The administration is pulling more power into the White House and using it to change rules that affect daily life. It tightened control over federal rulemaking and jobs, weakened protections for career civil servants and unions, and gave political appointees more control. It ordered agencies to recognize only two sexes and rolled back LGBTQ and reproductive-privacy protections. It expanded emergency and policing powers in D.C. and at the border, pushed new voting and election restrictions, and made immigration enforcement tougher with fewer legal pathways. It pressured schools and colleges on DEI and Title IX, limited language access by making English the official language, and tried to curtail birthright citizenship before courts blocked it. Overall, these moves centralize authority and reduce local control and individual rights.
¶ Trump and republicans have centralized control in the executive branch
- On February 18, 2025, the President ordered “all executive departments and agencies, including so‑called independent agencies” to submit significant regulations to the White House’s OIRA before publication, tightening centralized control over rulemaking. (whitehouse.gov)
- On January 20, 2025, an executive order reinstated and amended “Schedule F,” reclassifying policy‑influencing civil‑service roles to at‑will status and weakening due‑process protections for career staff. (whitehouse.gov)
- OPM proposed regulations on April 18, 2025 to formally revive Schedule F (renamed “Schedule Policy/Career”), estimating roughly 50,000 positions would lose civil‑service protections. (govexec.com)
- A Congressional Research Service legal analysis confirms the January 20 order reissued and amended the 2020 Schedule F framework and details implementation issues and potential judicial review. (congress.gov)
- A July 17, 2025 White House fact sheet created a new “Schedule G” non‑career classification for policy‑advocating roles, further expanding political control over federal personnel. (whitehouse.gov)
- Day‑one reporting documented the reinstatement of this plan to strip protections from tens of thousands of federal workers alongside a hiring freeze. (washingtonpost.com)
- A presidential memorandum directed SES reassignments and reconstituted Executive Resources Boards under non‑career leadership, increasing executive leverage over career senior executives. (whitehouse.gov)
¶ Trump and republicans have expanded policing powers over everyday life
- On August 11, 2025, the President declared a “Crime Emergency” in Washington, D.C., compelled the D.C. Metropolitan Police to provide services for federal purposes, and delegated operational authority to the Attorney General. (whitehouse.gov)
- A same‑day presidential memorandum mobilized the D.C. National Guard “until law and order is restored.” (whitehouse.gov)
- Additional August 25 measures expanded federal policing involvement (e.g., hiring more U.S. Park Police) and targeted D.C. bail policies as part of the emergency campaign. (whitehouse.gov)
- A September memorandum directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in all appropriate D.C. cases and to pursue federal jurisdiction where possible. (whitehouse.gov)
- On January 20, 2025, a southern‑border national emergency order authorized Armed Forces support (detention space, transport, logistics), more barriers, and requested a DOD/DHS assessment on whether to invoke the Insurrection Act. (whitehouse.gov)
¶ Federal interventions to restrict voting and commandeer election administration
- On March 25, 2025, an executive order directed the Election Assistance Commission to require documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voter‑registration form and pressured states to reject mail ballots received after Election Day, with funding consequences. (whitehouse.gov)
- Voting‑rights groups sued; a federal court preliminarily blocked the proof‑of‑citizenship mandate, finding the EAC must halt implementation while litigation proceeds. (aclu.org)
¶ Aggressive immigration measures that curtail due process and legal protections – even for citizens
- On October 3, 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the administration to terminate TPS for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans while litigation continues, expanding the pool of deportable residents. (reuters.com)
- On June 4, 2025, Proclamation 10949 restricted entry from numerous countries, reviving broad travel limitations. (federalregister.gov)
- Executive Order 14163 suspended refugee admissions pending review, limiting humanitarian entry except for narrow national‑interest exceptions. (federalregister.gov)
- DHS terminated the CHNV categorical parole programs by notice following EO 14165’s directive, closing a key lawful pathway. (federalregister.gov)
- The border emergency order directed DoD to provide detention, transport, and logistics for civilian enforcement and to accelerate barrier construction, reflecting militarization of civil immigration enforcement. (whitehouse.gov)
