Tracking every rollback, reversal, and overreach — and the path back to the America we know.
An appeals court ruled that the Defense Department can require journalists to be escorted while on Pentagon grounds during the Trump administration's appeal of a decision restoring press access. This restriction limits journalists' ability to freely report on Pentagon activities and government operations, potentially reducing transparency and public access to information about defense policy.
Trump issued a proclamation granting pardons for certain offenses related to the 2020 presidential election. The action provides clemency to individuals convicted or charged in connection with January 6th Capitol events and related election disputes. This directly impacts hundreds of individuals facing federal charges and their families.
On September 10, 2020, President Trump signed Proclamation 2020-20855 establishing Patriot Day as an annual observance on September 11. The proclamation directs flags to be flown at half-staff and calls for moment of silence and remembrance activities. The proclamation has no direct operational effect on Americans beyond ceremonial designation and federal flag protocols.
On September 3, 2020, President Trump signed Proclamation 10,483 designating national days of prayer and remembrance. The proclamation calls for Americans to observe days of prayer and remembrance for victims of national tragedies and those who died in service. As a proclamation, it has no binding legal effect and does not change law, policy, or federal operations—it is a symbolic declaration.
On September 2, 2020, the Trump administration signed Memorandum 2020-19963 establishing an order of succession within the General Services Administration. The memorandum designates specific officials to assume the GSA administrator role in case of vacancy or incapacity. This affects the chain of command for the federal agency responsible for managing federal real estate, procurement, and related services.
Executive Order 13934 was signed on July 3, 2020. The order directs federal agencies to inventory and protect monuments and memorials on federal property, and establishes a council to coordinate the building or rebuilding of monuments to American heroes. The order requires agencies to prevent the removal or alteration of such monuments without presidential approval.
On January 29, 2020, President Trump signed a memorandum delegating certain authority under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute to agency heads. The memorandum transferred specific powers related to labor-management relations from the Federal Labor Relations Authority to individual federal agencies. This action altered the process by which federal employees could pursue labor disputes and grievances, shifting authority away from the independent FLRA to agency leadership.
On November 12, 2019, the Trump administration signed Memorandum 2019-25118 delegating removal authority over the Federal Service Impasses Panel to the Office of Personnel Management Director. This memorandum transferred decision-making power over federal employee labor disputes from an independent panel to a presidentially-appointed official. The direct effect was to shift control of federal labor dispute resolution away from a bipartisan panel toward executive branch authority.
Executive Order 13893 was signed on October 10, 2019, reinstating Administrative PAYGO requirements that mandate federal agencies offset the cost of new regulations by eliminating or revising existing regulations of equal or greater cost. The order requires agencies to identify and remove regulations before implementing new ones, directly affecting the regulatory review process for rules that impact Americans across sectors including environment, labor, and consumer protection.
President Trump signed Proclamation 2019-22215 on October 4, 2019, designating October 6, 2019, as German-American Day. The proclamation recognizes the historical contributions of German Americans to the United States. This is a ceremonial proclamation with no direct regulatory or policy impact on Americans.