U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) calls the offer a “trick.” The president would “stiff” workers.
From late Friday, January 24, to Saturday, February 1, President Trump fired off a torrent of actions, stretching the power boundaries of the executive branch established by Article II of the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution divides the federal government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. This ensures that no individual or group will have too much power.
Each branch can respond to the actions of the other branches. It is a system of checks and balances. As head of the executive branch, the president is responsible for enforcing and vetoing legislation and nominating heads of federal agencies and high court appointees. He also has authority over foreign affairs and is granted the authority to impose tariffs, as he announced on Saturday, February 1. Trump hits China, Mexico, and Canada with tariffs, opening a trade war.
January 24–Saturday, January 25
The Trump administration fired approximately 17 inspectors general at various agencies within the departments of State, Defense, Transportation, and Energy, among others, late Friday evening. On Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) condemned President Trump’s move to fire the watchdogs at several federal agencies overnight. He called it a “chilling purge.”
Sunday, January 26
The Trump administration begins its heightened and targeted deportation raids. ICE posted on X that on Sunday, January 26, it "began conducting enhanced targeted operations in Chicago to enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities."
Monday, January 27
Acting Attorney General James McHenry fires employees who worked on Trump’s now-dismissed indictments against him over his handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, which led up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Career employees, including inspector generals, the agency “watchdogs,” are fired. NBC News reports McHenry says, In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President’s agenda.” Saturday, Senator Chuck Schumer calls it “a "chilling purge.”
A federal funding freeze could potentially halt public programs desperately needed by Americans. The Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, has sent a two-page memo https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/deb7af80-48b6-4b8a-8bfa-3d84fd7c3ec8.pdf?itid=lk_inline_manual_2randum for for the heads of executive departments and agencies from Matthew J. Vaeth, Acting Director, Subject: Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs, effective on January 28, 2025, at 5 p.m.
The memorandum states, “Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”
U.S. Congressman Gerry Connolly issues the following statement: “Freezing federal grants and loans that Congress approved, firing IGs without cause or legally required congressional notice, and implementing Schedule F is Project 2025. It is executive branch overreach and unconstitutional. Donald Trump is unleashing the carnage he says he deplores.”
A federal court judge blocks Trump's attempt to freeze hundreds of billions of dollars in federal aid. What was covered and what was not has been unclear. The order was set to take effect on January 28 at 5 p.m. On Wednesday, the United States Office of Management and Budget rescinded the memo. The court will revisit the issue on Feb. 3.
Tuesday, January 28
Deferred Resignations Offered: An unsigned email from the Office of Personnel Management, subject line “Fork in the Road, offers a “deferred resignation” to about 2 million federal employees. Email with the subject line: Resign by Feb. 6. They would receive pay and benefits.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) calls the offer a “trick.”He warns the president would “stiff” workers. “The president has no authority to make that offer,” Kane says. “There’s no budget line item to pay people who are not showing up for work.”
Wednesday, January 29
President Trump issues the executive order “Ending Radical Indocrination in K-12 Schooling.” “Parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight,” the order states. “Young men and women are made to question whether they were born in the wrong body and whether to view their parents and their reality as enemies to be blamed.” The order targets federal funding for schools that do not comply.
FCPS Pride posts that Fairfax County Superintendent Dr. Michell Reid “assured FCPS will NOT change their policies regarding transgender and nonbinary students, staff, and families. Protections remain in place.
ACLU of Virginia posts, “Trump's executive order cannot make gender-affirming care illegal. What it DOES do is threaten to create barriers to access care, such as withdrawal of federal funding.”
Thursday, January 30
The president delivers remarks at the White House after a horrific midair collision over the Potomac River in Washington D.C. between an American Airlines regional jet from Kansas to Reagan National Airport, carrying 60 passengers and four crew, and an Army Blackhawk helicopter carrying three military service members. The president says, ”Sadly, there are no survivors.” Trump pivoted, criticizing DEI hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during his remarks. FAA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in the United States and surrounding international waters.
Reporter: [29:36] Mr. President, you have, today, blamed the diversity element but then told us you weren’t sure that the controllers made any mistake. You then said perhaps the helicopter pilots were the ones who made the mistake.
Trump: [29:44] Yep, it’s all under investigation.
Reporter: [29:45] I understand that. That's why I’m trying to figure out how you can come to the conclusion right now that diversity had something to do with this crash.
Trump: [29:47] Because I have common sense, okay? And unfortunately, a lot of people don’t. We want brilliant people doing this.”
Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issue: “Statement on President Trump’s False Claims on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”
“President Trump, without evidence or regard for the gravity and solemnity of this incident in which American lives were lost, held a press conference to falsely blame the diversity initiatives of past administrations for the cause of this incident. Not only are the President’s claims untrue, they also speak to the Republican Party’s desire to divide us as a country. To be clear, diversity, equity, and inclusion are American values. Diversity policies work to benefit all Americans who have traditionally been kept out of opportunities, including white women, veterans, and aging Americans, not just the Black and minority communities that Trump and Republicans want to scapegoat and villainize for political gain. We are not going back!”
In a memorandum to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau, President Trump called for a review following the deadly collision between a military helicopter and a commercial jet near Reagan National Airport on January 29.
”This shocking event follows problematic and likely illegal decisions during the Obama and Biden Administrations that minimized merit and competence in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Obama Administration implemented a biographical questionnaire at the FAA to shift the hiring focus away from objective aptitude,” states the memo. “But the Biden Administration egregiously rejected merit-based hiring, requiring all executive departments and agencies to implement dangerous ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion' tactics and specifically recruiting individuals with ‘severe intellectual' disabilities in the FAA.”
