Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey
You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition - April 28, 2017
Trump Administration (first term)  Vice President Mike Pence Cabinet • White House staff • Transition team • Trump's second term |
Domestic affairs: Abortion • Crime and justice • Education • Energy and the environment • Federal courts • Firearms policy • First Amendment • Healthcare • Immigration • Infrastructure • LGBTQ issues • Marijuana • Puerto Rico • Social welfare programs • Veterans • Voting issues Economic affairs and regulations: Agriculture and food policy • Budget • Financial regulation • Jobs • Social Security • Taxes • Trade Foreign affairs and national security: Afghanistan • Arab states of the Persian Gulf • China • Cuba • Iran • Iran nuclear deal • Islamic State and terrorism • Israel and Palestine • Latin America • Military • NATO • North Korea • Puerto Rico • Russia • Syria • Syrian refugees • Technology, privacy, and cybersecurity |
| Polling indexes: Opinion polling during the Trump administration |
This is the April 28, 2017, edition of an email sent from November 2016 to September 2017 that covered Donald Trump's presidential transition, cabinet appointees, and the different policy positions of those individuals who may have had an effect on the new administration. Previous editions of "You're Hired" can be found here.
This week in You’re Hired, we’ve been looking back to President Trump’s first 100 days. We started with his “Contract with the American Voter,” a document he released in October and called his “100-day action plan to Make America Great Again.” On Monday, we looked at the first section, Trump’s pledged pursuits for his first day in office. Wednesday, we looked to the broader legislative measures the contract outlined for the first 100 days. Today, we will address the legislation Trump has signed into law since taking office.
And once you’ve finished today’s edition, be sure to take our 10-question exit exam. You can test your knowledge of the ins and outs of the Trump administration’s transition and first 100 days.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has signed 28 pieces of legislation into law. Below, we break down what he has signed so far and when.
Bills repealing regulations
The following bills signed into law repealed regulations issued under the Obama through executive agencies. These bills used the Congressional Review Act of 1996, which established that within 60 session days, Congress may overturn an executive regulation with majorities in both the House and Senate and the president’s signature.
- Signed February 14: Disapproved a Securities and Exchange Commission rule that required “resource extraction issuers to disclose payments made to governments for the commercial development of oil, natural gas, or minerals.” The rule was part of the Dodd-Frank Act and was finalized in July 2016.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 52-47
- Signed February 16: Disapproved of the Stream Protection Rule, which increased restrictions on how much debris from the surface mining of coal could then be deposited into streams and rivers. The Obama administration saw the rule as an environmental protection measure, while opponents of the rule saw it as anti-coal.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 54-45
- Signed February 28: Disapproved of a regulation that would have required the Social Security Administration to report “the names of beneficiaries with mental impairments who also have a third party manage their benefits,” according to The Associated Press. The rule was intended to be part of an expanded federal background check system for firearms.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 57-43
- Signed March 27: Disapproved of a regulation that would have required federal contractors to disclose federal labor law violations. The rule also concerned federal paycheck transparency protection for contractors.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 49-48
- Signed March 27: Disapproved of a rule revising regulations concerning land use plans and federal land management. Sometimes called the “venting and flaring rule,” the policy was designed to limit leaks of methane from natural gas wells and restrict flaring on federal lands.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 51-48
- Signed March 27: Disapproved of a regulation that required that teacher training programs be evaluated based on student performance in the classroom.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 50-49
- Signed March 27: Disapproved of a rule that provided guidance for states to identify failing schools and fix them.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 59-40
- Signed March 31: Disapproved of a regulation that would have limited who could be drug tested when applying for unemployment benefits. The original Obama rule restricted which jobs could be drug tested under a 2012 law allowing states to drug test some applicants for unemployment.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 51-48
- Signed April 3: Disapproved of a rule that limited hunting in national wildlife refuges in Alaska. The regulation banned hunting by airplane, killing wolves in their dens, and trapping on Alaskan wildlife refuges. Opponents of the rule argued that these issues should be managed locally rather than at the federal level.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 52-47
- Signed April 3: Disapproved of a rule that formalized a process for maintaining records of injuries and illnesses in the workplace. Known as the “Volks rule,” it the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue citations up to five-and-a-half years after violations occurred, rather than the six-month period allowed before the rule.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 50-48
- Signed April 3: Disapproved of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule that would have required Internet providers to get consumer permission before selling their information to advertisers.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 50-48
- Signed April 13: Disapproved of a rule that banned states from denying grants to health care providers that perform abortions. The rule would have specified requirements for selecting recipients of Title X grants through the Public Health Service Act. Opponents believed that the rule restricted the rights of states to control their public health budgets independently.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 51-50
- Signed April 13: Disapproved of a rule that exempted city-run retirement plans from a federal law that governed private-sector retirement plans sponsored by an employer. The rescinded rule applied to city-run retirement plans funded solely through employee contributions.
- The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 50-49
Bills authorizing spending
- Signed March 21: Gave congressional authorization for NASA to spend $19.5 billion in 2018; the bill also endorsed a NASA mission to Mars.
- The bill passed the Senate with unanimous consent
- Signed April 19: Extended and modified the Veterans Choice Act of 2014.
- The Veterans Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act extended a program allowing veterans to see non-VA doctors if they face length wait times at a VA facility or live 40 or more miles from the nearest VA facility. The act also changed a provision of the program to cover private co-pays and deductibles directly rather than through reimbursements to the patient.
- The bill passed the Senate on a voice vote
Bills concerning governmental affairs
- Signed January 20: Allowed for Ret. Gen. James Mattis to serve as secretary of defense.
- Mattis needed a waiver from the rule that the secretary of defense be removed from active duty for seven years.
- The bill passed the Senate 81-17
- Signed January 31: Allowed the Government Accountability Office access to an increased number of federal agency records, including the National Directory of New Hires. Supporters of the bill say that it allows the GAO to audit federal programs more efficiently.
- It passed through Congress without any dissent.
- Signed April 3: Specified terms and procedures for replacing members of the board of directors in the office of compliance whose terms are set to expire in 2017.
- It passed with unanimous consent in the Senate.
- Signed April 18: Authorized the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to enhance its forecasting and alert systems through partnerships with private sector organizations.
- According to the bill summary, it authorizes the following: “The bill provides for technology transfers between the National Weather Service and private sector weather companies and universities to improve forecasting.”
- It passed the Senate with unanimous consent after amendment.
Bills concerning naming, ceremonies, or encouragement
- Signed April 19: Three bills that named appointments to the board of regents at the Smithsonian Institution.
- Two named Roger Ferguson and Michael Govan as new regents. One reappointed Steve Case.
- Signed March 13 and 31: Three bills regarding memorials or renaming of government facilities.
- On March 13: Named a VA clinic in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania.
- On March 31: One bill renamed a VA clinic in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Another approved a location for a memorial to honor those who served in Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield.
- Signed February 28: Two bills concerning women and careers in science and technology.
- Signed March 28: Recognized March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
Note: We won’t abandon you after the first 100 days are up, but our publishing schedule will change. Our emails will arrive in your inbox just once a week, each Wednesday, to bring you an in-depth look at a current topic involving the Trump administration. We will also send special editions to add context to any unexpected events. If you have a topic you would like our team to shed some light on, please feel free to email us at editor@ballotpedia.org or tweet us @Ballotpedia
See also
- You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition
- Donald Trump presidential transition team
| |||||||||||||||||||
