot: Although these efforts will provide a strong foundation for any moves under Biden to further tamp down the number of calls, businesses say they still lack the legal clarity they need to use automated phone calls and texts for legitimate communication with their customers. Biden and Congress will now face pressure to provide such clarity.
\u2014 John Hendel

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Climate science

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Trump exiled climate scientists from Washington\u2014literally.

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The Agriculture Department went to great lengths to quietly quash scientific research conducted by its employees or funded by government dollars, in particular research about how the agriculture industry could play a critical role in combating climate change. Secretary Sonny Perdue was aggressive in reshaping USDA, most overtly by relocating many of the department\u2019s research scientists out of Washington to the Midwest.

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The move: Officials refused to publicize dozens of studies that carry warnings about the effects of climate change on the agriculture sector. The department even stopped the release of a plan on how to respond to the climate change crisis.

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The impact: Perdue\u2019s contentious decision to relocate hundreds of scientists to Kansas City was among the reasons morale has been so low among department employees, prompting many of them to jump ship, leaving research agencies with a fraction of their former staff.

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The upshot: The Biden administration is facing pressure to quickly rehire scientists to get USDA research agencies back to full capacity, and they are expected to boost spending on research studying threats facing the food system, including climate change.
\u2014 Liz Crampton

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Medical records

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Trump took a big swing at finally fixing health-care technology

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Patients who have had to tote x-ray scans around hospitals, or explain their medicine allergies for the umpteenth time, are familiar with the problem Trump tried to fix: that having spent billions of dollars digitizing the health care system\u2019s medical records, the information in those records does not exactly zip around at the speed of the internet.

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The move: Early in 2020 \u2014 just before coronavirus upended daily life \u2014 the Trump administration released a big ball of rules meant to sweep aside barriers to sharing health information. The administration\u2019s rules have several targets but they focus on practices like \u201cinformation blocking,\u201d whereby companies or providers might not release necessary data for competitive advantage, and require companies to use standardized recipes to exchange information.

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The impact: Not much, yet. Providers and other parts of the industry successfully argued that complying with the rules would be too heavy a lift amid the pandemic, so the Trump administration has delayed the effective date.

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The upshot: The provisions are, broadly speaking, popular and flow from bipartisan work beginning in the Obama administration. If anything, the biggest critics of the rules want them to be tougher and go into effect faster. For that reason, it\u2019s unlikely a Biden administration will be looking to reverse course.
\u2014 Darius Tahir

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Sexual harassment

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Trump rescinded rules protecting workers at federal contractors

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On the eve of the #MeToo era, Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress repealed transparency safeguards designed to protect \nhundreds of thousands of people working for companies bidding for federal contracts from sexual harassment. Business groups vehemently opposed the requirements, which they dubbed the \u201cBlacklist Rule,\u201d arguing that the regulation was so broadly worded that potential contractors could be barred from doing work with the government based on allegations alone.

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The move: In March 2017, Trump signed a Congressional Review Act resolution to revoke a \nregulation enacted under Obama the previous year that required businesses to publicly disclose any sexual harassment or labor law violations over the previous three years whenever they bid on large federal contracts. The goal of the rule was to prevent federal money from flowing to firms with a history of such infractions. The Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule also barred companies with federal contracts of more than $1 million from requiring that workers address claims of sexual harassment or sexual assault in private arbitration, taking away their option to sue in court.

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The impact: Federal contractors with a history of sexual harassment or other labor violations can win bids without having to reveal their problematic history.

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The upshot: Biden can reinstate the executive order, but it\u2019s legally murky for the Department of Labor to reissue the rule because the Congressional Review Act bars agencies from issuing \u201csubstantially the same\u201d regulation after it\u2019s been overturned by Congress.
\u2014 Rebecca Rainey

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Auto emissions

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Trump went all-in on ending curbs on auto emissions, dividing the industry

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Obama used his stimulus leverage over the auto manufacturers to negotiate landmark federal rules to curb carbon dioxide pollution from new vehicles through 2025 \u2014 a central component of his work to fight climate change. Automakers took advantage of Trump\u2019s election to ask for moderate changes to those targets, but Trump instead completely scrambled the regulatory scheme, attacked California\u2019s special regulatory authority and created a schism among automakers.

