Tracking every rollback, reversal, and overreach — and the path back to the America we know.
On January 24, 2017, President Trump signed Memorandum 2017-02035 directing the Secretary of State to reconsider and approve the Keystone XL Pipeline permit. The memorandum reversed the previous administration's 2015 denial of the cross-border pipeline project. Construction began in 2018, with the pipeline entering limited operation in 2020, transporting crude oil from Canada to refineries in Nebraska and Texas.
On January 23, 2017, President Trump signed Memorandum 2017-01842 implementing a federal hiring freeze, halting new civilian federal employee hiring across executive branch agencies with limited exceptions for national security and public safety positions. The freeze immediately stopped agencies from filling vacant positions or creating new positions unless approved by the Office of Management and Budget. The direct impact was suspension of federal hiring across the government, affecting thousands of pending job offers and recruitment processes, while existing federal employees retained their positions.