The opening weeks of President Trump’s second term have been notable for the blizzard of Executive Orders (EOs) he has signed. The EOs deal with a host of issues across the policy spectrum, including border security, education, energy, free speech, religious liberty, the sanctity of life, and much more.
These EOs were developed by a team of conservative, constitutional law scholars and experts the president consulted in the months leading up to the November 2024 presidential election. In the event he won a second term, his goal was to move swiftly in issuing orders that had already been subjected to rigorous review.
Not surprisingly, the hostile media and progressive Left are outraged. Powerful liberal interests are planning lawsuits. Part of their strategy is to “shop” for left-wing judges they can count on to strike down EOs by claiming presidential overreach. Very likely, this could take months or even years to play out. However, President Trump and his team are confident that the overwhelming majority of orders will survive, even if they must go to the Supreme Court.
We are particularly grateful and have high hopes for President Trump’s actions to promote faith, family, and freedom and protect innocent human lives. Here are just a few examples:
- - The president has reiterated that federal taxpayer dollars cannot be used “to fund or promote” abortion.1 Immediately, the Department of Defense stopped funding travel for service members who were procuring abortions. Biden’s Defense Department had been financing the abortion trips.
- - Trump reinstated the ban on our tax dollars going to any organization or program that promotes or participates in abortion internationally.
- - He signed an order for “ending radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling.”2 This order includes ending federal funding for the promotion of LGBTQ gender ideology and critical race theory, a Marxist-based philosophy.
- - The commander in chief directed all federal agencies and departments to advance school choice (tuition tax credits and vouchers), giving families more educational options for their children. This order is particularly important because it asserts that “parents, not the government, play a fundamental role in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children” (emphasis added).3 Just last week, the White House held a symposium promoting school choice options.
- There is also reason to celebrate the steps that the Trump-Vance team has taken to protect the rights of the American people from infringement by international organizations.
An EO that has not received the attention it deserves is one of the first issued by President Trump – withdrawing the United States from the controversial World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO pushed disastrous COVID-era policies that harmed our economy, education system, and public health. In addition, the WHO supports abortion, LGBTQ ideology, and graphic sex education for young children.
JDFI board member Michele Bachmann has been a Paul Revere in warning about a WHO “treaty” the Biden administration was negotiating that would have jeopardized our right to direct our own health care. Trump ordered an end to those negotiations and declared that we will not be bound by any concessions the Biden administration made to the WHO.
All these bold actions—from impacting educational reform to the sanctity of life—are tremendously encouraging to millions of Americans who have felt that our country has been moving in the wrong direction. This battle is just beginning, however.
JDFI will continue to represent you in the Washington, D. C. halls of government to defend faith, family, and freedom.
1. The White House, “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Enforces Overwhelmingly Popular Demand to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Abortion,” January 25, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-enforces-overwhelmingly-popular-demand-to-stop-taxpayer-funding-of-abortion/
2. President Donald J. Trump, Executive Order 14190: “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” January 25, 2025, Federal Register, Volume 90, Issue 21, https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2025-02-03/2025-02232
3. The White House, “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Expands Educational Opportunities for American Families,” January 30, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-expands-educational-opportunities-for-american-families/