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The move: The Obama administration\u2019s plan would have required automakers to improve fuel efficiency by 5 percent per year, but the Trump administration rolled those targets back to just 1.5 percent improvement each year.

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The impact: Vehicle emissions represent the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and the rollback was likely the biggest climate-related action of Trump\u2019s term, especially as electric utilities continue to move away from coal on their own and as electric vehicles are slow to take hold in the U.S. But some of the effect was mitigated when the state of California brokered a deal with five major auto manufacturers to meet standards similar to the Obama-era ones.

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The upshot: The Biden administration is expected to laser in on the auto rules for reconsideration, but the multiyear lead time manufacturers need to design and test their vehicles means the gains mandated under the Obama-era rules but scaled back by Trump are all but forfeited.
\u2014 Alex Guill\u00e9n and Annie Snider

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Antitrust

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The anti-monopolists started winning \u2014 despite Trump at first, then with his help

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For the past decade, politicians on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns about the growing size, power and influence of tech giants including Facebook, Google and Amazon, but rarely took action against them. Progressive anti-monopoly advocates were largely overruled during the Obama years at the U.S.\u2019 two antitrust agencies, the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department. But amid growing conservative anger at the tech giants, Trump\u2019s regulators eventually joined the fight and dusted off an antitrust legal playbook that hadn\u2019t been used since the breakup of AT&T in the 1980s.

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The move: Early on, Trump\u2019s tenure seemed to be following recent patterns by waving through major mergers like the combination of telecom giants Sprint and T-Mobile. But two Trump picks, FTC Chair Joe Simons and DOJ\u2019s Barr, have spent the past two years more aggressively looking into antitrust concerns raised by Silicon Valley. In recent months, the DOJ filed a landmark antitrust case against Google, its biggest monopolization case since the 1990s suit against Microsoft. The FTC, meanwhile, is pursuing its own watershed suit against Facebook that could see the social network broken up.

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The impact: It\u2019s too soon to tell whether the antitrust actions will succeed in forcing changes at Google or Facebook, but they have sent a signal that there will be more scrutiny of their business practices going forward.

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The upshot: Both lawsuits will continue into the Biden administration \u2014 and possibly beyond. Major antitrust cases can take 3 to 5 years, and a trial in the Google suit likely won\u2019t even begin till the fall of 2023.
\u2014 Leah Nylen

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Immigration

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A big crackdown on legal immigrants

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While it was no surprise to anyone who followed his 2016 presidential campaign that Trump wanted to crack down on illegal immigration at the southern border, his administration also imposed tighter restrictions on legal immigration, even of the high-skilled workers he claimed to want in the country.

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The move: The Department of Homeland Security has pushed through restrictions and changes to the H-1B visa program that allows U.S. businesses to hire high-skilled foreign workers for \u201cspecialty\u201c jobs. Businesses rely on these workers to fill jobs they say they can\u2019t fill with U.S. citizens. The administration, however, said U.S. employers are abusing the work visa because they want to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor. The administration\u2019s most recent rules sought to limit the types of jobs foreign workers can apply for, while also requiring employers to pay them more.

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The impact: Some changes \u2014 including those that narrow the definition of a \u201cspecialty occupation\u201d and that require employers to pay foreign workers more \u2014 were expected to reduce the number of approved H-1B visa petitions by one-third. Those efforts have since been halted in court. Businesses seeking these non-immigrant worker visas also saw an increase in requests to provide more evidence in their applications and a higher rate of visa denials.

