It has been almost a year since President Trump was elected for his second, non-consecutive term. Let’s take a look at the administration’s recent actions and policies.
The Government Shutdown
The government shuts down when Congress fails to pass a government spending plan. The current shutdown, which started on October 1, is the second longest in history, and stands to surpass the 35-day shutdown from Trump’s first term.
While essential workers such as public safety officers and air traffic controllers are expected to work, about 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed. They will be paid, but will receive their paychecks retroactively. This will cause hardship for the thousands of federal workers that live paycheck to paycheck. Trump signed an executive order that orders the Pentagon to continue to pay the military.
The National Guard that is stationed in U.S. cities is also required to remain on duty.
Republicans have attempted to fire thousands of other federal workers, stating that it is part of the fallout from the shutdown. Historically, no administration has used a government shutdown as a rationale for the downsizing of federal departments.
The essential issue behind the shutdown is that Democrats and Republicans do not agree on a government funding plan. Democrats want guaranteed and permanent tax breaks for those who receive health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare. Republicans refuse to address the issue in the plan.
The country is split about who to blame for the shutdown—about half argue that the Republican lawmakers are at fault, while the other half places the responsibility on the shoulders of the Democrats.
Deployment of National Guard to U.S. Cities
Trump has taken control of and deployed National Guard units to several Democratic-led U.S. cities including Chicago, Memphis, LA and Portland.
The National Guard is a state-based reserve force that usually provides humanitarian aid. While it is under the command of the state’s governor, US law allows the president to take control over a governor’s objections if the U.S. is “invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation” or if “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion.” Until now, no president has overruled a governor since desegregation in 1965.
The National Guard has limited power: it cannot make arrests or engage in search or seizure. Except for in select circumstances, it is illegal to mobilize regular military forces on U.S. soil.
In June, Trump took control of the California National Guard over the governor’s objections to contain immigration protests in LA. Over the summer, he sent troops to DC to respond to “lawlessness” despite a falling crime rate. Now, he is sending units to Chicago, Portland and Memphis.
These actions have incited lawsuits claiming that there is no situation in these cities that would allow a president to take control over the National Guard. Some orders have been temporarily blocked by federal judges. There is also rising fear that the mobilization of troops to U.S. cities is Trump’s way of punishing cities that oppose him and his policies.
While protests are happening all over the country, Portland is in the spotlight. Trump activated the National Guard following protests outside of the ICE headquarters in Portland, a historically Democratic city. Trump has described the city as a war zone and equated it to “living in hell.” In response, protestors started dressing up in inflatable animal costumes and even organized an “Emergency World Naked Bike Ride.”
Despite the fun and peaceful nature of the protests, some have turned ugly. Tear gas and smoke bombs have been used to dispel protesters, and some people have been arrested. One man in a giraffe costume was arrested by federal officials after performing a song equating ICE agents to Nazis. Another woman was thrown to the ground and arrested after performing “Ghostbusters” on clarinet outside the ICE headquarters.
Attacks on Venezuelan Fishermen
The administration’s actions in the Caribbean have been attracting attention with the recent strikes on six boats from Venezuela and neighboring countries. At least 27 people were killed in the attacks; the U.S. government has not released their names, leaving their families guessing about their fates.
Trump has accused the boats of being “narco-terrorists,” going so far as to claim the strikes were self-defense. No evidence has been provided supporting the allegation that the boats were involved in drug trafficking.
The attacks have struck fear into the hearts of Venezuelan fishermen, many of whom are afraid to go out to sea. Ironically, this downturn in the fishing industry may force some to turn to drug trafficking, worsening the problem.
The implications of this attack extend beyond the sea: Trump has openly considered land strikes in Venezuela and has authorized the CIA, under the direction of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, to engage in covert and lethal action in the country. The administration has been transparent about the end goal being to drive Nicolás Maduro—the authoritarian leader of Venezuela whose legitimacy as president has been questioned—from power.
Censorship of Journalism
The first amendment to the Constitution states that no law shall be capable of “abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” Many have accused Trump of violating this clause by targeting news outlets that portrayed him and his administration in a negative light.
Trump has cut funding for NPR and PBS, two major federally-funded news organizations. He has also launched Federal Communications Commission investigations against CBS, ABC, NBC and NPR. The Associated Press has been banned from the White House press pool for refusing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Lawsuits have been filed against the Wall Street Journal for “defamation” and the New York Times and CNN over their reporting of the strikes on Iran. Trump has also sued small news outlets, including Iowa pollster Ann Selzer, who predicted that Kamala Harris would win the election.
These lawsuits, especially the ones against small organizations with fewer resources, raise fears that Trump’s censorship is purely to silence political dissenters. These restrictions on free speech create a precedent for local leaders to censor local media. Additionally, many local news outlets rely on larger organizations such as the Associated Press: if the Associated Press cannot access the White House, local news loses its source.
In a notable incident last week, journalists who had access to the Pentagon turned in their passes and walked out rather than sign a restrictive access policy. The new policy, designed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, would severely restrict the journalists’ ability to report on Pentagon activities.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has provided more safety trainings for journalists in the last year than ever before. They stated that free speech is “no longer a given in the United States.”
