Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump administration slashes CDC funding and eliminates public health programs — Under the Trump administration, the CDC has slashed billions in funding, shed hundreds of employees, and rolled back programs to help Americans quit smoking and prevent infant and maternal deaths, including support for monitoring sudden unexpected infant deaths. Funding for programs to prevent drowning, youth violence, and sexual assault is in limbo under DOGE review. Trump's proposed budget for next year would cut the CDC's budget from $9.1 billion to $4.2 billion. States and local officials report inability to access CDC expertise during health crises and inability to operate certain programs. Communities have felt the pinch of CDC cuts, scaling back vaccination efforts in Georgia and response to a lead hazard crisis in Milwaukee that resulted in school closures after children tested positive for lead.

Supporting reports

• Alleged denial of medical care and due process at Alligator Alcatraz — Luis Manuel Rivas Velásquez collapsed unconscious at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz detention facility in mid-August and was hospitalized with a respiratory infection. Guards were reportedly slow to respond; a Cuban nurse detainee provided CPR. His family and attorneys lost contact for an extended period, leading family to believe he had died. The facility has been criticized for harsh conditions by design, alleged abuse, and denial of due process to detainees awaiting deportation.
• ICE moves detainee without notice to family or attorneys — Luis Manuel Rivas Velásquez, a Venezuelan national detained at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz immigration facility, collapsed and was hospitalized with a respiratory infection in mid-August. After his family believed him dead due to communication blackout, ICE secretly transferred him to Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss, Texas, without notifying his lawyers or family. He was subsequently moved again to an ICE processing center in El Paso. His attorney characterizes the transfers as "enforced disappearance" and potential retaliation for denouncing detention conditions.

Supporting reports

• DOGE official placed Social Security database on unsecure server — A whistleblower identified as Social Security Administration chief data officer Charles Borges alleged that a former senior DOGE official copied a key Social Security database containing the names, birthdays, and Social Security numbers of more than 300 million Americans to an unsecure cloud server accessible to other former DOGE employees. Borges alleged the copy constitutes violations of laws, rules, and regulations, abuse of authority, gross mismanagement, and creation of a substantial and specific threat to public health and safety. As of late June, there were no verified audit or oversight mechanisms in place to oversee where DOGE was sharing the data or what it was using it for. The agency assessed that a breach would be "catastrophic" for Social Security beneficiaries, making them susceptible to identity theft and loss of benefits.

Supporting reports

• Mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis — A gunman identified as Robin Westman opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis during a mass, firing approximately 120 shots from three guns. Two children were killed: Fletcher Merkel, age 8, and Harper Moyski, age 10. At least 21 people were injured, the majority of them children. The suspect was found dead at the rear of the church with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police chief Brian O'Hara stated the suspect had "a deranged obsession with previous mass shooters" and acted "with the intention of causing as much terror, as much trauma, as much carnage as possible."
• Mass shooting at Minneapolis Catholic school kills two children, injures 17 — On the morning of August 28, 2025, a shooter identified as Robin Westman, 23, opened fire through the windows of Annunciation Catholic School's church during morning mass in Minneapolis. Two children aged 8 and 10 were killed; 14 other children aged 6–15 and three elderly adult parishioners were injured. Police said locked church doors prevented the shooter from entering, likely saving "countless lives." Westman was found dead behind the church. The FBI is investigating as domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.

Supporting reports

• FEMA implements mandatory email requirement for disaster aid applications — The Trump administration's FEMA agency has implemented a new rule requiring disaster victims to provide an email address to apply for federal emergency assistance. The policy eliminates email as optional and makes it mandatory, following a March executive order discontinuing federal paper-based payments. Current and former FEMA officials warn the change will create barriers for approximately 12% of Americans without internet access, elderly people, disabled individuals, and those in disaster zones where internet access is compromised. The requirement is compounded by concurrent FEMA cuts to door-to-door canvassing and field office closures.