- Reuters reported FEMA halted emergency‑preparedness grants unless states submitted population counts adjusted for deportations and complied with administration orders—conditioning disaster funds on immigration enforcement alignment. (reuters.com)
- AP reported the administration offered $2,500 to certain unaccompanied migrant children to “voluntarily” self‑deport, raising coercion and due‑process concerns for minors. (apnews.com)
¶ Politicization and retribution through Department of Justice and executive instruments
- An order to “End the Weaponization of the Federal Government” directed the Attorney General and DNI to scrutinize the prior administration’s enforcement activities and report to White House political appointees for “remedial actions,” an unusual channel for law‑enforcement review. (whitehouse.gov)
- On March 6, 2025, “Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP” suspended firm employees’ security clearances, restricted access to federal buildings, and discouraged agencies from hiring firm alumni—targeting a private law firm tied to political adversaries. (whitehouse.gov)
- Reports of abrupt DOJ personnel ousters and prosecutions of former FBI leaders prompted warnings about political interference and “vengeance prosecutions.” (politico.com)
¶ Curtailing worker and union rights to consolidate control over the civil service
- Reuters reported the administration ordered a strict return‑to‑office mandate and weakened civil‑service job protections, enabling replacement of long‑serving officials and imposing a hiring freeze. (reuters.com)
- An executive order ended collective bargaining for unions across agencies labeled as having national‑security missions (e.g., State, Defense, VA, HHS, Treasury, Justice, parts of DHS); coverage and guidance emphasized removing union “obstruction.” (whitehouse.gov)
- A federal judge later enjoined key parts of the anti‑bargaining order for large swaths of the workforce—underscoring the breadth of the attempted rollback. (washingtonpost.com)
- White House memoranda and fact sheets required presidential‑appointee approval for many hires and set a 4:1 attrition rule, further centralizing workforce control. (whitehouse.gov)
- The administration moved to eliminate the Federal Executive Institute, arguing it entrenched a “managerial class,” reducing neutral leadership development. (whitehouse.gov)
¶ Limiting reproductive privacy and health autonomy at home and abroad
- HHS announced a federal court vacated most of the 2024 HIPAA reproductive‑privacy rule and posted official language rejecting “gender ideology” on its HIPAA reproductive‑health page, signaling retreat from reproductive‑privacy protections. (hhs.gov)
- On January 24, 2025, the President reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy and directed extension across global health assistance, restricting funding to organizations that support or provide abortion services. (whitehouse.gov)
- Reuters and Politico reported plans to extend funding bans to organizations abroad that promote DEI and gender‑identity initiatives, broadening ideological conditions on U.S. aid. (reuters.com)
¶ Reducing language access and expanding federally imposed speech norms
- On March 1, 2025, the President designated English the official language of the United States and revoked EO 13166’s language‑assistance requirement—limiting access for limited‑English‑proficient residents. (whitehouse.gov)
- A subsequent order mandated enforcement of English‑proficiency rules for commercial truck drivers nationwide, tying civil permissions and employment to English use. (whitehouse.gov)
- Orders to “end illegal DEI” directed agencies to terminate DEI/DEIA offices, rewrite grants and contracting, and convene monthly White House‑led oversight—chilling protected expression in public institutions under the guise of merit enforcement. (whitehouse.gov)
¶ Federal pressure on schools and campuses that narrows local discretion and individual rights
- The Education Department issued a Dear Colleague letter directing schools and colleges to end racial preferences across programs and warned of funding loss, asserting a broad interpretation beyond admissions after SFFA v. Harvard. (ed.gov)
- Courts have partially blocked the Education Department’s anti‑DEI enforcement efforts amid active litigation, indicating overreach in the new guidance. (insidehighered.com)
- OCR launched Title IX enforcement actions against districts adopting “all‑gender” facilities and policies based on gender identity, declaring such policies violations and threatening sanctions. (ed.gov)
- The administration issued an order seeking to curtail birthright citizenship for U.S.‑born children of non‑citizens; multiple courts, including the First Circuit, rejected the move as unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment. (reuters.com)