How Hard (or Easy) It Will Be for Trump to Fulfill His 100-Day Plan By LARRY BUCHANAN, ALICIA PARLAPIANO and KAREN YOURISH NOV. 21, 2016 President-elect Donald J. Trump released a plan last month outlining the priorities for his administration, many of which were repeated at most of his campaign rallies and events. He can accomplish some of his promises entirely on his own, but others require Congress or pose other significant obstacles. Doesn t Need Congress Suspend immigration from terror-prone regions End foreign trade abuses Choose Supreme Court nominee Leave the Trans-Pacific Partnership Label China a currency manipulator Limit federal regulations Roll back environmental regulations Rescind Obama's actions on guns Approve the Keystone XL pipeline Tighten lobbying restrictions Freeze federal hiring Overturn protections for certain undocumented immigrants Cancel payments to U.N. climate programs Propose term limits on Congress Might Need Congress Deport undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes Renegotiate or withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement Impose tariffs on companies moving overseas Stop funding sanctuary cities Needs Congress Repeal and replace Obamacare Build a wall End Common Core Pass a security bill Cut taxes Pass an infrastructure bill Pass an ethics bill Restrict lobbying by former members of Congress Pass a child care bill Pass a law enforcement bill 1
Doesn t Need Congress Mr. Trump will be able to use his authority to reverse executive actions taken by President Obama. He will also have significant latitude to carry out new immigration policies, though they would require an ambitious bureaucratic effort. Suspend immigration from terror-prone regions Mr. Trump's controversial call to ban all Muslims from the United States seems to have evolved into a promise to bar people from certain regions rather than religions. He will have the power to carry out this plan, but it would make sweeping use of executive authority and require an ambitious bureaucratic effort not likely to move as quickly as he envisions. MORE» End foreign trade abuses Mr. Trump says he will direct his commerce secretary and trade representative on Day 1 to identify and end alleged abuses. The White House has plenty of leeway to penalize other nations it accuses of undercutting American manufacturers. Mentioned in most speeches. Choose Supreme Court nominee Mr. Trump has released a list of 21 possible candidates vetted by conservative legal groups to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The nominee will then be subject to approval by the Senate. MORE» Leave the Trans-Pacific Partnership Since the deal was never approved by Congress, Mr. Trump will not have to do anything to get out of the pact. MORE» Label China a currency manipulator Mr. Trump has repeatedly accused China of keeping its currency artificially cheap, though many economists believe the renminbi is overvalued, not undervalued. Limit federal regulations Mr. Trump promised to eliminate two existing federal regulations for every new one. The executive branch has the power to undo regulations through the same lengthy bureaucratic process that is used when they are created. MORE» 2
Roll back environmental regulations Mr. Trump could undo the Obama administration's environmental rules through the same lengthy bureaucratic process that was used when they were created. (In some cases, Congress could also vote to undo them.) He has also vowed to cancel last year s Paris climate agreement. The United States remains legally bound to the plan for four years, but there would be no legal consequences or economic sanctions if Mr. Trump does not follow through with the commitment to limit carbon emissions. MORE» Rescind Obama's actions on guns Mr. Trump's 100-day plan says he will "cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama." The gun actions are some that he frequently cited. MORE» Approve the Keystone XL pipeline Mr. Trump said he will lift Obama-Clinton roadblocks on energy infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL pipeline. He could grant the State Department the permit that the Obama administration has denied for the project. Tighten lobbying restrictions Mr. Trump said he will issue a five-year lobbying ban on White House officials, a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying for a foreign government and a ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for United States elections. His transition team has already asked administration appointees to sign a form agreeing to the policies. MORE» Freeze federal hiring Mr. Trump pledged to implement a hiring freeze on the federal workforce. Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan put freezes into effect during their presidencies, but a 1982 comptroller general report determined that the freezes have not been an effective means of controlling federal employment. Overturn protections for certain undocumented immigrants The 100-day plan does not specifically cite the immigration actions, but Mr. Trump has said he will overturn them. One Obama administration program protects immigrants who came to the United States as children. Another program, which was blocked by the courts, offered protection to a broader group. Cancel payments to U.N. climate programs Mr. Trump seems to be referring to money committed by the Obama administration to the Green Climate Fund, created to help poor countries control their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. 3
