Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Senate bill would expand ICE detention and enforcement capacity — The Senate reconciliation bill would provide ICE with $45 billion for detentions (on top of current $3.4 billion annual budget), $14.4 billion for transportation and removal (on top of current $750 million), and $8 billion for hiring through fiscal year 2029. Immigration experts warn this could make ICE the nation's largest jailer, with more detention funding than the entire federal Bureau of Prisons and more officers than the FBI.
• Senate allocates additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement — The Senate budget reconciliation bill includes an additional $45 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), significantly increasing its budget for detaining migrants. This funding is on top of the existing annual budget of $3.4 billion and includes provisions for new hires and retention.
• Budget reconciliation bill allocates $45 billion for migrant detention — The Republican budget reconciliation bill includes $45 billion for migrant detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over five years, more than thirteen times the current annual ICE detention budget of $3.4 billion. The bill also allocates $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, compared to the current annual budget of $750 million. Trump demanded passage by July 4 partly because the Department of Homeland Security has exhausted its budget.
• Reconciliation bill allocates $172 billion for immigration enforcement crackdown — Trump's reconciliation megabill includes $172 billion to finance a massive immigration crackdown, exceeding the annual military spending of every country except China. The funding includes $45 billion for ICE immigration jails (more than 13 times the current budget), $14.4 billion for ICE enforcement and removal actions, $8 billion for hiring and retention, and $50 billion for completing the southern border wall. The funding would give ICE a larger jail budget than the Federal Bureau of Prisons and enable hiring more agents than the FBI.
• Reconciliation bill includes $158 billion in new defense spending — Trump's reconciliation megabill includes $158 billion in new defense spending, including $25 billion to initiate the "Golden Dome," a space-based missile defense system that many experts believe will be ineffective and may ultimately cost as much as $500 billion. The bill also includes $29 billion for new ships, $23 billion for munitions, and $15 billion for nuclear weapons. Most funding will be funneled to military contractors. Combined with the Trump administration's budget request, total annual U.S. military spending will exceed $1 trillion.
• Senate passes Trump immigration enforcement spending bill with $170bn for ICE — The Senate passed Trump's spending bill on Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. The measure allocates approximately $170bn for immigration and border enforcement, including $45bn for detention centers (enabling 116,000 daily detentions), $46.6bn for border wall construction, and new fees on asylum applications ($100 plus $100 annually). The bill caps immigration judges at 800 despite millions of pending cases and would enable indefinite family detention, potentially violating the Flores settlement. Critics warn the spending will supercharge mass deportations and restrict humanitarian protections.
• Congress allocates $170.7 billion for immigration and border enforcement over four years — Legislation, referred to as Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," allocates $170.7 billion to immigration and border enforcement programs over the next four years. This represents a significant increase compared to ICE's current annual budget of approximately $8 billion, substantially expanding resources for mass deportation and immigration enforcement operations.
• Trump administration signs One Big Beautiful Bill Act allocating $6bn to US-Mexico border surveillance expansion — President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) into law on July 4, 2025, providing $165bn in additional funding to the Department of Homeland Security over four years, with more than $6bn earmarked for border surveillance technology. The funding supports biometric systems ($673m), surveillance towers ($140m), social media monitoring, license plate readers, and phone hacking capabilities. Private contractors including Palantir, Anduril, the GEO Group, Core Civic, and facial recognition firms stand to profit significantly from the expansion.
• Trump administration expands ICE funding and personnel by 50% to support mass deportation campaign — President Trump's megabill, enacted July 4, 2025, allocates an additional $76.5 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement over four years and authorizes hiring 10,000 additional ICE staff—a 50% personnel increase. White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller stated the administration aims for a minimum of 3,000 ICE arrests daily, targeting one million arrests annually. Currently, 71.1% of those in ICE detention have no criminal conviction. The expansion is intended to fulfill Trump's mass deportation campaign promise.
• One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law, funding ICE at military-scale budget levels — On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. The legislation, forced through Congress by Republicans, slashes social programs while allocating ICE funding at levels comparable to the U.S. Army budget. The act enables ICE to recruit new agents aggressively, offering $50,000 signing bonuses and student loan forgiveness, with the stated goal to "defend the homeland" and "flood the zone" with agents in sanctuary cities.

Supporting reports

• Reinvigorating America's Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241 — President Trump signed Executive Order 14260 on April 8, 2025, directing the Attorney General to identify all state and local laws, regulations, and causes of action burdening domestic energy development—particularly those addressing climate change, environmental justice, carbon emissions, or ESG initiatives—that the administration deems unconstitutional, preempted by federal law, or otherwise unenforceable. The order instructs the Attorney General to expeditiously stop enforcement of such laws and submit a report within 60 days recommending additional presidential or legislative action.
