Here's what happened during President Trump's second week in office
2025-02-01
Category: political

The country began to see the effects of President Donald Trump’s policies in his second week in office, with the White House implementing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China; border crossings plummeting; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs shuttering; the federal workforce being faced with the decision to return to the office or to resign; and more.&nbsp; As promised, Trump’s administration has been moving at warp speed to implement his agenda — signing more than 200 executive actions just hours after taking the Oath of Office.&nbsp;  Trump immediately cracked down on immigration, and by the beginning of his second week in office migrant encounters dropped significantly. The number of migrants arriving at the southern border plummeted by 63% as of Monday, Fox News Digital previously reported.&nbsp; TRUMP-ERA SOUTHERN BORDER SEES MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS PLUMMET BY OVER 60% AS NEW POLICIES KICK IN There were 7,287 migrant encounters at the southern border in the first seven days of the Trump administration &nbsp;— from Jan. 20 through Jan. 26, with a daily average of 1,041 encounters a day. That compares to 20,086 encounters a day during the final days of former President Joe Biden’s presidency — from Jan. 13 through Jan. 19.&nbsp; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week participated in an immigration enforcement raid in New York City Tuesday targeting "murderers, kidnappers, and individuals charged of assault and burglary." The operation continued through Friday.&nbsp;  And Border czar Tom Homan said that as of Monday the Trump administration had removed and returned 7,300 illegal immigrants and had deported them to Mexico, Jordan, Brazil and El Salvador.&nbsp; The president on Wednesday also signed the Laken Riley Act into law — the first piece of legislation to become law in his second administration.&nbsp;  TRUMP SIGNS LAKEN RILEY ACT INTO LAW AS FIRST LEGISLATIVE VICTORY IN NEW ADMINISTRATION The measure, which advanced through the House and Senate in January, directs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants arrested or charged with theft-related crimes, or those accused of assaulting a police officer.&nbsp; The law also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration. The law’s name honors a nursing student who was killed during a jog on the University of Georgia’s campus by an illegal immigrant, Fox News Digital previously reported. Jose Ibarra, who previously had been arrested but never detained by ICE, received a life prison sentence for killing 22-year-old Laken Riley.&nbsp; Beyond the border, the president’s action to end DEI programs across the federal government has continued. Last week, the Office of Personnel Management ordered agency heads and directors to close their DEI offices.&nbsp;  And over at the Justice Department, Trump administration officials fired more than a dozen key officials who worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team prosecuting Trump, after Acting Attorney General James McHenry said they could not be trusted in "faithfully implementing the president’s agenda."&nbsp; JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRES MORE THAN A DOZEN KEY OFFICIALS ON FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH'S TEAM On Monday, an Office of Management and Budget memo was released, which aimed to freeze funding to various federal programs that were focused on DEI.&nbsp; The memo issued a pause on all federal grants and loans aiming to eradicate "wokeness" and the "weaponization of government" to improve government efficiency.&nbsp;  White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt held her first-ever press briefing in the James S. Brady room on Tuesday and fielded many questions from reporters on the memo. She maintained that programs including Social Security benefits, Medicare, food stamps, welfare benefits and other assistance going directly to individuals would not be impacted.&nbsp; But by Tuesday evening, a federal judge imposed an administrative stay, pausing the Trump administration’s action.&nbsp; And on Wednesday, the White House opted to rescind the memo, but stressed to Fox News Digital that it was committed to freezing federal grants and loans aimed at woke programs."&nbsp; "In light of the injunction, OMB has rescinded the memo to end any confusion on federal policy created by the court ruling and the dishonest media coverage," Leavitt told Fox News on Wednesday. "The Executive Orders issued by the President on funding reviews remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented by all agencies and departments."&nbsp; Leavitt told Fox News that rescinding the memo "should effectively end the court case and allow the government to focus on enforcing the President’s orders on controlling federal spending."&nbsp; WHITE HOUSE STILL COMMITTED TO FREEZING ‘WOKE’ FUNDS DESPITE RESCINDING OMB MEMO Also this week, the Office of Personnel Management sent a note to federal workers offering them the option to resign and receive full pay and benefits through Sept. 30. That option, which the administration referred to as a "Fork in the Road," came after the administration demanded that all federal workers return to in-person, in-office work.&nbsp; Federal workers have until Feb. 6 to decide if they will return to work or if they will resign.&nbsp; The only federal workers who do not have the option are postal workers, members of the military, immigration officials, some national security officials, and any positions agency heads decide to carve out.&nbsp; But the rapid changes came to a quick halt on Wednesday night around 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, after an American Airlines plane and Army helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside of Washington, D.C.&nbsp; The flight had left Wichita, Kansas, earlier that day. All 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed dead.  TRUMP ORDERS ASSESSMENT OF AVIATION SAFETY, NAMES ACTING FAA ADMINISTRATOR AFTER DEADLY DC PLANE CRASH Those aboard the plane included "several members" of U.S. Figure Skating, including athletes, coaches and family members who had just attended the U.S. Figure Skating Championships held in Wichita, Kansas, from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26.&nbsp; Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was confirmed on Tuesday and quickly took charge, immediately getting over to the Federal Aviation Administration building and launching an investigation into the horrific incident.&nbsp; The president said that the deadly midair collision was a "confluence of bad decisions that were made and you have people that lost their lives, violently lost their lives."&nbsp;  The president signed two executive orders appointing a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) deputy administrator, Chris Rocheleau, and ordering an immediate assessment of aviation safety and an elevation of "competence" over DEI.&nbsp; TRUMP TO CREATE TASK FORCE TO PLAN 'EXTRAORDINARY CELEBRATION' FOR 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE Meanwhile, the president also signed an executive order to create a Task Force 250 —&nbsp;a White House task force focused on coordinating the plans and activities surrounding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence.&nbsp; The president also signed a memo that would lift the collective bargaining agreements that former President Joe Biden put into effect before leaving office — agreements that White House officials said were designed to "constrain" the Trump administration from reforming the government.&nbsp;&nbsp; EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP TO SIGN MEMO LIFTING BIDEN'S LAST-MINUTE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS And as for the Cabinet, Duffy was confirmed as Transportation secretary; Doug Burgum was confirmed as secretary of the Interior; Lee Zeldin was confirmed as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; and Scott Bessent was confirmed as Treasury secretary.&nbsp; Over in the Senate, Trump’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; nominee for FBI director Kash Patel; and nominee for director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard faced tough questions from senators during confirmation hearings.&nbsp;  WHITE HOUSE TO IMPOSE TARIFFS ON MEXICO, CANADA AND CHINA DUE TO ‘INVASION OF ILLEGAL FENTANYL’ And, at the end of the week, the White House confirmed that by Saturday the president would roll out tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.&nbsp; The president is imposing a 25% tariff on Mexico; a 25% tariff on Canada, and a 10% tariff on China.&nbsp; CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "These are promises made and promises kept," White House press secretary Leavitt said at a press briefing Friday.&nbsp; And it’s only the end of week two.&nbsp; Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw, Diana Stancey, Bill Melugin and Emma Colton contributed to this report.&nbsp;