Passage
of the tax reform bill providing $5.5 billion in cuts and repealing the
Obamacare mandate.
Increase
of the GDP above 3 percent.
Creation
of 1.7 million new jobs, cutting unemployment to 4.1 percent.
Saw the
Dow Jones reach record highs.
A
rebound in economic confidence to a 17-year high.
Ø A new
executive order to boost apprenticeships.
Ø A move
to boost computer sciences in Education Department programs.
Ø Prioritizing
women-owned businesses for some $500 million in SBA loans.
Ø Killing
job-stifling regulations
Ø Signed
an Executive Order demanding that two regulations be killed for every new one
creates. He beat that big and cut 16 rules and regulations for every one
created, saving $8.1 billion.
Ø Signed
15 congressional regulatory cuts.
Ø Withdrew
from the Obama-era Paris Climate Agreement, ending the threat of environmental
regulations.
Ø Signed
an Executive Order cutting the time for infrastructure permit approvals.
Ø Eliminated
an Obama rule on streams that Trump felt unfairly targeted the coal industry.
Ø Fair trade
Ø Made
good on his campaign promise to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Ø Opened
up the North American Free Trade Agreement for talks to better the deal for the
U.S.
Ø Worked
to bring companies back to the U.S., and companies like Toyota, Mazda, Broadcom
Limited, and Foxconn announced plans to open U.S. plants.
Ø Worked
to promote the sale of U.S products abroad.
Ø Made
enforcement of U.S. trade laws, especially those that involve national
security, a priority.
Ø Ended
Obama’s deal with Cuba.
Ø Boosting
U.S. energy dominance
Ø The
Department of Interior, which has led the way in cutting regulations, opened
plans to lease 77 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling.
Ø Trump
traveled the world to promote the sale and use of U.S. energy.
Ø Expanded
energy infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline snubbed by Obama.
Ø Ordered
the Environmental Protection Agency to kill Obama’s Clean Power Plan.
Ø EPA is
reconsidering Obama rules on methane emissions.
Ø Protecting
the U.S. homeland
Ø Laid
out new principles for reforming immigration and announced plan to end
"chain migration," which lets one legal immigrant to bring in dozens
of family members.
Ø Made
progress to build the border wall with Mexico.
Ø Ended
the Obama-era “catch and release” of illegal immigrants.
Ø Boosted
the arrests of illegals inside the U.S.
Ø Doubled
the number of counties participating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement
charged with deporting illegals.
Ø Removed
36 percent more criminal gang members than in fiscal 2016.
Ø Started
the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program.
Ø Ditto
for other amnesty programs like Deferred Action for Parents of Americans.
Ø Cracking
down on some 300 sanctuary cities that defy ICE but still get federal dollars.
Ø Added
some 100 new immigration judges.
Ø Protecting
communities
Ø Justice
announced grants of $98 million to fund 802 new cops.
Ø Justice
worked with Central American nations to arrest and charge 4,000 MS-13 members.
Ø Homeland
rounded up nearly 800 MS-13 members, an 83 percent one-year increase.
Ø Signed
three executive orders aimed at cracking down on international criminal
organizations.
Ø Attorney
General Jeff Sessions created new National Public Safety Partnership, a cooperative
initiative with cities to reduce violent crimes.
Ø Accountability
Ø Trump
has nominated 73 federal judges and won his nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the
Supreme Court.
Ø Ordered
ethical standards including a lobbying ban.
Ø Called
for a comprehensive plan to reorganize the executive branch.
Ø Ordered
an overhaul to modernize the digital government.
Ø Called
for a full audit of the Pentagon and its spending.
Ø Combatting
opioids
Ø First,
the president declared a Nationwide Public Health Emergency on opioids.
Ø His Council
of Economic Advisors played a role in determining that overdoses are
underreported by as much as 24 percent.
Ø The
Department of Health and Human Services laid out a new five-point strategy to
fight the crisis.
Ø Justice
announced it was scheduling fentanyl substances as a drug class under the
Controlled Substances Act.
Ø Justice
started a fraud crackdown, arresting more than 400.
Ø The
administration added $500 million to fight the crisis.
Ø On
National Drug Take Back Day, the Drug Enforcement Agency collected 456 tons.
Ø Protecting
life
Ø In his
first week, Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy that blocks
some $9 billion in foreign aid being used for abortions.
Ø Worked
with Congress on a bill overturning an Obama regulation that blocked states
from defunding abortion providers.
Ø Published
guidance to block Obamacare money from supporting abortion.
Ø Helping
veterans
Ø Signed
the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act to allow senior
officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs to fire failing employees and
establish safeguards to protect whistleblowers.
Ø Signed
the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act.
Ø Signed
the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, to provide support.
Ø Signed
the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 to authorize $2.1 billion in
additional funds for the Veterans Choice Program.
Ø Created
a VA hotline.
Ø Had the
VA launch an online “Access and Quality Tool,” providing veterans with a way to
access wait time and quality of care data.
Ø With VA
Secretary Dr. David Shulkin, announced three initiatives to expand access to
healthcare for veterans using telehealth technology.
Ø Promoting
peace through strength
Ø Directed
the rebuilding of the military and ordered a new national strategy and nuclear
posture review.
Ø Worked
to increase defense spending.
Ø Empowered
military leaders to “seize the initiative and win,” reducing the need for a
White House sign off on every mission.
Ø Directed
the revival of the National Space Council to develop space war strategies.
Ø Elevated
U.S. Cyber Command into a major warfighting command.
Ø Withdrew
from the U.N. Global Compact on Migration, which Trump saw as a threat to
borders.
Ø Imposed
a travel ban on nations that lack border and anti-terrorism security.
Ø Saw
ISIS lose virtually all of its territory.
Ø Pushed
for strong action against global outlaw North Korea and its development of
nuclear weapons.
Ø Announced
a new Afghanistan strategy that strengthens support for U.S. forces at war with
terrorism.
Ø NATO
increased support for the war in Afghanistan.
Ø Approved
a new Iran strategy plan focused on neutralizing the country’s influence in the
region.
Ø Ordered
missile strikes against a Syrian airbase used in a chemical weapons attack.
Ø Prevented
subsequent chemical attacks by announcing a plan to detect them better and
warned of future strikes if they were used.
Ø Ordered
new sanctions on the dictatorship in Venezuela.
Ø Restoring
confidence in and respect for America
Ø Trump
won the release of Americans held abroad, often using his personal
relationships with world leaders.
Ø Made
good on a campaign promise to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Ø Conducted
a historic 12-day trip through Asia, winning new cooperative deals. On the
trip, he attended three regional summits to promote American interests.
Ø He
traveled to the Middle East and Europe to build new relationships with leaders.
Ø Traveled
to Poland and on to Germany for the G-20 meeting where he pushed again for
funding of women entrepreneurs.
Source: Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.co
Source: Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.co