• Trump signed Executive Order 14260 directing Attorney General to identify and challenge state energy and climate laws as unconstitutional or preempted. — President Trump signed Executive Order 14262 on April 8, 2025, invoking emergency authority under the Federal Power Act to address electricity demand surge from AI data centers and manufacturing. The order directs the Secretary of Energy to streamline Department of Energy processes for issuing orders under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, develop a uniform reserve-margin methodology within 30 days, and establish protocols to identify and retain generation resources critical to system reliability. The order authorizes DOE to prevent generation resources exceeding 50 megawatts from leaving the bulk-power system or converting fuel sources if such conversion would reduce accredited generating capacity.
• Trump signed Executive Order 14262 directing DOE to streamline emergency authority for electric grid reliability and develop reserve-margin methodology to retain generation resources. — On April 8, 2025, President Trump signed a series of executive orders designed to permit and expand coal plant construction. The orders are cited in the climate petition as part of the broader pattern of federal fossil fuel promotion that the young activists argue violates international human rights obligations. The orders exemplify the Trump administration's pro-fossil fuel regulatory posture.
• Trump signs executive orders to expand coal plant construction — President Trump signed an executive order on April 8, 2025, directing the Secretary of Energy to streamline Department of Energy processes for issuing emergency orders under the Federal Power Act to maintain electric grid reliability during supply interruptions. The order requires the Secretary to develop a uniform methodology for analyzing reserve margins across all bulk power system regions within 30 days, establish protocols to identify critical generation resources, and prevent generation resources exceeding 50 megawatts from leaving the grid or converting fuel sources if doing so would reduce accredited capacity. The order invokes emergency authority under a prior national energy emergency declaration.
• Trump issued executive order directing energy secretary to streamline grid reliability protocols and prevent power plant retirements. — President Trump issued Executive Order "Protecting American Energy From State Overreach" on April 8, 2025, directing the Attorney General to identify and challenge state and local laws regulating energy production, with particular focus on climate-related policies. The order characterizes state climate regulations—citing New York's climate liability law, Vermont's emissions penalties, and California's carbon cap system—as unconstitutional or preempted by federal law. The Attorney General is instructed to take "expeditious" action to stop enforcement of identified state laws and report within 60 days on actions taken and recommendations for additional presidential or legislative measures.
• Trump issues executive order directing DOJ to challenge state energy regulations — President Trump signed an executive order on April 8, 2025, designating coal as a "mineral" under Executive Order 14241 and directing federal agencies to remove regulatory barriers to coal production, expedite coal leasing on federal lands, and promote coal exports and use in electricity generation and steel production. The order requires the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Energy to assess coal resources on federal lands within 60 days and instructs multiple agencies to identify and revise policies that discourage coal investment.
• Trump issues executive order to reinvigorate coal industry and amend mineral production directive — President Trump signed Executive Order 14260 on April 8, 2025, directing the Attorney General to identify all state and local laws, regulations, and policies that burden domestic energy development—particularly those addressing climate change, environmental justice, carbon emissions, or ESG initiatives—and to take action to stop their enforcement. The order characterizes such state laws as unconstitutional, preempted, or otherwise unenforceable, citing concerns about energy costs, national security, and federalism. The Attorney General must report within 60 days on actions taken and recommend additional presidential or legislative measures.
• Trump signed Executive Order 14260 directing the Attorney General to identify and challenge state energy regulations as unconstitutional or preempted federal law. — President Trump signed Executive Order 14262 on April 8, 2025, directing the Secretary of Energy to streamline Department of Energy processes for issuing orders under the Federal Power Act during grid emergencies, develop a methodology to identify regions with low reserve margins, and establish protocols to retain generation resources identified as critical to system reliability. The order states it aims to address electricity demand from AI data centers and manufacturing. Section 3(c) authorizes the Secretary to prevent generation resources over 50 megawatts from leaving the bulk-power system or converting fuel sources if such conversion would reduce accredited generating capacity.
• Trump signed Executive Order 14262 directing emergency streamlining of energy generation approvals and retention of coal and fossil fuel plants. — The White House published a fact sheet on April 8, 2025, describing an executive order signed by President Trump that day. The order directs the Secretary of Energy to streamline emergency processes under the Federal Power Act, develop a uniform methodology to analyze reserve margins across bulk power regions, and prevent critical generation resources from leaving the grid or converting fuel sources if doing so would reduce accredited generating capacity. The fact sheet frames the order as a response to rising electricity demand from AI data centers and manufacturing.
