Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Complaint filed: Electronic Privacy Information Center v. Mullin (S.D. Cal.) — The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and three U.S. citizens filed a complaint in the Southern District of California against the Department of Homeland Security, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and other immigration enforcement officials, alleging that DHS maintains an unpublished "Protester Surveillance Policy" that collects and retains personally identifying information on Americans engaged in observation and protest of immigration enforcement. Plaintiffs claim DHS violated the Privacy Act and Administrative Procedure Act by rescinding prior policies limiting facial recognition and data collection, failing to publish required notices, and retaliating against the individual plaintiffs by revoking their Global Entry or TSA PreCheck status after they were photographed or identified during lawful observation of immigration agents. Plaintiffs seek vacatur of the surveillance policy, deletion of collected records, an injunction against further use of the information, and reinstatement of their Trusted Traveler status.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration admits clean energy grant cancellations were based on state voting patterns — Federal officials admitted in court filings that $7.5 billion in cuts to clean energy projects initiated under President Biden were "based solely" on whether states voted for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in 2024, contradicting the administration's public claim that cuts targeted waste. Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought had announced the cancellations as eliminating "Green New Scam funding," but a government lawyer told the court no cancellations were based on "programmatic, statutory, cost-reduction or performance-based factor." The administration funded grants for Trump-supporting states despite Energy Department recommendations for cancellation.

Supporting reports

• Twenty-five states and D.C. sued federal government over conditional disaster and homeland security funding — Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit in Rhode Island challenging FEMA and DHS conditions on billions of dollars in annual disaster relief and homeland security grants. The conditions require states to convert to paper ballots, conduct manual audits, reconcile voter registration lists, verify citizenship of all registered voters, assist DHS in immigration enforcement, and accept DHS authority to withdraw all grants at will. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha characterized the conditions as "unlawfully withholding billions in critical funding" to coerce election and immigration policy changes.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration requested $11.1 billion in supplemental agricultural assistance — Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told the Senate Appropriations Committee that supplemental farmer aid is meant to be a "springboard, not a new floor" for government support. The administration requested $11.1 billion in additional supplemental agricultural assistance, including $10 billion in temporary economic assistance for 2026 row crop and specialty crop producers and $1.1 billion for producers hit by catastrophic freeze losses. Combined with the estimated $44.3 billion in government payments already provided this year, total government support would reach $55.4 billion, or approximately $360 per U.S. taxpayer.

Supporting reports

• Undocumented immigrants lose work and income during ICE crackdown; DACA renewals cost $1,000 — During an ICE crackdown in Minneapolis, many undocumented single mothers were afraid to leave their homes and lost months of work, creating financial hardship for themselves and their children. Additionally, some immigrants authorized to work under DACA status are now being forced to pay upwards of $1,000 to renew their status. The enforcement actions and renewal costs are creating economic precarity for vulnerable populations.

Supporting reports

• Crypto investors donate $10 million to MAGA Inc. after Trump administration vacates enforcement action — Crypto investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and their crypto exchange Gemini donated over $10 million to MAGA Inc. The donations were made less than a month after the Trump administration moved to vacate a Biden-era enforcement action against the brothers' crypto exchange. The sequence suggests a potential quid pro quo between regulatory relief and political donations.

Supporting reports

• Senate rejects war powers resolution on Iran conflict — The US Senate rejected a war powers resolution proposed by Democrat Chris Van Hollen in a 47-49 vote, largely along party lines. This occurred the same day the House passed its own war powers resolution. The Senate's rejection contrasts with its June passage of a nearly identical resolution directing Trump to end the Iran conflict, which the Trump administration has refused to comply with.
• Senate declines to advance joint resolution to end Iran War hostilities — The Senate declined to advance Senate Joint Resolution 180, sponsored by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), which would have forced the president to end U.S. hostilities with Iran. The measure failed by a vote of 47 to 49, with four Republican senators not voting. Unlike the House concurrent resolution, a joint resolution is a law requiring presidential signature and is typically used for urgent matters such as declarations of war. Senators used the joint resolution mechanism because such resolutions are privileged in the Senate.

