The First Hundred Days: Executive Actions on Day One

Among the first tasks of an incoming president is to sign the first wave of executive orders. Historically, these actions respond to what voters and the incoming administration consider to be the most pressing issues. Trump did not break tradition in this regard. In one action alone, 79 Biden-era executive orders were rescinded by the signing of a memo titled “Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions.”

Last week’s article covered many of Trump’s campaign promises. This week, we focus on the major pledges he fulfilled through executive action on day one. 

The MAGA base that elected Trump was primarily concerned with immigration and the economy when voting in November. Reform of governmental practices and social issues were also important aspects of his victory. Here I will categorize these day-one executive actions in an easily digestible manner:

Economy

Notable economic actions include an “America First” trade policy, “Unleashing of American Energy,” and reform to the Global Tax Deal. More interestingly, Donald Trump signed a particularly vague order claiming executive departments and agencies must “increase the prosperity of the American worker.”

The Assistant to the President for Economic Policy will meet with the President every 30 days to discuss how the administration has progressed in lowering the cost of housing, removing Biden-era climate policies, and encouraging workplace participation.

While Gen Z is still doing better in the housing market than millennials were doing during their time as 18-26 year olds, there is still much concern about graduating students’ ability to own a home in the near future. According to a CNN poll, 70% of 18-29 year olds believe owning a home is essential to the American Dream.

The median income for a University of Virginia graduate, though, is $50,300. The median home price in Virginia is $456,600. This is over nine times more than a graduate’s average salary. Most financial planners recommend that first-time buyers look for a home that is 3-5 times their income. How will Trump’s administration help make home prices more affordable?

Trump has pledged to decrease regulations on housing development for the purpose of increasing housing supply. Regulations likely to be slashed include zoning regulations, environmental protection laws, and permitting requirements (the President recently voiced his dismay for permitting requirements in an California press conference).

Federal Government Overhaul

Trump’s regulation cuts will affect all sectors of the economy, not just housing. An executive order named “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review” states that any regulatory action must be approved by the agency head or their proxy. Undoubtedly, Trump’s appointees will be responsible for slashing many environmental regulations, DEI initiatives, and “promoting governmental efficiency.”

As for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), there was concern over the legality of a president’s ability to conjure up an executive department at will. The Trump administration got around this potential obstacle by taking a pre-existing governmental agency, the United States Digital Service (USDS), and delegating it the responsibility of advancing the President’s 18-month DOGE agenda. He also renamed the organization the United States DOGE Service (still under the acronym of USDS).

What does it mean to promote government efficiency? According to the Trump administration, it means modernizing federal technology and software. From there, the government can use tools such as AI to reduce fraud, increase the speed through which information is processed, and find overlap between agencies and departments to therefore streamline current governmental processes. The House Budget Committee dives deep into the DOGE initiative here.

Immigration

Another day-one executive order is titled “guaranteeing the states protection against invasion.” Here, the order delves into a rather lengthy diatribe about the current state of the US—Mexico border, citing Congress, the Biden administration, and foreign adversaries as responsible for letting so many undocumented immigrants into the country.

Beyond assessing its frustration with the Biden administration, the Trump administration also declared a national emergency at the southern border. Now, there are over 1,500 military units and civilians occupying the border with the intention of stopping illegal crossings and constructing additional physical barriers.

Asylum application processing has been suspended until the border has been secured. The Trump administration also suspended the CBP One mobile app that allowed entrants to check border wait times, apply for I-94 entry, and, most importantly, told refugees when it was their turn to cross the border. With the border secured, the administration plans to focus on mass deportations of illegal immigrants, particularly ones with criminal records. For now, ICE will not actively target law-abiding illegal immigrants. According to “border czar” Tom Homan, however, these people are still “on the table.” Check out this interview to hear the immigration plan from Homan himself.

A note on the term “illegal immigrant,” which has been particularly controversial in recent years. For the context of this column, an “illegal immigrant” refers to a non-US citizen who, regardless of their original means of entry into the country, is currently residing in the US without proper documentation or express authorization from the US government. The term “illegal immigrant” is unnecessarily contentious. An individual coming into the United States illegally, regardless of means or context, is in violation of Title 8 of the US Code § 1325.

Social Issues

In another lengthy executive order from January 20th, Donald Trump signed a memo titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” In it he directs federal agencies to replace “gender” with sex (male/female) and rescinds many Biden-era guidance documents that are inconsistent with other directives in the new Trump era.

The most clear application of this law in the college sports realm is that transgender women could be barred from competing in women’s sports if eligibility is defined by biological sex. According to a study by UCLA Law’s Williams Institute, over 1.3 million adults in the United States identify as transgender. The president of the NCAA, Charlie Baker, told a panel of US congressmen that there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes that he is aware of in college sports.

Trump also passed an order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” The order references the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ruling which emphasized a merit-based approach to higher education. Thomas McCarthy, a partner with Consovoy McCarthy PLLC, was instrumental to the success of Students for Fair Admissions. He joined the Blue Ridge Center on January 28th here at UVA to discuss the case and what’s next for affirmative action policy.

As a reminder, these executive actions were signed and enacted on day one! January 20th, 2025 was a remarkably active first day. Tune in next time for thoughts on a remarkably active first week!