Executive orders signed: 1
Tweets sent: 7
HE HAS PLEDGED a lot for his first 100 days in office, which means Donald Trump has a lot to do.
Here’s what he did over the weekend, after being sworn in on Friday:
Trump’s day one action was to sign an executive order aimed at weakening Obamacare. However, there was some confusion as to what the order actually means.
Trump’s chief of staff Reince Priebus described the order as aimed at “minimising the economic burden” of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, “pending repeal.”
The order instructs the US health secretary and other departments and agencies to “exercise all authority and discretion available to them to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision or requirement of the Act” that imposes a fiscal burden or other cost on a state, on consumers, on insurers or on a range of healthcare providers.
The order’s language has been interpreted as undoing the Act’s requirement for Americans to have health insurance of face fines. It’s not spelled out whether the IRS could waive the fines for failing to secure coverage and the White House has not explained how it wants agencies to respond to the order.
The order may not actually impact anything this year, as government rules for 2017 have already been incorporated into contracts signed with insurance companies.
Spoke to Israeli PM Netanyahu and Georgia governor
Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that peace with the Palestinians “can only be negotiated directly between the two parties” and that the US will work closely with Israel on that goal.
Signed a bill to clear his Defense Secretary
Senate Bill 81 allows Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary James “Mad Dog” Mattis become a member of the cabinet, having left active service in 2013. Previously, officers were required to wait seven years to serve in office.
Created a National Day of Patriotism
Presidents can create special commemorative days, but not public holidays, so this is a “national day” in name only. No details have been released on when it will be.
Today
Trump has promised to be even busier today, seeing the swearing-in of 30 staff, beginning negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement as well as meetings with business leaders, unions and members of both houses of Congress.
He will also meet the speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan about tax reform.
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