by Erin Vallely
Since Donald Trump has taken over the presidency from Joe Biden, the amount of power the president has become a popular question. The President, also called the Executive branch of government, is responsible for enforcing laws written and passed by the Legislative branch of government, which is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The President also has the power to sign bills into law or stop bills from becoming law. Additionally, the President has the power to appoint federal judges, ambassadors, and other high-ranking officials, if the Senate agrees with their choices.
Information about Executive Orders and Presidential / Government Memorandums
Executive orders and presidential memorandums are documents the President can write which give instructions to other members of our government. An executive order is a rule the President makes that everyone in the government must follow. It must be published for everyone to be able to read and must be a justifiable action within the president’s legal powers. It can be challenged in court if it violates people’s rights or other laws that already exist. A presidential memorandum is also a type of instruction sent to government workers, but is less formal. The reason for writing it does not have to be justified, and they are not required to be publicly available for people to read. Both types of documents help the President manage the country and set priorities without waiting for new laws from Congress. Memorandums can also come from government agency directors to enforce the directions they receive from the president.
Important Actions by President Donald Trump for DCI Community
Since his inauguration on January 20th, 2025, President Trump has issued multiple executive orders and presidential memorandums in order to establish his priorities. Since these documents can have a significant impact on the actions and policies of our government, it is important that people understand how the documents may impact people. Relevant executive orders and memorandums will be added to this blog as they become available.
- Executive Order 14151: The “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” executive order requires all diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government to end and be reported on within 60 days. The order requires all federal agencies to report on any and all DEIA activities and the costs associated with them. It also requires agencies to report on staff and outside contractors that have provided DEIA training or activities to the federal government agencies. This will likely negatively impact the accessibility of services, information and programs that support disabled and chronically ill individuals.
- HHS Communications Government Memorandum: The “Immediate Pause on Issuing Documents and Public Communications” government memorandum requires all Department of Health and Human Services agencies to stop all public communication in any form until everything can be reviewed and approved by one of President Trump’s appointees from January 21st, 2025 through February 1st, 2025. The memorandum states the reason is to ensure that all communication follows President Trump’s ideas and priorities. While that direction is no longer in place, public information and webpages are being removed from public view. Information about populations President Trump considers to fall under DEIA will likely not be publicly accessible or collected over the next four years.
- Executive Order 14155: The “Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization” executive order outlines President Trump’s plan to immediately end the United States participation in the World Health Organization. The order requires all funding for the organization to stop immediately. It also directs the Secretary of State and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to find partners to take over activities currently managed by the World Health Organization. Lastly, it directs the leader of the House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy end our agreement to the 2024 U.S. Global Health Security Strategy as soon as possible and replace the plan. Leaving the World Health Organization will harm public health around the world and in the United States.
Get Involved!
Although these policy changes likely feel scary, it’s important to educate yourself on the changes and make sure you know your legal rights. Here’s some resources that can help you get started.
- Use MyReps to find the names and contact information for your government representatives at https://myreps.datamade.us/
- Use ResistBot to easily and quickly write an electronic message to your government representative by going to https://resist.bot/
- Watch this series of free short videos from PBS that explain how our government works at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrk4oY7UxpQ&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOfse2ncvffeelTrqvhrz8H
If you have questions about the information above, have questions about your rights, or have questions about getting involved in advocacy, please contact ATI at 607-753-7363 or by email at info@aticortland.org.