President Donald Trump began to issue what is expected to be a flurry of executive orders and directives on Monday, just hours after taking office.
Using a Sharpie pen, Trump signed paperwork removing the United States from the Paris climate deal, ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a week and rolled back many of Biden’s policies.
“I’ll revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration,” Trump told a crowd in Washington at a rally at the Capitol One Arena after his inauguration.
These orders are often confused with proclamations or political memorandums that the president may also utilize as he wishes. Here’s what to know about executive orders, the fastest tool at a president’s disposal.
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An executive order is a signed directive by a U.S. president on how they want the federal government to operate.
Using the force of the law, these orders range from federal employee holidays to major policy plans. A president may use an executive order to establish a new commission or an administration-wide policy.
After a president signs an executive order, the White House sends the document to the Office of the Federal Register, the executive branch’s journal that publishes each order.
However, there are a few legal barriers as an executive order may be rescinded or amended by either an act by Congress, a Supreme Court order or even a separate executive order.
A proclamation is a form of presidential directive that calls for a specific action from citizens or government officials.
Similar to executive orders, proclamations are also published in the Federal Register.
President George Washington used a proclamation to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion, while President Abraham Lincoln used the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves in the Deep South. Following the 2001 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush used a proclamation to declare a state of national emergency.
A lesser-known directive, a political memorandum, refers to when a president gives a formal order to cabinet secretaries.
These orders don’t hold any official power but instead instruct members to take action, whether it’s preparing a report or setting national regulations.
An executive action is an umbrella term for any policy directive a president uses, whether that’s an executive order, a proclamation or a memorandum.
President Joe Biden signed 160 executive orders during his time in office.
Trump signed a total of 220 executive orders during his first administration.
Contributing: Gregory Korte
This story has been updated to add new information.
