President Trump has issued eight executive orders, 12 memorandums and 2 proclamations since inauguration for a total of 24 executive actions, according to whitehouse.gov. Obama issued a total of 277 executive actions over his eight years in office, nine orders taking place during his first two weeks in 2009, five were published on the first day.
There are three types of executive actions: orders, memorandums and proclamations. Executive orders hold the most prestige although many are fairly mundane. They typically contain instructions to federal agencies that the president oversees on how they should operate.
Executive orders are similar to laws passed by Congress and typically direct members of the executive branch to follow a new policy or directive.
Executive memoranda are similar to executive orders in that they carry legal weight allowing the president to direct government officials and agencies. But executive memoranda are typically not published in the Federal Register unless the president determines the rules have general applicability and legal effect.
A presidential proclamation is an act that formally declares to the general public that the government has acted in a particular way. It is a written or printed document issued by a superior government executive. Proclamations are mostly ceremonial observances of federal holidays or awareness months. The two proclamations passed under President Trump so far declared the first week of February as National School of Choice Week and the month of February American Heart Month.
Some of President Trump’s executive orders have been facing heavy criticism. Lawyers for Washington state and Minnesota told a federal appellate court that restoring President Donald Trump’s ban on refugees and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries would “unleash chaos again.”
These two states cast a lawsuit that resulted in a temporary nation-wide restraining order on the travel ban last week.
Other executive actions facing scrutiny include the continued development of the Dakota Access and Keystone Pipelines, the suspension of EPA grants and contracts, as well as the executive order to expedite environmental reviews of infrastructure projects.
Even GOP official are questioning Trump’s actions. Actions that include those listed above, along with an order progressing a Mexico border wall. Trump is using these actions to follow through with promises made during his campaign.