Propose term limits on Congress Mr. Trump can propose an amendment to the Constitution, which would require a two-thirds majority in Congress to advance. But Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, said the measure would not be on the agenda. MORE» Might Need Congress Some of Mr. Trump s plans may or may not need the help of Congress, depending on a variety of factors, including whether they would require new funding or a change in current laws. Deport undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes Mr. Trump said he will begin removing the two million to three million people he says fall into this category on his first day in office. But it may be difficult to carry out the deportations quickly without violating due process and without needing more money from Congress.MORE» Renegotiate or withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement Mr. Trump would have to bring Mexico and Canada back to the table and get Congress to approve a new deal, but the United States can withdraw from the treaty six months after giving written notice. Impose tariffs on companies moving overseas The Constitution bans the imposition of tariffs specifically aimed at a single company. Mr. Trump has a lot of power under existing law to impose broader tariffs without getting approval from Congress, but it is possible he may want to do something that requires new legislation. Stop funding sanctuary cities Mr. Trump has said he will cancel federal funding to cities that have curtailed their cooperation with federal immigration authorities. But because Mr. Trump has not given a detailed proposal, it is unclear whether he would have the authority to do so without Congress. Several Democratic mayors of major American cities have said they will oppose his plan. MORE» Needs Congress Mr. Trump will need to work with Congress to carry out some of his significant proposals, including repealing the Affordable Care Act and building a wall along the border with Mexico. 4
Repeal and replace Obamacare Congress is unlikely to be able to repeal the entire law without a supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate, but it can eliminate parts of the law with a simple majority. Last year it passed a bill that would have eliminated the law's Medicaid expansion, premium subsidies and the requirement that all Americans buy insurance, but Mr. Obama vetoed it. Experts say repealing just these select parts of the law could lead to market chaos, and an estimated 22 million Americans would lose coverage. MORE» Build a wall Mr. Trump has said he will work with Congress to pass a bill that finances the construction of a southern border wall with the full understanding that Mexico will reimburse the United States. (Mexico has said it will not pay for the wall.) If he is able to get Congress to fund the wall a big if Mr. Trump would still have to overcome a myriad of environmental and legal hurdles in order to move forward. MORE» Mentioned in most speeches. End Common Core Mr. Trump said he will work with Congress to introduce an education bill that will, in part, end Common Core. However, it is unclear how Congress would get rid of Common Core when the federal government did not create it. Governors and state boards of education developed and voluntarily adopted the standards. Mentioned in most speeches. Pass a security bill Mr. Trump s plan includes the elimination of defense spending caps, changes to veterans health care and new screening procedures for immigration. Many of his defense priorities align with Republicans in Congress, but he is likely to face opposition from Democrats and from Republicans wary of increased spending and of Mr. Trump s views on national security. MORE» Cut taxes Congressional Republicans are also eager to pass tax reform, and their proposals share a lot of common ground with Mr. Trump's plan, which would significantly cut taxes on businesses and most types of income. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimated that the plan would cut revenues significantly. While Mr. Trump insists the cuts would be paid for through economic growth, there is not evidence from previous tax cuts that growth would increase at those levels. MORE» Pass an infrastructure bill Mr. Trump says his plan to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure projects over 10 years would be paid for through leveraging public-private partnerships and encouraging private investment through tax incentives. Infrastructure spending is a shared priority with congressional Democrats, who have said they believe they can work with Mr. Trump on the issue. MORE» 5
Pass an ethics bill Mr. Trump's 100-day plan does not give details on his ethics bill proposal, but includes an oft-repeated objective to drain the swamp of special interests in Washington. Restrict lobbying by former members of Congress Mr. Trump also called for a five-year ban on lobbying for former members of Congress and their staff, an increase from the current two-year ban for senators and a one-year ban for House members. Congress is unlikely to pass this measure. Pass a child care bill Mr. Trump's proposal includes allowing child care and elder care tax deductions, incentives for employers to provide on-site childcare, and tax-free savings accounts with matching contributions for low-income families. Democrats in Congress are also hoping to be able to work with Mr. Trump in this area. Pass a law enforcement bill Mr. Trump has proposed a bill that would create a new violent crimes task force and increase spending on resources for law enforcement and federal prosecutors. Mr. Trump would need to galvanize support from a Congress in which many lawmakers believe that the tough-on-crime policies of the 1990s were counterproductive. The frequency of mentions is based on transcripts from 122 rallies and speeches over the course of the presidential campaign. Source: How Hard (or Easy) It Will Be for Trump to Fulfill His 100-Day Plan, Larry Buchanan, Alicia Parlapiano, and Karen Yourish. November 21, 2016. The New York Times. (Accessed 1.11.17). http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/21/us/politics/what-trump-wants-to-do-in-his-first-100- days-and-how-difficult-each-will-be.html?ref=politics. 6