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President Trump is off to a fast start in his second term as POTUS. He doesn't have constitutional authority to make laws, but he can issue orders to federal government departments and agencies as to how to interpret and enforce current laws. He also may issue Executive Orders. On "Day One," according to the White House website, there were 46 presidential actions. Trump also revoked 78 Executive Orders and memoranda issued by President Biden.
Being the egocentric person he is, he signed all of his "Day One" proclamations, memoranda and Executive Orders, not in the Oval Office as is the formal style, but before a huge audience in a Washington arena, while seated at a table placed on "center stage."
Of significance to me, several news sources claim that more than two thirds of Trump's "Day One" Executive Orders have their origin in Project 2025. In a letter to the editor published in this newspaper on August 8, 2024 titled "Project 2025," I described some of the contents of this 900-page Heritage Foundation plan of action for a second Trump administration. I also noted in my letter that Trump had posted on his website "I know nothing about Project 2025." Trump swore throughout his 2024 presidential campaign that he had nothing to do with the document. The content of his actions on "Day One," however, tell me that Trump was lying about his knowledge of Project 2025. I am not surprised; our new POTUS is reputed to be a notorious liar.
Few of POTUS's nominees and appointees to head departments and agencies of the federal government have any academic or experience-based credentials which might qualify them for their posts. I believe they were nominated because they can be counted on for their loyalty to Trump, and because they were owed a post as payback for dropping out of the race (R.F.K Jr.), cheerleading for Trump (Pete Hegseth, co-host of "Fox & Friends"), or service to Trump's campaign (Russell Vought, Project 2025 co-author).
Elon Musk and the juvenile crews of the"Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) are taking a wrecking ball approach to downsizing the federal government. Among a multitude of changes to federal governance, Project 2025 calls for cutting spending to Medicaid, Head Start, Meals on Wheels; abolishing the U.S.Agency for International Development and U.S. Dept. of Education, and more. Other items on Trump's wish list, such as pulling out of the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization, deporting thousands of immigrants, sending ICE agents into schools to root our migrant children and terrify citizen children, and more. Loyalist agency heads are following those orders without question. It is quite possible that long-time civil rights are abolished by MAGA loyalist-run agencies following Trump's directives.
Many voters who chose Trump for president likely were seduced by his promises to reduce federal spending or dampen inflation, and that is all that mattered to them. Most likely knew nothing about the Project 2025 agenda and that one of the objectives of his presidency is to wreak havoc on the federal government, regardless of the turmoil and uncertainty such actions would evoke. Maybe they did, but probably don't care, as long as their ox isn't being gored.
OSCAR KNADE
Montoursville
Submitted by Virtual Newsroom