• White House issued fact sheet promoting executive order on electric grid reliability and security — The White House published a fact sheet on April 8, 2025, describing an executive order signed by President Trump directing the Attorney General to identify and challenge state laws and policies that burden domestic energy production. The order states it targets laws addressing climate change, environmental justice, carbon emissions, and carbon taxes. The fact sheet claims state policies in New York, Vermont, and California raise energy prices and disrupt supply. The Attorney General is directed to submit a report within 60 days detailing actions taken and recommendations.
• White House issued fact sheet promoting executive order on state energy regulation — The White House signed Executive Order 14261 on April 8, 2025, directing federal agencies to remove regulatory barriers to coal production, designate coal as a "mineral" under prior executive order, assess coal resources on federal lands, expedite coal leasing, lift mining barriers, identify and revise policies discouraging coal investment, promote coal exports, expand categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act for coal projects, and accelerate coal technology development. The order states coal is "essential to our national and economic security" and directs the Secretary of Interior to terminate the "Jewell Moratorium" on coal leasing.
• White House signed Executive Order 14261 to reinvigorate coal industry and amend Executive Order 14241 — President Trump issued Proclamation 10914 on April 8, 2025, exempting certain coal-fired electricity generation facilities from compliance with the EPA's May 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule revision for a two-year period (July 8, 2027–July 8, 2029). The proclamation invokes section 112(i)(4) of the Clean Air Act and asserts that required emissions-control technology does not exist in commercially viable form and that the exemption serves national security and energy security interests. The exemption delays compliance obligations, reverting affected sources to pre-2024 MATS standards during the exemption window.
• Trump proclamation exempts coal-fired power plants from EPA emissions standards for two years. — On April 8, 2025, Trump signed four executive orders aimed at reviving the coal industry. He used emergency authority to allow older coal-fired power plants scheduled for retirement to continue producing electricity, claiming this is needed to meet increased energy demands from datacenters, AI, and electric cars. The order "slashes unnecessary regulations that targeted the beautiful, clean coal." Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel and its usage has long been in decline.
• Trump signed four executive orders reviving coal industry — President Trump signed a proclamation on April 8, 2025, exempting certain coal-fired electricity generation facilities from compliance with the EPA's 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) amendments for a two-year period (July 8, 2027 to July 8, 2029). The proclamation asserts that the required emissions-control technologies do not exist in commercially viable form and claims the exemption is necessary for national security, grid reliability, and energy security. The exemption delays compliance obligations that would otherwise take effect in 2027.
• Trump issued proclamation exempting coal-fired power plants from EPA emissions standards for two years — The White House published a fact sheet on April 8, 2025, promoting an executive order signed by President Trump that day. The order directs agencies to designate coal as a "mineral" under prior executive authority, lift barriers to coal mining on federal lands, rescind policies favoring transition away from coal, and promote coal exports and use in steel production and AI data centers. The fact sheet claims the coal industry supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and adds tens of billions annually to the economy.
• White House issued fact sheet promoting executive order on coal industry — The White House published a fact sheet on April 8, 2025, describing a proclamation signed by President Trump granting two years of relief from the Biden-era Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule to certain coal-fired power plants. The fact sheet states the proclamation allows affected plants to comply with a less stringent version of the EPA standard, claims this prevents premature plant closures, and asserts the measure protects energy grid stability and national security. The document characterizes the Biden-era rule as imposing "unattainable compliance requirements" and "commercially unviable" emissions-control technologies.
• White House issues fact sheet on EPA coal plant emissions relief proclamation — Trump said that some law firms that agreed to provide pro bono services to the administration will be working with coal companies on "leasing and other things." He also bragged about the agreements with the firms, saying "they give me a lot of money considering they've done nothing wrong." Trump has targeted or threatened law firms that partnered with or represented his political enemies, claiming they have "weaponized" the legal system.
• Trump said law firms will work with coal companies — President Trump signed four executive orders on Tuesday aimed at reviving coal production and allowing older coal-fired power plants scheduled for retirement to continue operating. The orders direct federal agencies to end policies discriminating against coal, impose a moratorium on Biden-era climate protections for coal plants, promote coal as a "secure" energy source, and instruct the Justice Department to investigate state policies that disadvantage coal. The administration framed the move as addressing rising electricity demand from datacenters, AI, and electric vehicles, though environmental groups criticized it as economically backward.
• Trump signs four executive orders to revive coal industry and allow retirement-scheduled plants to remain operational