Supporting reports

• US State Department halts medical visas for Gaza children following Laura Loomer campaign — The US State Department announced it would stop issuing temporary medical-humanitarian visas to children from Gaza requiring urgent medical care, following an online pressure campaign by far-right influencer Laura Loomer. Loomer shared videos of injured Palestinian children arriving in the US for treatment, falsely characterizing them as security threats and "Islamic invaders." The State Department stated it would conduct a "full and thorough review" of the visa process. The halt blocks access to medical evacuation for critically wounded children, including amputees needing prosthetics.
• State Department halts medical visas for injured Gaza children after far-right influencer pressure — The U.S. State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stopped issuing visitor visas for injured Palestinian children from Gaza seeking medical treatment in the United States. The decision followed complaints from far-right influencer Laura Loomer, who claimed the medical program represented a threat of "Islamic invasion." Heal Palestine, the aid group coordinating the program, stated the children return home after treatment and emphasized this is a medical program, not refugee resettlement. Republican members of Congress praised the visa suspension.

Supporting reports

• Congressional Budget Office reported reconciliation bill will trigger $491 billion in Medicare cuts — The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported that the budget reconciliation bill (OBBBA) adding $3.4 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade will trigger automatic cuts of up to $491 billion in Medicare from 2027 to 2034, in addition to cuts of almost $1 trillion to Medicaid over ten years. The 2010 Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act automatically triggers such cuts when the budget deficit increases as expected under the new law.

Supporting reports

• ICE raid at Los Angeles Home Depot results in death of fleeing immigrant — Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted a raid at a Home Depot in Monrovia, Los Angeles County on Thursday morning, targeting day laborers. During the operation, approximately 10 people were detained. One individual, fearing for his safety, fled the scene and was struck and killed by a vehicle on the nearby 210 freeway. Local city officials stated they received no advance communication from ICE about the raid. The incident occurred amid an intensified Trump administration immigration enforcement campaign.

Supporting reports

• Federal appeals court lifts block on Trump administration's mass firings at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — A federal appeals court ruled in a split 2-1 decision that a lower court lacked jurisdiction to block the Trump administration's attempt to fire approximately 1,500 of the CFPB's 1,700 employees. Trump appointees Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao voted in favor of the administration, while Obama appointee Cornelia Pillard dissented. The ruling does not take immediate effect, allowing workers and consumer groups to petition for full circuit court review. The CFPB has returned over $21 billion to consumers since its founding.

Supporting reports

• Court orders DHS to improve conditions at New York ICE detention facility — A federal court ordered the Trump administration to improve conditions inside an immigration holding facility in New York City after advocates filed a lawsuit on behalf of detainees. The lawsuit documented detainees being kept in unsanitary and overcrowded cells without access to basic necessities including hygiene products. The court order represents judicial intervention into conditions at facilities where thousands are being held under the administration's mass deportation campaign.

Supporting reports

• White House press secretary threatened unhoused people with fines or jail — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that unhoused people in DC will be given the "option" to leave their encampment and go to a homeless shelter for addiction or mental health services or be "susceptible to fines or jail time."
• White House announces enforcement of homelessness laws with threat of fines and jail time — Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that homeless people in Washington DC will be offered shelter and addiction/mental health services, but "if they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time" under "pre-existing laws that are already on the books" that "have not been enforced." This represents a shift toward criminalization of homelessness as part of the federal law enforcement surge, weaponizing existing statutes against vulnerable populations.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration law expands SNAP work requirements, cutting food stamps for 2.4 million people — The Trump administration's congressional agenda bill, signed into law in July 2025, expanded work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/food stamps). The law now requires parents of children ages 14 and older, adults ages 55–64, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster care youth to work, volunteer, or participate in job training at least 80 hours monthly to retain benefits. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 2.4 million fewer Americans will receive food stamps as a result, with the poorest households losing approximately $1,200 annually in projected income while the highest earners gain $13,600.

Supporting reports

• Democracy Forward Foundation sued DOJ and FBI for Epstein files FOIA response — Democracy Forward Foundation filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday, August 8, against the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation, seeking to compel release of Epstein investigation files and all administration communications regarding those files and President Trump's inclusion in them, as required under the Freedom of Information Act. The organization had submitted FOIA requests on July 28 requesting expedited processing but received no response. Judge Tanya Chutkan was assigned to the case.
• Democracy Forward sues DOJ and FBI for Epstein records under FOIA — The advocacy group Democracy Forward filed a federal lawsuit in Washington DC on Friday seeking records from the Department of Justice and FBI detailing their handling of the sex-trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The group submitted FOIA requests in late July for communications about Epstein documents and any correspondence between Epstein and Trump, which have not been fulfilled. The DOJ has previously stated it would not release additional documents from the case, citing criminal investigation protections.

