Tracking the Trump Administration's Policies

The National Science Foundation seeks to cut the amount of "indirect costs" funding that research institutions receive for facilities, equipment, and personnel.

This guidance caps the amount of "indirect costs" funding that universities and other research institutions receive at 15% of their "direct costs" amount. Until now, scientific and engineering research institutions might receive 50% or more in indirect costs funding, which supports building and laboratory maintenance, equipment upkeep costs, accounting, and researcher compensation. The guidance will severely limit the ability of universities and other grant recipients to carry out vital and cutting edge scientific research. Small institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, may be especially likely to shutter research initiatives if they cannot access alternate funding in their budgets to cover indirect costs. America will lose its edge as a leader in research procedures and delivering results that positively impact scientific and engineering outcomes globally. This policy is similar to indirect cost rate caps that the Trump administration tried to impose at the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy earlier in 2025.

This order seeks to illegally revoke the federal funding for NPR and PBS because of the networks' allegedly biased news coverage.

President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to "cease federal funding for NPR and PBS" because of the networks' alleged ideological bias. President Trump does not have the power to do so because the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is not a government agency under the President's authority and the funds have been appropriated by Congress. PBS and NPR are the nation's primary public broadcasters, and through educational and news content, they reach the vast majority of the country free of charge. These attacks jeopardize the independence of these essential institutions, the ability of all Americans to access high-quality news free of charge, and chill the conduct of media organizations of all types across the country.

The order promotes the militarization of local law enforcement and decreases accountability for officer misconduct.

This EO directs the Attorney General to work on creating resources for law enforcement officers accused of misconduct and on rethinking civil rights consent decrees holding local law enforcement accountable for crimes committed while in uniform. It also directs the Secretary of Defense to produce a report on how to use military assets for local policing, along with continuing the Trump administration's attacks on policies supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Taken together, this EO stands to harm over-policed communities, undo civil rights protections, and undermine local governments.

This order instructs DOJ to compile a list of "sanctuary jurisdictions," strip them of funding, and take vague "measures" against them if they do not fall in line.

This Executive Order relies on the unsupported assertion that immigration constitutes an "invasion" to claim claim the authority for DOJ and DHS to identify and punish so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions. There is no legal definition of a "sanctuary" or "welcoming" city or state; it usually refers to jurisdictions that decline to use their own local law enforcement resources to carry out federal immigration enforcement, which states and localities have the right to do. However, this EO defines "sanctuary" jurisdictions as those that "obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws," and incorrectly claims that this constitutes a "lawless insurrection" against the federal government. The EO instructs DOJ to maintain the list of sanctuary jurisdictions, and inform all jurisdictions on the list of their designations. It unlawfully instructs executive branch agencies to strip designated jurisdictions of federal funding, and potentially to target them for prosecution under federal harboring, obstruction, conspiracy, and RICO statutes. It also encourages other undefined "measures" and "action" by DOJ and DHS. Finally, DHS is instructed to develop rules to prevent ineligible noncitizens from receiving public benefits through private organizations like nonprofits, and DOJ is instructed to sue states that provide in-state tuition at state colleges and universities to state residents who lack U.S. citizenship.

This order cuts funding to provide government-appointed counsel to noncitizens in immigration proceedings who are deemed mentally imcompetent.

The Department of Justice abruptly terminated grants to a number of legal services organizations who provide free immigration counsel to noncitizens who are deemed mentally incompetent. DOJ claimed that it was terminating these grants "for convenience." It maintained only grants that were required by the settlement in Franco-Gonzalez v. Holder, Case No. 10-02211 DMG (C.D. Cal.), and terminated the rest.

This order issues a new Civil Service Rule that would make it easier to fire civil servants and shrink the federal workforce.

