Trump's new decrees: carte blanche for Tiktok, DOGE fizzles out
Trump announced 100 new decrees when he took office, and a good 40 have been issued. Lawsuits follow hot on the heels.
Never before has a US president been as old as Donald John Trump at his inauguration.
(Image: WeiĂźes Haus/Daniel AJ Sokolov)
Trump signed a good 40 new decrees on his first day in office as the 47th US president. By way of comparison: during the four years of his first term, he signed a total of 220. The Republican is not keeping his promise that for every new regulatory measure, ten previous ones must be dropped. However, one decree repeals a series of presidential decrees signed by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Trump issued a decree ordering his Attorney General not to enforce the TikTok ban that came into force on Sunday for 75 days. Instead, ignoring the law and the facts, the minister is to issue a carte blanche to the service providers working for TikTok. In addition, the minister is to take action against US states or private individuals who attempt to enforce the law, which remains in force unchanged. The law (Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act) does not provide a legal basis for this decree.
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The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), hyped by Trump financier Elon Musk and multimillionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, is out of the picture. Instead of a new ministry under the leadership of the two gentlemen, there will merely be a renaming of an office in the White House: the US Digital Service set up under US President Barack Obama will be renamed DOGE. It has been advising federal authorities on IT issues since 2014 with the aim of improving digital government services. The office is to be dissolved on July 4 of next year.
Until then, DOGE/USDS is to launch a software modernization initiative. The aim is to improve the quality and efficiency of government software, network infrastructure and other IT systems. Among other things, it will focus on interoperability between government networks and systems as well as the collection, synchronization, and integrity of data. Ramaswamy immediately withdrew on Monday; it remains to be seen in what form Musk will be welcomed by Trump.
Home office no more
The new occupant of the White House is also imposing a hiring freeze in the civil service, except for the military, intelligence services, public security and deportations. He is also putting a stop to working from home; all public sector employees are to work full-time on site, which will increase energy consumption and infrastructure costs.
The idea behind this is that as many civil servants as possible will resign of their accord. These are likely to be mainly people who can easily find work elsewhere or who can retire, i.e., who have a lot of experience. In this way, the home office ban supports the planned erosion of public services. A new recruitment plan is to be drawn up by May, which will rely heavily on software analysis and online recruitment. Part of the plan is a conscience check for new employees in the public sector. Only “highly qualified Americans who are committed to promoting American ideals, values, and interests” will have a chance of employment.
All foreigners wishing to enter the USA are to undergo “maximum screening”. Trump declares a state of emergency at the border with Mexico and imposes an entry ban. The wording is so vague that it remains unclear who it applies to. Trump wants to end the acquisition of citizenship by birth in Germany immediately, for which he has come up with a new interpretation of a constitutional provision.
E-car yikes, death penalty yikes
Another decree attempts to stop the planned phase-out of combustion vehicles. In addition, the regulations on vehicle drive systems issued by several US states with the approval of the US government are to be dropped wherever possible. At the same time, Trump is declaring an energy emergency because, in his opinion, there is not enough fuel.
Trump pardons all perpetrators involved in the attempted coup in 2021. This affects around 1,600 defendants. Except for 14 named convicts, who will be released immediately but not pardoned. Instead, Trump is pushing for as many death sentences as possible at the federal level, especially for foreigners; and if a federal court does not impose the death penalty, defendants are to be tried a second time if possible, namely by US states.
Tariffs not yet, but soon
There are no new tariffs for now, but the relevant authorities are to draw up corresponding plans quickly. The de minimis threshold, below which imports are not subject to customs duties, could also be dropped. On Monday, Trump reiterated his intention to impose a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada. This would fuel inflation and hit the automotive industry particularly hard, for example. According to media reports, some vehicles cross the border with Canada eight times during their manufacturing process.
The new president named February 1 as the new cut-off date for the tariffs. This would mean that he would de facto terminate the free trade agreement USMCA, which he himself negotiated during his first term in office.
Many of the dozens of new decrees will be immediately challenged in court. This is because the US president is not an autocrat, but only has certain powers. The courts will have to decide whether he is authorized to issue all these decrees at all. Theoretically, the legislature could also intervene, but Trump's party has a majority in both houses of parliament.
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