Executive orders signed: 5
Tweets sent: 8
THE NEW US President is really getting his feet under the desk now. Donald Trump has pledged to do a lot in his first 100 days in office and has begun doing just that by signing a host of executive orders.
He continued that trend yesterday. Here’s how his Tuesday went:
Signed an order reviving the Dakota Access and Keystone pipelines
Trump gave an amber light to the Keystone XL pipeline – which would carry oil deposits from Canadian tar sands to US refineries on the Gulf Coast – and an equally controversial pipeline crossing in North Dakota.
Both had been put on hold by president Barack Obama’s administration on environmental grounds. Trump said both pipeline projects would only be built subject to renegotiated terms and conditions.
“It is subject to a renegotiation of terms, by us,” Trump said.
Native Americans and their supporters strongly protested against the project, prompting the US Army Corps of engineers — which has approval authority — to nix the plans under the Obama administration.
Signed an order saying those pipes would be made in the US
In a separate executive order issued today, Trump decreed that pipes should be American made — echoing his “America First” doctrine.
“I am very insistent that if we are going to build pipelines in the United States the pipes should be made in the United States,” Trump said.
“We want to build the pipe, put a lot of steel workers back to work.”
Signed an order “Streamlining Permitting and Reducing Regulatory Burdens for Domestic Manufacturing”
As part of Trump’s job creation plan, he is telling state agencies to hurry up their reviewing processes. Whether or not those agencies have the legal power to speed up those processes remains to be seen.
Signed an order “Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals For High Priority Infrastructure Projects”
Trump’s order on infrastructure projects comes back to his plan to spend a trillion dollars on infrastructure in his four-year term.
Yesterday’s order, he said is to speed up that plan.
“Too often,” he wrote, “infrastructure projects in the United States have been routinely and excessively delayed by agency processes and procedures.
“These delays have increased project costs and blocked the American people from the full benefits of increased infrastructure investments, which are important to allowing Americans to compete and win on the world economic stage.
“Federal infrastructure decisions should be accomplished with maximum efficiency and effectiveness.”
Phone calls and big walls
Trump also had a “warm” phone call with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. During the call, Trump emphasised that the United States “considers India a true friend and partner in addressing challenges around the world,” according to a readout of the call.
Trump also pledged to begin work on his country’s border wall with Mexico today, as well as pledging to send “the feds” into Chicago. THe city, which has massive gang and gun crime problems, is the scene of “carnage” according to the President. If it is not solved, he tweeted, he would send federal law enforcement. He did not say whether he would federalise the Chicago PD, request the FBI mobilise or send in the National Guard.
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