This order means that even high-performing new federal employees (known as probationary employees) will be automatically fired at the end of their first or second year unless agency political leadership takes action to keep them. The new rule applies to all probationary federal employees across the entire government (except those who have been recently transferred, promoted, or assigned for the first time to a supervisory or managerial position). It requires agencies to actively affirm that probationary employees advance the public interest and should continue in the federal service before finalizing their appointments. Otherwise, employees will be terminated at the end of their probationary period. Currently, probationary workers may only be laid off due to performance or conduct, but the order adds the needs and interests of the agency as a reason for possible termination, potentially inserting ideology into the process. The order instructs political appointee agency heads, rather than the usual career employee supervisors, to make that determination, leaving new federal employees' continued employment at the discretion of political appointees

DOGE attempted to cut entire AmeriCorps programs and thousands of staff and grants that are providing essential disaster resilience and rebuilding services around the country.

Since its inception in 1993, AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) has recruited thousands of people every year between the ages of 18 and 26 to work on projects across the country, including disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts, in exchange for early career experience and assistance with federal student loans. But on April 15, 2025, AmeriCorps NCCC emailed all members to announce that, in alignment with DOGE cost-cutting priorities, all NCCC members are being terminated from the program, ending their pay on April 30 and restricting their eligibility for NCCC's student loan assistance.

DOJ retaliates against the American Bar Association because of positions it has taken on policy and legal issues.

The American Bar Association (ABA) is the nation's largest voluntary legal organization. Among other things, the ABA runs programs supported by federal funds awarded by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to increase access to justice for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. This DOJ memo sought to terminate these grants in retaliation for the ABA filing a lawsuit against the United States and purportedly supporting activist causes. The memo also prohibited DOJ attorneys from participating in ABA events and ended any financial support for such involvement.

This order suspends security clearances and access to federal buildings for employees of Susman Godfrey, and terminates government contracts with the firm.

Similar to earlier EOs from President Trump that targeted other private law firms, this EO focused on Susman Godfrey - a well-respected U.S. law firm of over 200 attorneys - largely because of its work defending the integrity of the 2020 presidential election. This EO directs agencies to suspend security clearances held by Susman Godfrey employees, deny them access to federal buildings, avoid meeting with them, and refuse to hire them. The EO also directs agencies to terminate any contracts between the federal government and the firm. The order also criticizes Susman Godfrey for seeking to support and hire law students of color, and accuses the firm of "spearhead[ing] efforts to weaponize the American legal system and degrade the quality of American elections."

This order directs various federal agencies to find ways to promote the use of coal for energy production, including by opening up federal land for coal mining.

This Executive Order promotes the mining and use of coal and makes it a "national priority" to support the dirty and dangerous coal industry. The order directs federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, prioritize coal leasing on those lands, and fast-track coal mining permits. Coal is reclassified as a "mineral" under the terms of EO 14241, another order signed by Trump that aims to increase mineral production. The order also instructs various federal agencies to identify and "consider revising or rescinding" any policies aimed at transitioning the country to cleaner energy sources.

This order unlawfully declared a national economic emergency to invoke significant tariffs on countries around the world.

This Executive Order declared a national economic emergency over the United States' trade deficit in order to invoke significant tariffs on countries around the world. These tariffs included a 10% universal tariff, applying to goods from all U.S. trading partners, and individualized “reciprocal" tariffs of up to 50% on about ninety countries. This EO had no basis in fact, and likely will have severe economic impacts. The EO immediately caused a decline in the stock market of more than six trillion dollars and economists believe that the tariffs will drastically shrink the US economy and increase costs for families across the country.

Citing the fact that Maine allows trans girls to play on girls sports teams, the USDA Secretary froze the distribution of federal funds used to feed Maine schoolchildren.

On April 2, 2025, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins sent a letter to Maine Governor Janet Mills, explaining that she was freezing Maine's federal funding for certain administrative and technological functions in schools because she had concluded, without the legally required procedures, that Maine was violating Title IX by allowing trans girls to play on girls' sports teams. Although the letter claimed that the funding freeze would not affect federal feeding programs or direct assistance to Mainers, Maine alleged in a subsequent lawsuit against USDA that the Maine Department of Education's Child Nutrition Program was unable to access several sources of federal funds following the letter. The district court quickly granted a Temporary Restraining Order requiring USDA to resume funding, and the case settled on May 3 after USDA agreed not to interfere with Maine's access to federal funds without first following all legally required procedures.