Supporting reports

• US appeals court rejects Trump administration bid to redetain Georgetown scholar Badar Khan Suri — The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration's attempt to redetain Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University arrested by ICE in March 2025 for pro-Palestinian social media speech. The 2-1 decision upheld a lower court's bail release and rejected the government's motion to move the case from Virginia to Texas, affirming that detained immigrants retain habeas corpus rights to challenge detention in federal court even during pending removal proceedings.

Supporting reports

• Two small American businesses file lawsuit challenging Trump administration tariffs under Section 301 — Liberty Justice Center, on behalf of spice importer Burlap and Barrel and watchmaker Collective Horology, filed suit against the Trump administration challenging new tariffs announced Thursday affecting over 80 countries. The plaintiffs argue Trump exceeded his authority under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, which permits tariffs only on goods made with forced labor. They contend the tariffs lack country-specific and practice-specific findings required by law and that the USTR failed to provide reasoned, record-based explanations. This marks the second major legal challenge by Liberty Justice Center after winning a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling earlier in 2026 against Trump's "liberation day" tariffs.
• Complaint filed: Burlap and Barrel, Inc. v. Greer (Ct. Intl. Trade) — On July 24, 2026, Burlap and Barrel, Inc., a New York spice importer, and Collective Horology, a California watch retailer, filed a putative class action complaint in the United States Court of International Trade challenging tariffs issued by the Office of the United States Trade Representative on July 23, 2026, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The tariffs, imposed on 60 economies "with the specific direction of the President" for alleged failure to enforce prohibitions on forced-labor goods, are alleged to exceed USTR authority, violate the Administrative Procedure Act, and breach the nondelegation doctrine. Plaintiffs seek class certification, declaration of unlawfulness, vacatur, an injunction against enforcement and collection, and refund of duties paid.

Supporting reports

• Federal panel declined to block Tennessee congressional map splitting Memphis — A three-judge federal panel declined to block Tennessee's new congressional district map that splits Memphis's majority-Black population into three separate districts. The panel, composed of two Trump appointees and one Obama appointee, expressed skepticism toward plaintiffs' claims that the map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting Black voting power. The map prompted Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen's retirement announcement. The decision follows the Supreme Court's April 2026 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais striking down Louisiana's second majority-Black district.

Supporting reports

• House Democrats received ICE briefing on excessive force complaints — House Homeland Security Committee Democrats received a closed-door briefing from ICE officials on excessive force complaints. ICE disclosed 56 complaints of excessive force against officers, with 32 cleared, one officer referred for possible disciplinary action, and the remainder under investigation. Rep. Seth Magaziner called the single referral out of 56 complaints "defying belief." Two fatal shootings occurred in the prior week in Maine and Houston; deaths in immigration enforcement encounters have risen since 2025 deportation surge began.

