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Week One Under President Trump: Key Executive Actions and Directives

Since assuming office, President Trump has issued more than two dozen executive orders. His administration has also issued a range of other directives to Executive Branch staff that could affect higher education and the scientific research enterprise in the United States. Here are a few of them:

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access:

  • Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing – This executive order ends programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion at federal agencies. The order requires agencies to review which federal contractors have provided DEI training materials to federal workers and which federal funding grantees have been given funds to “advance DEI, DEIA, and ‘environmental justice’ programs, services, or activities.”

  • Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity – This executive order designates institutions receiving federal financial aid as subcontractors, and prevents federal contractors and subcontractors from considering “race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion, or national origin in ways that violate the nation’s civil rights laws.” It also directs the attorney general and the secretary of education to issue guidance to institutions of higher education about the measures and practices they need to adopt in order to comply with last year’s Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action.

Immigration

  • Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive last week rescinding previous guidelines that prevented immigration officials from conducting raids or arrests in “sensitive” locations, such as churches and university campuses.

  • Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats – This executive order includes requirements for the enhanced vetting and screening of both “aliens” already in the United States and those seeking to enter the country. The order could result in visa delays and additional requirements for international students and scholars.

  • Protecting the American People Against Invasion – This executive order directs the attorney general and the secretary of homeland security to review all contracts or grants providing federal funding to non-governmental organizations that are directly or indirectly providing services to “removable or illegal aliens.” This order could affect institutions of higher education with enrolled undocumented students.

Medical Research

  • The Washington Post reported last week that “the Trump administration has instructed federal health agencies to pause all external communications, such as health advisories, weekly scientific reports, updates to websites and social media posts.” The pause is expected to last until at least February 1. The directive applies to the National Institutes of Health.

Artificial intelligence

Science

  • President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology – This executive order establishes “an advisory council on science and technology” that brings together “the brightest minds from academia, industry, and government to guide our nation through this critical moment by charting a path forward for American leadership in science and technology.” The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology will consist of no more than 24 members.

    This executive order comes after President Trump rescinded Biden’s previous executive order establishing PCAST. The new executive order designates the “Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST) and the Special Advisor for AI & Crypto” as members of PCAST. The order also states that “The APST and the Special Advisor for AI & Crypto shall serve as co-chairs of the PCAST.”

Kritika Agarwal is senior editorial officer at AAU.