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The upshot: Biden promised during his campaign that he would support expanding the number of high-skilled visas available, but after first reforming the temporary visa system to prevent favoring \u201conly entry level wages and skills.\u201d That\u2019s likely to be a heavy lift; Congress hasn\u2019t been able to pass comprehensive immigration reform since 1986.
\u2014 Rebecca Rainey

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Toxic chemicals

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Trump impeded regulation \u2014 even though Republicans wanted it

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Trump\u2019s EPA essentially blew up a bipartisan deal to more strictly regulate toxic chemicals that Americans are exposed to daily and instead tapped a group of chemicals industry experts to run and advise the program. The 2016 overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act, supported by both Democrats and Republicans, had given EPA new teeth to go after well-known dangerous chemicals, like asbestos and methylene chloride, in a bid to boost public confidence in the safety of consumer products.

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The move: Trump officials muzzled scientists and civil servants at the agency and crafted narrow approaches to assessing chemicals\u2019 dangers that have massive loopholes. Specifically, while under the new law Congress urged EPA to consider all possible exposures to a chemical, cumulatively, whether in the water, air, through consumer uses or exposure at work. But Trump\u2019s EPA opted only to look at risks from exposures that couldn\u2019t be regulated under other laws; for instance, they wouldn\u2019t weigh potential exposure to a chemical in drinking water since it could be regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, even if it wasn\u2019t. Trump\u2019s EPA also mostly whiffed statutory deadlines to finish studying risks for the first round of chemicals under the 2016 law and was slapped by a federal court for ignoring certain ways Americans are exposed to toxins.

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The impact: The administration\u2019s approach paves the way for less stringent regulation of toxic chemicals. If the Biden EPA leaves the laxer evaluations intact, its subsequent regulations will not be able to limit certain ways people are exposed \u2014 meaning Americans may not get comprehensive protection. While it is likely the Biden administration will take a more holistic look at future chemicals EPA reviews, it is unclear whether it will have time to re-analyze the chemicals the Trump administration already finished reviewing.

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The upshot: Biden\u2019s EPA is expected to take a more holistic approach to assessing and addressing chemicals\u2019 risks, but because of strict timelines set under the 2016 law, it is unclear to what extent it will be able to redo assessments done under the Trump administration.
\u2014 Alex Guill\u00e9n and Annie Snider

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Internet upgrade

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Trump rallied the world against China\u2019s 5G dominance

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The Trump administration put national security concerns around 5G in the spotlight, arguing that Chinese equipment used to build next-generation Internet networks posed a surveillance threat to Western countries. In practice, that meant the White House launched a campaign against some of China\u2019s top communications companies, from Huawei to ZTE to China Telecom; even TikTok became swept up in the mix.

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The move: Trump carried out a handful of different actions to block companies like Huawei and ZTE from getting any foothold in the U.S. telecom marketplace and limit their ability to trade with U.S. companies. These domestic actions were combined with a global full-court press in which Trump lobbied America\u2019s allies in Europe and beyond to avoid using Chinese network equipment in any telecom infrastructure.

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The impact: Trump notched victories in countries like Britain and Australia, who made decisions to reject Huawei from their domestic 5G buildouts. The administration also nailed down plans to force smaller U.S. telecom carriers to rip out and replace any scattered gear from Huawei and ZTE being used in their networks.

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The upshot: Although many expect Biden to take a more multilateral approach, Trump\u2019s concerns won bipartisan backing within the U.S. and are likely to keep dominating global and domestic talks. Many countries are still mulling whether they share the alarm coming from U.S. officials.
\u2014 John Hendel

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Farm aid

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Trump doled out billions in aid to farmers

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Faced with years of declining prices and shrunken foreign markets, farmers have been struggling throughout the Trump administration. Trump officials have tried to mend food producers\u2019 finances by doling out billions in assistance in order to keep the industry afloat.

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The move: Trump\u2019s USDA \nsteered billions in subsidies to farmers suffering from tariffs imposed by foreign countries as a consequence of the president\u2019s trade wars, an amount that far outpaced the massive auto bailout in 2008.

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The impact: The vast majority of the aid went to traditional row crop farmers, many of whom were part of Trump\u2019s political base. Government payments are forecast to be at their highest level ever and account for nearly 40 percent net farm income this year.