Supporting reports

• Trump orders Interior Department to display signs outside Smithsonian Museum of American History — President Trump issued an order directing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to coordinate with the National Park Service and White House domestic policy staff to install temporary signs outside the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The signs are to notify visitors that museum exhibits require renovation and direct them to alternative sources for American history information. A separate directive requires signs criticizing the museum's commemoration of the Declaration of Independence during its 250th anniversary. The order follows Trump's broader campaign against the Smithsonian, which he accuses of politicizing history by emphasizing American injustices rather than triumphant moments.
• Trump signs executive order directing federal agencies to install signage at Smithsonian's National Museum of American History warning visitors of alleged "ideological capture" and mandating exhibit corrections. — President Trump signed Executive Order 14416 on July 24, 2026, directing the Secretary of the Interior, OMB Director, GSA Administrator, and Domestic Policy Assistant to use all available authorities to "restore trust" in the Smithsonian Institution. The order mandates installation of temporary signage on National Park Service–maintained sidewalks and walkways warning visitors that Museum exhibits reflect "ideological capture" and directing them to alternative sources for "accurate" American history. The order also requires temporary exhibits or signage correcting what the administration deems inaccurate information, citing the Museum's alleged failure to honor the Declaration of Independence signers during the 250th anniversary year.
• Trump issues executive order directing federal agencies to "restore trust" in Smithsonian Institution and install signage criticizing its exhibits — President Trump issued Executive Order 14254 on July 24, 2026, directing the Secretary of the Interior, OMB Director, GSA Administrator, and Domestic Policy Assistant to use all available authorities to address findings in a Domestic Policy Council report alleging "ideological capture" at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The order mandates installation of temporary signage on National Park Service-maintained walkways warning visitors of alleged bias in museum exhibits and directing them to alternative historical resources. The order frames the Smithsonian's approach to American history as advancing "social justice" rather than presenting history as "shared national inheritance."
• Trump signed executive order directing federal agencies to install signage at Smithsonian museum warning of "ideological capture" — President Trump signed Executive Order 14416 on July 24, 2026, directing the Secretary of the Interior, OMB Director, GSA Administrator, and Domestic Policy Assistant to use all available authorities to "restore trust" in the Smithsonian Institution and its National Museum of American History. The order mandates installation of temporary signage on National Park Service-maintained walkways informing visitors of findings from a Domestic Policy Council report titled "Saving America's Story," which claims the museum presents American history as a tool for "social justice" rather than as "shared national inheritance." The order also directs installation of corrective exhibits or signage on NPS land.
• White House issued fact sheet promoting executive order on Smithsonian Institution governance — The White House published a fact sheet on July 24, 2026, describing an executive order signed by President Trump directing the Secretary of the Interior, OMB Director, GSA Administrator, and Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy to "restore trust" in the Smithsonian Institution. The order directs installation of temporary signage and exhibits correcting what the administration characterizes as "inaccurate information" in the National Museum of American History. The fact sheet claims the Smithsonian has been captured by "extreme political activism, rooted in Marxism" and asserts the order aims to restore "truth" to the nation's historical narrative.
• White House issues "What They Are Saying" compilation on Ratepayer Protection Pledge expansion — The White House published a compilation of statements from utility executives, state governors, federal officials, and industry groups endorsing an expansion of the administration's Ratepayer Protection Pledge announced at EPA Headquarters on July 24, 2026. The pledge commits signatories to ensure that data center and AI infrastructure costs do not increase electricity rates for existing residential and business customers. The document presents no new policy instrument but aggregates third-party endorsements of the pledge previously announced.

Supporting reports

• Trump defended subpoenaing family members of journalists — When asked whether it is appropriate to subpoena family members of journalists to obtain information, Trump stated he did not know what was appropriate and claimed that Barack Obama did it "all the time," asserting a double standard in how his actions are treated compared to his predecessor's.

Supporting reports

• House Appropriations Committee reports administration has not disclosed Iran War funding allocation — Representative Joe Morelle, top-ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, testified that the Trump administration has refused to provide Congress with an accounting of where Iran War funds are being spent. Morelle stated that Defense Secretary Hegseth appeared before the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee but could not or would not provide the required accounting. The administration is distributing war funding across three separate mechanisms—standard appropriations, budget reconciliation measures, and supplemental requests—without clear justification for the allocation.

Supporting reports

• ICE vehicle stop policy reversed by presidential statement — ICE had announced a suspension of most vehicle stops following a fatal shooting in Maine, implementing a policy requiring lights and sirens before approaching vehicles. However, the President issued a statement directing officers to continue stopping cars to check for immigrants, reversing the suspension the next day. The policy change was conveyed orally to officers and had not been reduced to written directive, creating operational inconsistency.

Supporting reports

• President imposes tariffs on 60 economies for forced labor import enforcement failures — The President issued a memorandum directing the U.S. Trade Representative to impose tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 on goods from 60 economies found to have failed to impose or effectively enforce prohibitions on forced-labor imports. Tariff rates range from 10 percent to 12.5 percent ad valorem, with product-specific exemptions and tariff-rate quotas for certain textile and apparel goods. The action follows investigations initiated March 12, 2026, and determinations made June 2, 2026, that the practices of each economy are unreasonable and burden U.S. commerce.
• Trump issued presidential memorandum imposing tariffs on 60 economies for forced labor enforcement failures — President Trump issued a presidential memorandum directing the U.S. Trade Representative to impose tariffs ranging from 10 to 12.5 percent ad valorem on goods from 60 economies, including major trading partners (Canada, Mexico, European Union, Japan, China, India), based on determinations that these economies fail to impose or effectively enforce prohibitions on forced-labor-produced imports. The memorandum follows a March 2026 section 301 investigation and June 2026 determinations of actionable practices. Tariffs include exemptions for specified products and tariff-rate quotas for certain textile and apparel goods from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia, to be established by September 1, 2026.
• Trump imposes new tariffs on 80+ countries citing forced labor — At 12:01 a.m. on July 24, Trump imposed tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on goods from more than 80 countries representing 99.4% of U.S. trade, claiming the countries produce goods using forced labor. The action invokes a different legal authority than the "Liberation Day" tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court in February 2026 and differs from tariffs imposed after that ruling. The time limit for imposing tariffs under the law used for the post-Supreme Court decision tariffs expired on July 24. Within hours, two small businesses sued in the U.S. Court of International Trade, alleging the new tariffs were designed to reinstate the unconstitutional tariff system.
• Trump imposes new tariffs on 60 countries — Trump imposed new tariffs of 10 to 12.5 percent on 60 countries, citing forced labor as the pretext. The bulletin does not specify which countries were targeted, the effective date of the tariffs, or the administration's justification for the specific rates.

