Tracking every rollback, reversal, and overreach — and the path back to the America we know.
On February 10, 2025, Executive Order 14209 was signed directing a pause in enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The order suspends active FCPA investigations and enforcement actions by the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission. The direct effect is that ongoing cases against American companies and individuals for foreign bribery have been halted pending review.
The Trump administration's Department of Justice discontinued approximately 23,000 pending criminal investigations following Pam Bondi's appointment as attorney general. This shift redirected prosecutorial resources toward immigration enforcement, halting cases involving nursing home abuse, labor union fraud, and cryptocurrency fraud investigations. The action significantly reduced federal criminal prosecution capacity across non-immigration cases.
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14164 directing federal death penalty enforcement. The order instructs the Department of Justice to seek capital punishment in applicable federal cases. The confirmed direct impact includes potential reinstatement of federal executions for crimes meeting capital offense criteria under federal law.
Executive Order 13903 was signed on January 31, 2020, establishing a joint task force and directing federal agencies to coordinate efforts against human trafficking and online child exploitation. The order directs the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies to enhance investigations, prosecution, and victim support. The confirmed direct impact includes increased federal coordination on trafficking cases and expanded resources for child exploitation investigations.
President Trump signed Executive Order 13898 on November 26, 2019, establishing a federal task force to address missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. The order directed the Department of Interior, Department of Justice, and other agencies to coordinate efforts, share data, and develop a strategy to address the crisis. The task force was tasked with improving data collection, coordination between tribal and federal law enforcement, and identifying resource gaps in investigations.
President Trump signed a memorandum on April 22, 2019 (Document 2019-09470) directing federal agencies to reduce visa overstays by nonimmigrants through enhanced tracking, reporting, and enforcement mechanisms. The memorandum required the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice to implement stricter monitoring of visa holders and increase consequences for overstaying. The confirmed direct effects included expanded data collection on visa compliance and increased coordination between agencies on enforcement actions against individuals remaining in the U.S. beyond authorized stay periods.
Executive Order 13844 was signed on July 11, 2018, establishing a Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud within the Department of Justice. The task force was directed to investigate and prosecute financial fraud, including securities fraud, commodities fraud, and related offenses. The confirmed direct impact includes DOJ prioritizing investigation and prosecution of specified fraud cases, though measurable effects on consumer fraud rates or prosecution numbers require review of DOJ enforcement data.
On July 10, 2018, President Trump signed Executive Order 13842, which established an exception to federal competitive examining rules for certain positions within the United States Marshals Service at the Department of Justice. The order allows the Marshals Service to appoint individuals to specified positions without following standard competitive civil service procedures. This changes the hiring process for affected positions within the federal law enforcement agency.
Executive Order 13826 was signed on March 7, 2018, establishing a federal interagency council to coordinate crime prevention and criminal justice reentry efforts across federal agencies. The order directed the Department of Justice to chair the council and coordinate policies on recidivism reduction, prisoner reentry programs, and crime prevention initiatives. The confirmed direct effect was the creation of a formal structure for federal agencies to align reentry and crime prevention policies.
On February 20, 2018, the Trump administration issued a memorandum directing the Department of Justice to apply the statutory definition of "machinegun" to bump fire stocks and similar devices that increase a semi-automatic weapon's rate of fire. The action effectively banned the sale and possession of these devices by classifying them as illegal automatic weapons under existing law. Americans who owned bump fire stocks were required to destroy them or surrender them to authorities, with a compliance deadline set for March 26, 2019.