Supporting reports

• Trump executive order instructs states to criminalize homelessness and involuntary institutionalization — Donald Trump issued an executive order directing states and municipalities to crack down on unhoused people, public substance use, camping, loitering, and mental health crises in public spaces, with vague language permitting involuntary institutionalization in "long-term institutional settings." The order eliminates housing-first policies, requires sharing of health data with law enforcement, defunds harm-reduction programs, and threatens to restrict federal funding to jurisdictions that do not comply. Experts warn the broad language could criminalize millions and strip due-process protections.

Supporting reports

• Former corrections officer reports inhumane conditions at Everglades detention facility — A former corrections officer for a private contractor working at the detention center in the Florida Everglades, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," reported that detainees have no sunlight, no clocks, no knowledge of the time of day, no access to showers (showering only every four days or less frequently), and backed-up bathrooms due to overcrowding. Florida is running the facility in expectation of federal reimbursement. Immigration advocate Aaron Reichlin-Melnick noted that unlike the federal government, Florida "can be sued for civil rights violations and punished with monetary damages."

Supporting reports

• Trump administration ends temporary immigration protections for Haitian nationals — The Trump administration moved to end temporary immigration protections for Haitian nationals, despite an ongoing security crisis in Haiti. The action has created fear among the Haitian population in Florida, with many afraid to access food assistance and other services due to deportation threats. The policy disproportionately affects vulnerable populations already facing economic hardship.

Supporting reports

• Senator Jon Ossoff investigation documented medical neglect in ICE detention — An investigation by Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) identified 85 credible reports of medical neglect among ICE detainees between January 20 and August 5, 2025. The incidents included a heart attack after days of untreated chest pain, complications from untreated diabetes, and denial of necessary medications and associated complications. The investigation predates the October 3, 2025 payment halt but documents a pattern of medical neglect that the article indicates has "almost certainly become much worse" following the cessation of third-party provider payments.
• Senator Ossoff's office releases report documenting 510 credible human rights abuses at ICE detention facilities — Senator Jon Ossoff's office released a report documenting 510 credible cases of human rights abuses at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers since Trump's January 2025 inauguration. Alleged abuses include deaths in custody, physical and sexual abuse, mistreatment of pregnant women and children, inadequate medical care, overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, denial of legal access, and child separation. The report accuses the Department of Homeland Security of obstructing congressional oversight and limiting access to detention sites. DHS denied the allegations.

Supporting reports

• HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced cuts to mRNA vaccine development contracts — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Trump administration is cutting $500 million worth of contracts for developing mRNA vaccines, which were used to rapidly develop COVID-19 vaccines. A former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority warned that the move "puts every American at greater risk."
• HHS terminates 22 federal mRNA vaccine contracts worth $500 million — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced the termination of 22 federal contracts for mRNA-based vaccine development, affecting nearly $500 million in funding. The decision includes cancellation of Moderna's bird flu vaccine contract and rejection of proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, and others. Kennedy claimed the vaccines "fail to protect effectively" against respiratory infections, without providing scientific evidence. The move comes as COVID-19 cases are rising and children prepare to return to school.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cancels $500 million in mRNA vaccine development awards — Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled at least $500 million worth of awards and contracts to develop mRNA vaccines. The canceled programs included vaccines addressing COVID-19 and those being explored for protection against HIV transmission and cancer.
• HHS Secretary RFK Jr. terminated mRNA vaccine development funding — HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that BARDA (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority) is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments. Kennedy stated that the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. Trump's former Surgeon General Jerome Adams responded that the move will cost lives, noting that mRNA technology has applications beyond vaccines and that the mRNA vaccine developed in record time is credited with saving millions of lives.
• HHS announces coordinated wind-down of federally funded mRNA vaccine development — The Department of Health and Human Services, under Secretary RFK Jr., announced a "coordinated wind-down" of federally funded mRNA vaccine development. The action includes terminating awards and contracts with pharmaceutical companies and universities, and canceling 22 investment projects worth nearly $500 million. While officially limited to mRNA vaccines for upper respiratory illness, cancer researchers expressed concern that the funding cancellation and resulting chilling effect will derail mRNA cancer vaccine development, despite cancer research not being formally targeted.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration proposes rule to ban VA abortions for veterans except when mother's life endangered — The Trump administration proposed new regulations that would prohibit Department of Veterans Affairs doctors from performing abortions or counseling female veterans about abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. The rule includes a narrow exception only when a physician certifies the mother's life is endangered. The proposal generated nearly 20,000 public comments. VA Secretary Doug Collins, a staunch abortion opponent, characterized the Biden-era policy allowing limited VA abortions as "politically motivated." The comment period runs through September 3, 2025.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration files to block abortion services at VA hospitals — The Trump administration filed a notice in the Federal Register seeking to roll back a Biden-era policy that permitted the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide abortion counseling and procedures to veterans in cases of rape, incest, or health threats. The administration argues the policy is "legally questionable" and misaligned with congressional restrictions on federal abortion funding. The filing would restrict VA abortion access while preserving care for miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and life-threatening pregnancies. Public comment period extends to early September.