Supporting reports

• US trade representative defends tariffs before Senate; Democrats challenge inflation claims — Jamieson Greer, US trade representative, testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, denying that Trump's tariffs have increased prices for American families despite inflation surging to a three-year high. Democratic senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Raphael Warnock, challenged Greer with estimates showing families paying an average of $1,700 more in tariff costs since Trump's return to office. Greer cited core inflation at 2.6% year-on-year but did not address overall inflation remaining higher than when Biden left office. The hearing occurred as a 10% tariff regime was set to expire Friday, with Trump officials indicating replacement with new duties.

Supporting reports

• Democratic lawmakers introduce Industrial Bank for American Manufacturing Act — Representatives Ro Khanna, Tom Suozzi, and Debbie Dingell introduced legislation to create a new federal bank funded by tariff revenue from China imports, capped at $15 billion annually. The bank would provide grants, loans, and equity investments to small and medium-sized manufacturers in de-industrialized regions. Khanna framed it as a "modern Marshall plan" to rebuild domestic manufacturing capacity in areas like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan that have suffered from industrial decline.

Supporting reports

• Pentagon establishes Economic Defense Unit to invest public funds in defense industries — The Trump administration established an "Economic Defense Unit" (EDU) at the Pentagon tasked with investing public money in defense industries. According to reporting by the New York Times in March, the Pentagon recruited Wall Street investment bankers to the team to manage up to $200 billion in government investment over three years. Recruiters offered prospective employees access to fund-raising channels including royal families and foreign sovereign contacts for their own future investment firms.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration takes ownership stakes in private companies for national security — The U.S. government under Trump has taken ownership shares of private companies deemed important to national security, including Intel and U.S. Steel. According to New York Times reporting in November 2025, the administration had committed more than $10 billion in taxpayer funds to favored businesses. The lack of transparency in this private-sector interference raised concerns about favoritism, corruption, and market distortion.

Supporting reports

• Pentagon allocates $58.5bn to AI research under former Uber executive oversight — The Trump administration's defense budget allocates $58.5bn to artificial intelligence research, overseen by Emil Michael, former Uber executive and head of the Pentagon's research and engineering division. Michael, while in his first months in office, reportedly made millions in profits—between 400% and 4,800%—on his personal investment in Elon Musk's xAI company, creating a potential conflict of interest between his Pentagon role and private financial interests in AI ventures.
• Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital allocates $20bn under private equity leadership — The Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital, functioning as a private equity arm of the Department of Defense, is allocated $20bn in the Trump budget. The office is presided over by a former employee of Cerberus Capital, the private equity firm formerly headed by Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg. Last year, the office committed $620m to a mining company backed by a fund tied to Trump's son Donald Jr., exemplifying the blending of private equity interests with defense spending.

Supporting reports

• Trump promotes "Trump accounts" investment program at Georgia rally — President Trump held a campaign rally at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, to promote newly funded "Trump accounts"—tax-free investment funds seeded with $1,000 federal contributions for children born through 2028. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attacked socialism and New York's mayor. Trump dismissed "affordability" as a Democratic talking point while attributing high prices to Biden's legacy. The program is projected to cost $17 billion through 2028. Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson pledged to match federal contributions if elected.

