Executive Orders: What are They, and What is President Trump Doing With Them?

President Donald Trump has has hit the ground running during his first month in office. His first couple of weeks in office have already impacted the country significantly, mostly through executive orders. President Trump is issuing executive orders at a seemingly unprecedented pace, which has brought it to the attention of the public.

At one point, the first suggested search on Google for something starting with ‘what’ was ‘what is an executive order.’ The fact that executive orders are not often used is what makes an explanation necessary, and something so relevant in current politics needs to be understood.   

According to Legal-Dictionary, the definition of an executive order is “a presidential policy directive that implements or interprets a federal statute, a constitutional provision, or a treaty.” An executive order allows the president the ability to get policies passed quickly and effectively.

The process of the executive order is quicker and more effective because it does not need the congress to agree first, saving a lot of time. Some examples of historical executive orders are ones given by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson to further civil rights, and have been used during WWII and in U.S. military involvement in the country of Bosnia.

Executive orders can be useful in times of war because quick and decisive action can often be necessary. The constitution allows the president to do this, and it is completely legal. Some people take issue with this, although it is not against the law. Also, as President Trump’s travel ban has shown, executive orders are not unlimited in power. That executive order was stopped by the rulings of multiple judges.

Some people are not happy with the number of executive orders that President Trump has given. President Obama did not frequently use executive orders during his eight years in office, which is part of the reason people might not be familiar with the concept.

Some of the many executive orders President Trump has issued are the travel ban, the strengthening of the Mexican border, the approval of two controversial pipelines, the removal of the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Deal, and most recently the reduction of environmental regulations on coal mining companies and what they can put into water. This is a seemingly unprecedented pace of executive orders.

Executive orders are shaping the landscape of American politics during the Trump Administration, and they will probably be continuing into the future. An understanding of executive orders is necessary for an understanding of current American politics, and the strategy of President Trump.

By: Rick Derfus, Editor