President Trump signs series of executive orders

Since his inauguration on January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders and taken significant actions aimed at reshaping and reducing the size of the country’s 2.2 million-strong federal workforce.

Among the actions taken by President Trump and his Republican administration are buyout offers extended to 2.3 million full-time civilian federal workers, including the entire workforce of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other intelligence agencies. However, a U.S. judge temporarily blocked the proposed buyout for federal workers, extending the pause until at least February 10. In addition, a memo was issued pausing potentially trillions of dollars in federal aid.

Further moves by the administration include the firing of 17 inspectors general across various government agencies. President Trump has also ordered federal workers to return to the office full-time and enacted a freeze on federal hiring. He halted all pending environmental litigation and called for a review of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), accusing it of mismanaging emergency relief efforts.

In a shake-up of leadership, Trump fired the heads of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Additionally, the President signed an order calling for the elimination of government diversity programs and removed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) directives from the military. A major restructuring effort is also underway, with Trump moving to merge the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with the State Department, effectively dissolving USAID as an independent entity.

(File Photo: U.S. President D