Tracking the Transition
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Significant cuts to EPA's state programs and workforce have sent agency executives and employees' unions scrambling to get a better understanding of what direction the Trump administration wants to take the department.
March 06, 2017 -
The high paced level of activity this past week centered on the still-sketchy 2018 budget under preparation by the Trump administration. Balancing the big increase the president wants for the Defense Department are cuts averaging 10 percent for civilian agencies.
March 02, 2017 -
The Trump administration's plan to reduce non-defense discretionary spending by 10 percent means civilian agencies will need to look at programs and personnel, not just for this year, but for the long-term. Some fiscal observers says it's time to consider budget process reform.
March 01, 2017 -
The Trump administration's "budget blueprint" includes a $54 billion increase in Defense spending, bringing the top-line spending for Defense to $603 billion and $462 billion for non-defense discretionary spending.
February 27, 2017 -
President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling on agencies to create regulatory reform task forces. The task forces will investigate how to "eliminate red tape" and regularly report back on progress to their respective agencies.
February 24, 2017 -
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly forged ahead with tough new immigration policies, outlined in a pair of memos. Although President Trump hadn’t yet released his revised executive order on immigration and securing the border with Mexico, Kelly widened the number of people potentially subject to detention and deportation. He reiterated the plan to hire another 5,000 Customs and Border Patrol agents.
February 23, 2017 -
The White House's chief digital officer stepped down after only a month on the job. Sources familiar with the departure say Gerrit Lansing did not want to give up his ties to an online donation platform he helped start.
February 22, 2017 -
On the personnel front, the Trump administration had an up-and-down week. The departure of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and the withdrawal of Labor Secretary Andrew Puzder set Washington abuzz. But the Senate confirmed Michael Mulvaney as director of the Office of Management and Budget, Steve Mnuchin as Treasury secretary, and Dr. David Shulkin as VA secretary.
February 16, 2017 -
Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination to be Labor Secretary, after Labor Department employees expressed concerns ahead of his confirmation hearing. The letter disclosed a number of misgivings about Puzder’s fitness for the job.
February 15, 2017 -
The Office of Government Ethics is calling on the White House to investigate comments made by presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway, and whether she broke an ethics law. OGE is also reviewing Conway's comments, per the request of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
February 14, 2017 -
Battling on both the judicial and immigration fronts, the Trump administration over the past week faced a legal setback to its action on immigration from seven countries. The issue was before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, likely en route to the Supreme Court.
February 09, 2017 -
Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform want unredacted revenue and expense reports from the Trump organization that were submitted to GSA.
February 08, 2017 -
Leaders of the bipartisan transparency caucus pledged to work together to restore public trust in open government, and to apply transparency standards evenly across the three branches of government.
February 02, 2017 -
Elements of it might have been controversial, but the Trump administration in its second week launched a slew of new initiatives.
February 02, 2017 -
Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work, the deputy Defense listed 16 separate functions that will be immune from the hiring freeze.
February 02, 2017