Supporting reports

• House approves $73bn budget for Iran war without Senate Democratic input — House Republicans approved a budget plan allocating $73 billion for the ongoing war with Iran on July 23, 2026, using reconciliation procedures to circumvent the Democratic filibuster in the Senate. The authorization falls short of the Pentagon's original $350 billion request needed to reach the administration's $1.5 trillion overall defense spending target for fiscal 2027. The move reflects Republican efforts to fund military operations without requiring bipartisan Senate approval.
• House passes $1.15tn defense bill with partisan voting and embedded voting restrictions — The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a $1.15 trillion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a 216-212 vote on July 23, 2026. The bill includes military pay raises, codifies renaming the Pentagon the "Department of War," and allocates funds for the ongoing war with Iran. Democrats largely opposed the measure, citing Trump's unilateral decision to attack Iran without congressional authorization, the inclusion of the Save America Act (banning mail-in ballots and imposing voter ID restrictions), and provisions deepening US-Israel defense cooperation. The bill now proceeds to the Senate.
• House passed National Defense Authorization Act with Section 219 — The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which includes Section 219, a controversial provision requiring the U.S. military to share sensitive technology with Israel. Six Democrats voted for the bill: Reps. Henry Cuellar (TX), Donald Davis (NC), Jared Golden (ME), Vicente Gonzalez (TX), Adam Gray (CA), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA). Seven Republicans voted against it: Reps. Josh Brecheen (OK), Tim Burchett (TN), Elijah Crane (AZ), Harriet Hageman (WY), Anna Paulina Luna (FL), Thomas Massie (KY), and Chip Roy (TX).
• Rep. Lauren Boebert missed NDAA vote citing Section 219 concerns — Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) told TMZ she missed the NDAA vote because she was waiting for a call from Secretary Hegseth and the vote was closed before she could participate. She stated she opposed Section 219 because her constituents do not want the military technology swap with Israel and said she was trying to avoid reporters due to recent Botox injections.
• Rep. Thomas Massie opposes NDAA Section 219 — Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) stated that Section 219 of the NDAA "tragically merges our military technology and supply chains with Israel's" and called it "a betrayal of our sovereignty," expressing hope the provision would fail in the Senate.
• House Republicans merge NDAA with voting restrictions (Save America Act) — House Republicans, bowing to pressure from rightwing lawmakers and Trump, merged the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with the Save America Act, legislation that would ban mail-in ballots and impose new voter identification requirements at registration and ballot-casting. Democrats objected to the $1.15tn NDAA cost and halted advancement of the Senate version in protest of renewed Iran hostilities, complicating the defense budget's Senate passage.
• House Republicans pass $95bn Iran war spending and voting restrictions before summer recess — House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, passed a $95bn budget blueprint for Iran war spending and a super-sized military budget (NDAA) merged with voting restrictions (the Save America Act) during their final week before summer recess. Four dissident Republicans joined Democrats to pass a symbolic war powers resolution mandating Trump withdraw troops from Iran. Senate Republican leader John Thune signaled he would place the budget on "hold" as leverage in funding negotiations, raising the likelihood the Iran spending question remains undecided until September.

Supporting reports

• Jes Staley testifies before House committee on Epstein ties — Former Barclays CEO Jes Staley appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform in a closed-door interview regarding his past relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Staley, who resigned from Barclays in 2021 after UK regulators found he had misrepresented the closeness of his ties to Epstein, was questioned as part of the committee's ongoing investigation into Epstein. A transcript of the interview is expected to be released later. Representative Robert Garcia stated that Staley claimed during the hearing to have had "no real friendship with Epstein," which Garcia dismissed as false.

Supporting reports

• US House passes war powers resolution directing Trump to end Iran conflict — The US House of Representatives passed a war powers resolution (214-208 vote) directing President Trump to withdraw military forces from the conflict with Iran. The resolution, proposed by Democrat Pramila Jayapal, passed with support from all Democrats and four Republicans (Tom Barrett, Warren Davidson, Thomas Massie, Brian Fitzpatrick). This follows an identical resolution passed in June that was also approved by the Senate. The Trump administration has argued war powers resolutions are unconstitutional and has not complied with the prior Senate-approved resolution.
• House passes concurrent resolution to end Iran War — The House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution to end the war in Iran by a vote of 214 to 208. Four Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Warren Davidson of Ohio, and Tom Barrett of Michigan—joined Democrats in support. A concurrent resolution expresses the sentiments of Congress but is not a law and does not require presidential signature. House members used the concurrent resolution mechanism because such resolutions are "privileged" and can bypass standard scheduling requirements.