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The upshot: Biden faces a difficult choice in deciding whether to continue the payments: The effects of Trump\u2019s trade war will stick around well into 2021, and producers have come to rely on the assistance to stay in business.
\u2014 Liz Crampton

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Banking

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Trump rolled back rules on banks designed to prevent another financial crisis

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Trump fulfilled a major GOP priority in 2018 by signing the first big bank deregulation bill since the landmark Dodd-Frank Act was enacted in 2010. It was a victory for the nation\u2019s lenders, which spent years fighting to roll back rules enacted in the wake of the 2008 Wall Street meltdown. Republicans and moderate Democrats had been working on some of the proposals well before the 2016 election, but the Trump administration played a key role in making it possible.

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The move: The smallest banks won relaxed mortgage regulations and streamlined capital requirements while escaping restrictions intended to discourage risky bets in bank trading. A number of large lenders escaped Federal Reserve rules targeted at the biggest \u201csystemically important\u201d banks. One of the most controversial provisions in the legislation shields small lenders from mortgage disclosure requirements intended to help fight discrimination. The bill\u2019s opponents warned that it would hurt consumers and wasn\u2019t necessary at a time when the industry was racking up record profits.

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The impact: Since the passage of the legislation, large banks that lobbied for the looser restrictions have begun to merge. SunTrust and BB&T combined in 2019 to form Truist, the eighth-biggest U.S. bank at more than $504.3 billion in assets. PNC, the country\u2019s 10th-largest lender, agreed to buy the U.S. operations of BBVA to form another mega-bank.

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The upshot: Even with Democrats in control of Congress, it\u2019s unlikely they will try to undo the law, which the party\u2019s centrists helped pass. Biden\u2019s nominees to regulatory agencies may reconsider some of the rules drafted to execute the legislation but it probably won\u2019t be a top priority.
\u2014 Zachary Warmbrodt

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Social media

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Trump galvanized an anti-Silicon Valley movement in the GOP

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Lawmakers furious at Silicon Valley have for years taken aim at Section 230, a crucial 1996 legal provision that shields online platforms from lawsuits over the user content they host or decide to restrict. But it was a niche issue until Trump escalated the attacks over allegations that social media companies are biased against conservatives.

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The move: Trump signed an executive order in May asking federal agencies to narrow Section 230\u2019s liability protections, which Republicans say enable Silicon Valley censorship of conservatives. Trump has also taken an unusually active role in pushing his allies at federal agencies and in Congress to weaken the legal shield.

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The impact: Pressure from Trump prompted the Federal Communications Commission to launch a controversial rulemaking process to \u201cclarify\u201d the scope of Section 230. The Justice Department unveiled its own proposal to pare it back. And congressional Republicans once wary of changing the law have rallied around Trump\u2019s efforts by introducing bills to do just that.

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The upshot: While there\u2019s bipartisan support for revamping the law, those GOP-led efforts focused on the bias charges are likely to be blocked by Democrats in Congress.
\u2014 Cristiano Lima

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Environmental impacts

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Trump reduced environmental approvals for infrastructure projects

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For a short time during his first year in office, Trump\u2014himself a former developer\u2014 was in the habit of whipping out \na flow chart almost as long as he is tall detailing the cumbersome process infrastructure projects have to go through to get approved and completed. During his last year in office, he took his most aggressive action yet to shorten that flow chart and, potentially, shortchange the environmental and community protection benefits embedded in it.

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The move: In July, the White House Council on Environmental Quality issued \nsweeping policy changes setting shorter deadlines for agencies to complete environmental reviews and drastically reducing the scope of environmental impacts federal agencies should consider. Under the new rule, agencies need only consider emissions caused by the building of a project but not the use of the project, such as increased vehicle emissions caused by a highway expansion.

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The impact: New projects can be more polluting or damaging to the environment over the long term and still be approved \u2013 and community groups will have less leverage to challenge them.

