Tracking every rollback, reversal, and overreach — and the path back to the America we know.
President Trump signed Proclamation 2017-22930 on October 13, 2017, designating a week for recognizing character education. The proclamation calls for observance of National Character Counts Week to promote virtues including honesty, courage, and responsibility. This is a ceremonial proclamation with no direct regulatory or budgetary impact on Americans.
President Trump signed Memorandum 2017-21032 on September 25, 2017, directing federal agencies to expand access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. The memorandum instructed the Department of Education and other agencies to review existing STEM programs and identify ways to increase participation. Confirmed direct effects include agency reviews of STEM initiatives, though widespread programmatic changes and measurable participation increases were not independently documented during the Trump administration.
On May 23, 2017, the Trump administration signed a sequestration order pursuant to Section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act. The order authorized automatic spending cuts across federal agencies for fiscal year 2018. The sequestration reduced discretionary spending allocations to agencies including defense, education, health, and social services.
President Trump signed Executive Order 13791 on April 26, 2017, directing the Department of Education to review federal education programs and regulations to identify those that exceed statutory authority or impose undue burdens on states and schools. The order required the Secretary of Education to report on provisions that could be eliminated or modified. Confirmed effects included subsequent rollbacks of Obama-era guidance on Title IX sexual assault investigations, bathroom access policies, and disciplinary practices, shifting enforcement responsibility to states and individual school districts.
Executive Order 13779 was signed on February 28, 2017, establishing a White House initiative to promote excellence and innovation at historically black colleges and universities. The order directed federal agencies to expand efforts supporting HBCUs through education and workforce development programs. The confirmed effect included coordinated federal support for HBCU operations, though specific measurable outcomes on student enrollment, funding levels, or institutional resources varied by agency implementation.
On January 30, 2017, President Trump signed Executive Order 13771, which required federal agencies to identify two existing regulations for elimination for every new regulation enacted. The order established a zero-net-growth policy for regulatory costs, directing agencies to offset any new regulatory costs with equal or greater cost reductions from existing rules. The confirmed direct impact included the elimination or modification of hundreds of federal regulations across agencies including EPA, Labor, and Education, reducing regulatory compliance requirements for businesses and changing how federal agencies could issue new rules.