Tracking every rollback, reversal, and overreach — and the path back to the America we know.
On November 1, 2019, President Trump issued a Presidential Determination setting the refugee admission ceiling for fiscal year 2020 at 18,000 individuals. This reduced the number of refugees the United States would admit from the previous fiscal year's 30,000. The determination directly limited the number of refugees who could enter the United States during that fiscal year.
President Trump signed Proclamation 2019-24275 on October 31, 2019, designating November 2019 as National Adoption Month. The proclamation calls attention to adoption as a means of providing children with families and encourages Americans to support adoption. The proclamation has no direct regulatory effect on Americans but serves as an official recognition and advocacy statement from the executive office.
President Trump signed Proclamation 2019-24277 on October 31, 2019, establishing November 2019 as National American History and Founders Month. The proclamation designates the month for celebrating American history and the nation's founders. The proclamation has no direct regulatory impact on Americans' daily lives or access to services.
President Trump signed Executive Order 13896 on October 28, 2019, establishing a Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. The commission was directed to study and make recommendations on federal, state, and local law enforcement practices, including use of force policies, officer training, and criminal justice procedures. The commission issued a final report in December 2020 with recommendations to Congress and federal agencies regarding policing practices and criminal justice administration.
On September 27, 2019, President Trump signed Executive Order 13889, which extended the duration of specified federal advisory committees beyond their scheduled termination dates. The order continued committees including those focused on infrastructure, energy, and manufacturing through September 30, 2021. The direct effect was to maintain ongoing advisory committee operations and their recommendations to federal agencies without requiring new formal establishment or reauthorization.
President Trump signed Proclamation 2019-20053 on September 9, 2019, designating a week in 2019 as National Minority Enterprise Development Week. The proclamation recognizes minority-owned businesses and calls for awareness of minority entrepreneurship. The action has no direct regulatory or budgetary impact on Americans.
On September 6, 2019, the Trump administration signed Memorandum 2019-19930 establishing a line of succession for leadership positions within the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The memorandum specified the order in which CEQ duties would be assumed if the chair became unavailable. This affected the administrative structure of the federal agency responsible for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act and coordinating environmental policy across agencies.
President Trump signed Presidential Proclamation 9877 on August 30, 2019, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day and calling for its observance throughout the United States. The proclamation is ceremonial in nature and does not alter existing labor law or federal holidays. The confirmed effect is that Labor Day 2019 was officially recognized as a federal observance on September 2, 2019.
On August 8, 2019, the Trump administration issued Presidential Determination 2019-18595 identifying countries designated as major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries for Fiscal Year 2020. This determination is required annually under the Foreign Assistance Act and serves as the basis for potential sanctions, including withholding of non-humanitarian foreign aid to designated countries that fail to take adequate steps to combat drug trafficking. The determination directly affects U.S. foreign aid eligibility for identified nations and can impact trade relationships and diplomatic engagement.
President Trump signed Proclamation 2019-15991 on July 19, 2019, designating July 20-21, 2019 as a national observance of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The proclamation called for Americans to observe the anniversary and reflect on the Apollo program's achievements. The proclamation had no direct regulatory or policy impact on Americans beyond ceremonial recognition.