Washington – Donald Trump has been back in the White House for only two weeks, but he has already redesigned the federal government. He tries to create an imperial presidency – and he rules for decree.
In a snowstorm from Executive Orders, Trump has stopped the federal expenses for clean energy, infrastructure, foreign help and everything that is associated with “diversity, justice and inclusion”. Most of the federal settings frozen; Dilated thousands of workplace civil servants and proposed to suspend political loyalty exams; In summary, the prosecutors released and aimed at FBI agents who were involved in the persecution. And tried to end the birth law citizenship for children born by migrants without papers.
Some of these actions cannot stand. The White House canceled a poorly drawn -in order to stop the federal payments after it had replaced the nationwide chaos. A federal judge blocked the enforcement of Trump's fighting rights and called it “obviously unconstitutional”.
Taken together, the measures arose for a concerted campaign in order to give Trump more direct power through federal programs and expenses than any president in recent history.
“This is basically an attempt to redefine the president's powers as part of the constitution,” said Donald F. Kettl, former dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. “It is seismic.”
The constitution states that the determination of the expenditure for federal programs from the congress and not from the president – the role that is traditionally known as the “power of the wallet” is known. Trump tries to change that.
Former presidents have tried to use executive orders to avoid the congress. But Trump's actions in the past two weeks have been far wider and more comprehensive than the youngest predecessors.
His most dramatic attempt to expand the presidential power were his commands to freeze expenses for programs that he does not like.
Trump made it clear that He believes that a president can block funds unilaterally that the congress has approved.
“For 200 years it was undisputed under our government system that the president had the constitutional authority to stop unnecessary expenses through so -called pollution,” he said in 2023.
That is historical fiction. It is true that former presidents tried to confiscate funds, but their right to it was often controversial. As early as 1838, the Supreme Court ruled that the president had no authority. In 1974 the Congress passed a law that expressly prohibited the practice; Trump says he intends to question this 50-year law in court.
According to Trump's expansion perspective, the legal scientist Stephen Vladeck found last week that the congress's decisions about expenses would only be “advisable”.
“If the presidents can confiscate at any time and for some reason, it is not much pointed out that legislation has a legislature,” wrote Vladeck.
Less visible, but just as important, Trump has abruptly transformed thousands of federal jobs from impartial public positions into political appointments.
His personnel administration office published a memo in which it was claimed that the senior executive service, the around 8,000 career employees on the bureaucracy, now serve “for the pleasure of the president” – which means that they can be released at will.
In another memo, the new administration gave itself the right to the state departments of employees with an unlimited number of political representatives, at least at short notice.
Another memo offered around 2 million civil servants a “postponed resignation” plan, after which they would give up their work in the exchange of up to eight months.
“It seems intended to reduce the size of the federal salary statement in one fell swoop,” said Kettl. “And if the agencies that go, replaces it, it will probably be with political appointments that Trump feel loyal.”
“It could be the biggest quick new formation of the German Bundes bureaucracy since World War II,” he said. But he noticed that it is not clear that the system will work – partly because the congress has not agreed to finance it.
“Will the (conservative) House Freedom Caucus agree to pay bureaucrats because he didn't work?” Asked Kettl.
Trump and his chief budget consultant, Russell Vought, have often denounced career agencies as members of an enemy “deep state”.
In A 2023 Speech, said Vought He wanted to make officials so misery that they would leave their own will: “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. If you wake up in the morning, we want you not to go to work. “
The lightning war of the new administration is predictable on several fronts.
Democratic state governments have questioned Trump's expenditure before the Federal Supreme Court, and two federal district judges have ordered temporary breaks in their implementation. Unions that represent federal employees have prevented Trump from taking away the occupational safety of its members.
But most Republicans in the congress quickly issued the support of Trump's actions – although they were at the expense of privileges of the congress.
“We promised to reduce the size and scope of the government, and there were so much measures that it caused controversy,” said House, Mike Johnson (R-La.). “It's a good thing. We disturb. ”
Surveys indicate that Trump is generally based on solid political soil. A survey published by Reuters IPISSOS published last week showed that 61% of Americans support the president's endeavor to reduce the federal government.
However, surveys also show that most voters also want the government to do more to improve health and education – Trump areas have promised to make a decision.
Public The support for many other promotions of the president is much weaker. Reuters' survey showed that the respondents were evenly divided into the wisdom of freezing the federal government. And a solid majority, 59%, was not closed with Trump's attempt to abolish citizenship.
If Trump's campaign to reduce expenses and cancel programs, generated more chaos from the past week or threatens popular health or education programs, his public support – already from historical standards – could quickly erode.
A congress led by Republicans will not stand in the way. But he already provides himself with federal judges. Even the Trump-friendly Supreme Court can be skeptical about its broad claim of a seizure.
And finally the voters will get a say. The next elections in the congress are 21 months away.