Supporting reports

• Sixteen states sue Trump administration over transgender youth healthcare restrictions — Sixteen Democratic-led states, led by California, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Connecticut, filed a lawsuit challenging Trump administration actions that restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The suit targets a January executive order describing puberty blockers and hormone therapy as "chemical and surgical mutilation," threatening federal funding withdrawal from hospitals providing such care, and suggesting DOJ criminal investigations of providers. The complaint also challenges a June memo directing DOJ to prioritize investigations of doctors and clinics offering gender-affirming care.

Supporting reports

• Department of Justice charges healthcare workers with assaulting federal agents — In August 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice charged two staff members at Ontario Advanced Surgical Center in San Bernardino County, California—Jesus Ortega and Danielle Nadine Davila—with assaulting and interfering with ICE officers. The charges stem from a July 8 incident when ICE agents pursued an immigrant inside the facility. Staff members attempted to protect the man and remove agents from the building by locking doors and blocking vehicles. Defense counsel argues the charges are baseless, with video evidence contradicting the government's claim that Davila struck an agent. Trial is scheduled for October 6, 2025.

Supporting reports

• Trump issues executive order declaring crime emergency in Washington DC — In August 2025, Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington DC, despite the Department of Justice reporting that violent crime in the district was at a 30-year low. Within a month, more than 2,300 national guard troops from eight states and the district were deployed to patrol under the army secretary's command, with hundreds of federal agents also deployed to assist them.
• Trump administration deploys National Guard to clear Washington DC homeless camps — In August 2025, the Trump administration sent the National Guard into Washington DC, in part to clear homeless encampments as part of a broader crackdown on visible homelessness. Local reports indicate unhoused people are being moved around rather than housed, at an estimated cost of $1 million per day, with no tracking of outcomes.
• Trump declares public safety emergency in Washington DC and deploys National Guard — Trump held a press conference flanked by cabinet members to declare a "public safety emergency" in Washington DC, despite data showing violent crime in the capital was at a 30-year low. He placed DC police under temporary federal control and deployed 800 National Guard troops to the city, contradicting factual crime statistics.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act cuts $1 trillion from Medicaid, threatening rural hospital closures — The Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) cut more than $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade, affecting 71 million low-income and disabled Americans. Rural hospitals face an estimated $87 billion loss, with analyses projecting 338 rural hospital closures. The Democratic National Committee erected billboards near four struggling rural hospitals in Missouri, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Montana to highlight the cuts. Republicans added a $50 billion rural health transformation fund expected to cover only one-third of rural losses, which Democrats argue functions as a political slush fund.

Supporting reports

• Department of Government Efficiency uses AI tool to create federal regulation "delete list" — The Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), formerly led by Elon Musk, is using an artificial intelligence tool called the "Doge AI Deregulation Decision Tool" to analyze 200,000 federal regulations and identify those for elimination. Internal documents obtained by the Washington Post show the tool has already been deployed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to review over 1,000 regulatory sections and by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to draft deregulations. Doge claims 100,000 regulations can be eliminated, with a goal of cutting 50% of all federal regulations by the first anniversary of Trump's second inauguration.
• DOGE staff use AI to eliminate half of government regulations — Staff associated with the "Department of Government Efficiency" are using artificial intelligence to eliminate half of the government's regulations by January 2026. James Burnham, former chief attorney for DOGE, described this as a "creative deployment of artificial intelligence to advance the president's regulatory agenda" as a strategy to make significant progress during Trump's term.