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The upshot: The Department of Transportation is moving forward with its effort to implement the new rule, despite multiple petitions to hold off. Five separate lawsuits are challenging the Trump changes to NEPA policy; however, it is unlikely the Biden Administration will continue to defend the changes in court, which makes is more likely they will be overturned.
\u2014 Tanya Snyder

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Artificial intelligence

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Trump\u2019s White House took quiet steps to promote U.S. development of AI

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Washington is consumed with beating China in the race for technological supremacy on artificial intelligence. Trump took notable steps in that direction, even if some in the industry think he didn\u2019t go far enough.

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The move: Trump in 2019 signed an executive order aimed at boosting the federal government\u2019s role in promoting the development of AI and at providing guidance to agencies on how to regulate the technology. The White House also threw its support behind European efforts to develop global AI standards.

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The impact: Even as Trump disengaged from other areas of international rulemaking, his actions helped give the U.S. a global presence in the international debate over how to regulate AI.

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The upshot: Industry leaders are still looking for the federal government to seize an even more active role in championing AI development, and to provide more funding for R&D. And they\u2019re hoping the incoming Biden administration will go much farther than Trump did.
\u2014 Cristiano Lima

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Housing segregation

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Trump rolled back rules on racially segregated housing

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The Trump administration succeeded on several fronts in rolling back Obama\u2019s efforts to combat racial segregation in housing. Arguing that the main barrier to broader homeownership is affordability rather than racial discrimination, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson was eager to pare back an Obama regulation he\u2019d once derided as \u201csocial engineering.\u201d

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The move: Carson scrapped the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which threatened to withhold housing funds from cities that fail to take active steps to end segregation. The new version also revamped the agency\u2019s \u201cdisparate impact\u201d rule to make it harder for plaintiffs to bring claims of unintentional discrimination. In addition, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gave small banks an exemption from data collection requirements that help track racial discrimination in the mortgage market. The agency also dramatically cut back on enforcing fair lending laws during the Trump administration.

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The impact: The reduced focus on fair housing comes as the gap in homeownership rates between Black and white Americans yawns as widely as it ever has, including when housing discrimination was legal. About 70 percent of white households own their homes, compared with about 40 percent of Black households \u2014 a disparity the ongoing and lopsided economic crisis is expected to exacerbate.

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The upshot: Because the 2015 rule was already on the books, the incoming administration can simply revoke the replacement regulation and revert to the original, although it will have to update the data tools that form the backbone of the rule. Rebuilding an aggressive enforcement division at the CFPB will take longer.
\u2014 Katy O\u2019Donnell

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Trade rules

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Trump made trade a top priority, but had only mixed results

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Trump prioritized trade concerns far more than any other president in recent history, pursuing a hyperactive agenda that flummoxed allies and adversaries alike. In particular, Trump shifted the United States toward a more nationalist trade policy characterized by an aggressive use of tariffs and sharp criticism of China, the European Union and the World Trade Organization.

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The move: Trump abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement supported by most other Republicans and ran roughshod over the rules-based trading system to pursue his political objective of boosting U.S. industry. He imposed tariffs on more than $350 billion worth of Chinese goods and on billions of dollars\u2019 worth of steel and aluminum imports. He struck a trade deal with China that eliminates many agricultural trade barriers but left many other serious trade issues unaddressed. He also used the threat of withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement to strike a more protectionist version of the agreement with Canada and Mexico.

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The impact: Trump elevated concerns about China\u2019s trade practices and acquisition of American technology to a new level and helped usher in what many now are calling a cold war between the world\u2019s two largest economies. He also weakened the World Trade Organization through his willingness to hamstring the group\u2019s dispute settlement system and to unilaterally impose tariffs to punish trading partners and protect domestic industries.

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The upshot: Trump leaves office with a mixed record on trade. The new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement has groundbreaking provisions on labor enforcement and costly new rules for North American automakers. Trump fell far short on his promise to negotiate bilateral trade deals to make up for his decision to pull out of the TPP, although he did negotiate a number of partial trade deals with the EU, Japan and Brazil and borrowed heavily from the TPP in his NAFTA update.
\u2014 Doug Palmer

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