The new president's move on layoffs is causing a stir, but it is part of the political practice of the "spoils system". The "tsar" Homan at the border with Mexico announces "actions against migrants". Democratic states sue Trump on ius soli. What happens to aid for Ukraine? And for Israel?
Donald Trump begins his presidency with a flurry of executive orders, which will still have to be evaluated by apparatuses and departments. Among these, the reinstatement of the federal death penalty stands out , canceling the moratorium wanted by Joe Biden in 2021.
As announced before his inauguration, the new president also signed an executive order temporarily suspending all US foreign assistance programs for 90 days, pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his political objectives.
Trump also launched the proverbial "purge," announcing that he wants to remove over a thousand people appointed by the previous administration.
Death penalty 'imposed' as a request for cop killers
The president also ordered the attorney general to seek capital punishment “regardless of other factors” when the case involves the killing of an officer or capital crimes “committed by an alien unlawfully present in the country.” He also ordered the attorney general to “take all necessary and lawful actions” to ensure states have enough lethal injection drugs. Only three defendants remain on death row after Biden converted 37 death sentences to life in prison.
Trump's Purges
Four firings have been reported , including General Mark Milley , who Joe Biden has granted a preemptive pardon against any possible retaliation by the tycoon, and celebrity chef José Andrés , who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the former president in recent days. "My Office of Presidential Personnel is actively engaged in identifying and removing over a thousand presidential appointees from the previous administration who are not aligned with our vision of Making America Great Again ," Trump said in a post.
The suspension of US aid abroad
The order states that "the foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases are antithetical to American values" and "serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inimical to harmonious and stable relations within and between countries." The list also includes aid to Ukraine , which the Trump administration intends to make almost entirely (but gradually) the responsibility of EU states.
Does this mean the US will stop helping Ukraine? How does aid work?
The 90-day pause in U.S. foreign assistance will be used to assess its programmatic effectiveness and consistency with U.S. foreign policy. The order signed by Trump does not have immediate effect, but must be reviewed by the relevant departments and ultimately by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They have 90 days to decide whether to stop, extend, or change the amount of various foreign assistance. Which brings us to the question: what changes for Ukraine? The context of the order suggests that it refers to development assistance funding, i.e., non-military aid. Furthermore, one of the clauses of the order states that it should be implemented by applicable U.S. law and subject to the availability of appropriations. This clause may be important because, in particular, military aid to Ukraine is allocated by a separate law that was adopted not by the president, but by Congress. Development assistance is typically allocated through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which funds both foreign government projects and nongovernmental organizations and operates with billions in budgets. Trump's order would apply only to USAID programs, not macrofinancial or military assistance to Ukraine.
And what about American aid to Israel?
The same goes for aid to strategic partners for the US, such as Israel. Some of the largest recipients of US aid, namely Israel ($3.3 billion per year), Egypt ($1.5 billion per year), and Jordan ($1.7 billion per year), are unlikely to see any drastic reductions. These are packages that are part of long-term programs that date back decades and, in some cases, are governed by treaty obligations.
The "Tsar" at the Mexican border announces actions against migrants
In the wake of the moves of the new White House tenant Tom Homan, Trump's "czar" at the border with Mexico, announced the immediate start of "targeted operations" against illegal migrants. "The administration will enforce the laws on immigration".
Democratic States Sue Trump Over Ius Soli
Democratic-led states and cities have launched their first lawsuit against the Trump administration to try to block the decree that abolishes the right of the soil. The law provides that children born in the United States to immigrants who are in the country illegally or without a non-permanent visa are not automatically granted citizenship. In the lawsuit, the Democratic states argue that the abolition of the right of the soil violates the Constitution and federal immigration laws.
Trump against minimum tax on multinationals
With another executive order, the president then withdrew the US from the global tax agreement reached at the OECD. Trump canceled the minimum tax on multinationals on which an agreement had been reached. Any agreement signed by the Biden administration "is ineffective in the United States absent Congressional action to adopt" what was established, the tycoon ordered in a presidential memorandum in which he urged the Treasury to prepare hostile measures against those who apply "extraterritorial" taxes on star-spangled multinationals. Republicans have always been against the 15% minimum tax and Congress has never approved it so far.
What is the spoils system and how does it work in the US?
Trump's practice of "purges" is not so much a slap in the face to the previous administration, but a political practice followed in the US by all incoming presidencies since Andrew Jackson, in the first half of the nineteenth century. It is the "spoils system", according to which the winner reaps all the fruits of his triumph. "The winner takes it all", as they also say in America, quoting a famous song. According to this mechanism, the incoming administration replaces the heads and managers of apparatuses, departments and public administrations. Before Jackson, when the US bureaucracy was decidedly more contained, entire ministerial and secretarial teams were changed, including "simple" employees. Today it would not even be imaginable, given that the Pentagon alone (without considering the other American apparatuses) is the world's largest employer. It must be said, however, that very often the dismissed managers go out the door to come back through the window in the form of "contractors", and they also earn much more than before.
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