Tracking every rollback, reversal, and overreach — and the path back to the America we know.
President Trump signed Proclamation 2020-11542 on May 21, 2020, designating May 25, 2020 as a day of prayer for peace in observance of Memorial Day. The proclamation called for Americans to observe a moment of silence at 3 p.m. Eastern Time and encouraged prayer and reflection. This is a ceremonial proclamation with no direct regulatory impact on Americans' rights, benefits, or obligations.
On May 20, 2020, the Trump administration issued a notice continuing the national emergency declaration with respect to the stabilization of Iraq, originally declared in 2003. The continuation extends the emergency authority that allows the President to take actions related to Iraq without standard Congressional approval processes. The direct impact on Americans includes potential deployment of military personnel and allocation of federal resources to Iraq operations under emergency powers.
On May 20, 2020, President Trump signed a memorandum directing continued federal support for governors' deployment of the National Guard to respond to COVID-19 and facilitate economic recovery efforts. The memorandum authorized federal funding to support state National Guard operations related to pandemic response and recovery activities. The direct effect was continuation of federal reimbursement to states for National Guard activation costs during the COVID-19 emergency.
On May 19, 2020, President Trump signed Executive Order 13924 directing federal agencies to identify and suspend enforcement of regulations deemed to burden economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The order required agencies to waive, modify, or delay compliance deadlines for existing regulations through December 31, 2020. Confirmed effects included delayed environmental reviews, extended compliance timelines for business regulations, and reduced enforcement actions across multiple federal agencies during the specified period.
Executive Order 13923 was signed on May 15, 2020, establishing a Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force under Section 741 of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act. The task force was directed to coordinate enforcement of forced labor provisions in the USMCA trade agreement across federal agencies. The confirmed direct effect was the creation of an interagency mechanism to investigate and enforce labor standards related to forced labor in trade with Mexico and Canada.
President Trump signed Proclamation 10064 on May 15, 2020, designating the week of May 17-23, 2020 as World Trade Week. The proclamation calls for observance of the week to recognize the importance of trade to the U.S. economy. It has no direct regulatory impact on Americans beyond recognizing the designated week.
On May 14, 2020, President Trump signed Executive Order 13922, delegating authority under the Defense Production Act to the Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The order authorized the DFC CEO to use Defense Production Act powers to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. The confirmed effect was to expand the DFC's ability to mobilize financing and resources for COVID-19 response activities, including potential domestic production or procurement of medical supplies and equipment.
On May 13, 2020, the Trump administration issued a notice continuing the national emergency declaration regarding securing the information and communications technology and services supply chain. The continuation extended an existing emergency declaration that had been in place, maintaining authorities to restrict foreign acquisition of U.S. technology and communications infrastructure. The direct effect was to keep in place restrictions on foreign investment and acquisitions in designated technology sectors.
On May 12, 2020, President Trump signed a memorandum delegating functions and authorities under Section 1260J of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. The memorandum transferred specified defense-related authorities to designated executive branch officials. The direct impact on Americans included changes to how certain defense functions were administratively processed and authorized within the executive branch.
President Trump signed Proclamation 10424 on May 8, 2020, designating the week of May 10-16, 2020 as National Charter Schools Week. The proclamation recognized charter schools as educational institutions and encouraged observance of the week. The proclamation has no direct regulatory impact on American education policy or funding.