Tracking every rollback, reversal, and overreach — and the path back to the America we know.
On October 20, 2017, President Trump signed Proclamation 2017-23525 designating October 2017 as Minority Enterprise Development Week. The proclamation calls for recognition and promotion of minority-owned businesses and entrepreneurship. This is an annual observance with no direct regulatory or policy changes to federal programs or requirements.
On September 29, 2017, President Trump signed Executive Order 13812, which revoked Executive Order 13579 established by President Obama in 2011. EO 13579 had created federal labor-management forums designed to improve communication between federal agencies and unions representing federal employees. The revocation eliminated these structured forums, reducing formal mechanisms for federal employee unions to engage directly with agency leadership on workplace matters.
On September 25, 2017, President Trump signed Memorandum 2017-21704 delegating authority granted under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 to executive branch officials. The memorandum authorized specified agency heads to exercise discretionary powers allocated in the appropriations statute. The delegation transferred decision-making authority from the President to designated cabinet officials and agency administrators for matters covered under the fiscal year 2017 appropriations.
President Trump signed Proclamation 2017-18142 on August 20, 2017, designating a week to recognize employers who support National Guard and Reserve members. The proclamation calls for public observance and acknowledgment of businesses that provide paid leave, flexible schedules, or other accommodations to Guard and Reserve employees. The proclamation has no direct regulatory effect on Americans but designates an observance period for federal recognition.
On August 15, 2017, the Trump administration issued Notice 2017-17486 continuing the national emergency declaration with respect to export control regulations. This notice extended an existing emergency declaration affecting the authority to control exports of items deemed critical to national security. The continuation maintains regulatory authority over certain commercial exports and re-exports without requiring new Congressional action.
On August 14, 2017, President Trump signed Memorandum 2017-17528 directing the U.S. Trade Representative to investigate Chinese intellectual property practices, including trade secret theft, forced technology transfer, and discriminatory licensing. The memorandum instructed the USTR to determine if these practices violated U.S. trade law and to recommend potential actions, which led to Section 301 investigations and tariffs on Chinese goods beginning in 2018.
President Trump signed Executive Order 13806 on July 21, 2017, directing the Department of Defense to assess vulnerabilities in the U.S. manufacturing and defense industrial supply chain and recommend actions to strengthen resiliency. The order required federal agencies to evaluate dependencies on foreign suppliers and identify critical gaps in domestic production capacity for defense-related materials and products. The confirmed direct impact included the initiation of government assessments that informed subsequent defense procurement policies and industrial base initiatives.
President Trump signed Executive Order 13805 on July 19, 2017, establishing a Presidential Advisory Council on Infrastructure to provide recommendations on modernizing U.S. infrastructure. The council was composed of business leaders and infrastructure experts tasked with advising the administration on infrastructure policy. The order created a formal advisory body but did not directly authorize funding or mandate specific infrastructure projects.
President Trump signed Proclamation 2017-15440 on July 17, 2017, establishing Made in America Day on July 17 and Made in America Week as an annual observance. The proclamation directs federal agencies to promote American-made products and encourages consumers to purchase domestically manufactured goods. The proclamation itself is symbolic and does not create binding regulatory or budgetary changes.
On June 29, 2017, President Trump signed Proclamation 2017-14063 modifying duty-free trade benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. The proclamation removed certain countries and product categories from GSP eligibility, affecting tariff treatment on specified imports. The direct impact included increased tariffs on imported goods from affected countries, raising costs for American importers and consumers of affected products.