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writing for godot

What to Expect from the first 100 days of Trump's presidency?

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Written by AlanMorris   
Monday, 16 January 2017 05:48

Speaking in Gettysburg, Pa., towards the end of October, President-elect Donald Trump laid out a plan for his first 100 days in office.

The first 100 days of any presidency are historically significant. It’s a subjective measure of a president’s initial performance. Franklin Roosevelt pioneered the 100-Day concept, and it’s been around as a traditional part of American politics ever since.

The first 100-days are assumed to offer a new president maximum power and influence. FDR established himself as the most effective president in the country’s history by getting a tremendous number of bills passed through congress. Barack Obama, meanwhile, spent the first 100 days getting his American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 passed in the House and Senate. He also expanded State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), passed a law requiring equal pay for women and ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay (although it still remains open today). By the end of the first 100 days, Obama enjoyed deep and wide support and a 65% approval rating.

Which is why all eyes are on Trump as he prepares to take office by the end of the month. The countdown begins with his inauguration on January 20th. Trump has already stated his desire to "put America first,” as he takes over the Oval office. He has published an outline for his first few days and it includes three broad areas of focus: cleaning up Washington, protecting American workers, and restoring rule of law. His plan goes further and includes rallying Congress to pass 10 pieces of legislation that would repeal Obamacare, fund a border-wall, encourage spending in infrastructure and promote school choice.

Those are the broad strokes. Here is a breakdown of Donald Trump’s official 100-day plan:

TPP Withdrawal

Perhaps the easiest task to accomplish in the first 100 days would be a formal withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal. Obama spent years trying to push TPP as a way for America to retain influence in the Pacific with the 11 nations that signed up. Now the trade deal is almost certainly likely to be replaced with what Trump calls, "fair bilateral trade deals."

It’s important to note that Hillary Clinton was also opposed to TPP. Considering the bipartisan support for this move getting it past Congress should be a breeze.

Ban Lobbying

Trump intends to ban lobbying as part of plan to “drain the swamp.” The plan involves banning public officials from taking lobbying gigs within the first five years of leaving office.

Redesign Immigration

Immigration was the backbone of Trump’s campaign, so it makes sense the issue is a prime focus for the first 100-days of his presidency. Trump hopes to end illegal immigration and immigration from regions that have terror-related problems. He also said his administration would investigate abuses of legal immigration programs that “undercut American workers.”

Cancelling Environmental Restrictions

Sweeping changes of the environmental agencies can be expected in the first 100 days of a trump presidency. Trump has already picked a climate change denier for the EPA team and is determined to scrap Obama’s Clean Power Plan which goes before the Supreme Court within the first 100 days of 2017. Also on Trump’s agenda is canceling US involvement in the historic Paris Agreement.

Cutting Regulations

Cutting regulations is part of Trump’s plan to boost business. But the president-elect has claimed he might ax the Dodd-Frank Act that prevents a repeat of the 2008 global financial meltdown. Tighter regulations are aimed at banks to prevent them from growing ‘too big to fail,’ but the added costs of regulations have annoyed Wall Street and republicans alike. Trump’s deregulation policy could dismantle this safety net.

Guarding Against Cyber Attacks

The administration has managed to put together a team of experts from the military, law enforcement, and the private sector to tackle America’s online infrastructure. It is hoped that government computer systems will be audited in the first 100 days and the hacking division of the US military will be bolstered with extra funding. Better cyber security is the hottest debate in politics as Trump takes office. With rumours circling that Russia hacked the Trump campaign to get him elected, this should be an interesting area to watch over the next 100 days.

There’s a lot to expect from Trump’s first 100 days in office. Many of the promises he made during the campaign are part of the 100-day plan. Besides everything listed here Trump also expects to appoint a new, conservative Supreme Court justice and renegotiate NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement. Whether or not the new president can achieve everything on this plan will determine his administration's approval ratings going forward.

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