Project 2025 Implementation: Executive Orders 16 - 20

These executive orders are further demonstration of the Trump Administration's positions on climate, immigration, and national security. Climate change poses a global existential threat, and immigration is vital to our nation's identity, culture, and economy. Trump clearly does not agree with either of those statements and his executive orders are designed to benefit a very small class of Americans at the expense of the rest of us.

EO#16: Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements - This order announces our withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords, a global treaty intended to limit the impacts of global warming and adapt to climate change. It will still be one year before we are officially out of the agreement. We will join Iran, Libya, and Yemen as the only countries who are not members of the accord.

• p709 "Virtually all nations, for example, that signed the Paris Agreement have not met their treaty obligations. Such routinely violated treaties weaken the U.S. economy with no offsetting societal benefits. To that end, the next conservative Administration should withdraw the U.S. from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement."
  
  The US is the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, and our total emissions since the 19th century is the highest of any other nation. Despite the challenges we face, mitigating climate change by reducing our use of fossil fuels requires more than commitment. Across the world, we are not doing enough. It is true that most nations are not on track to meet the goals they set to limit global warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't continue to try. Fossil Fuels are killing our planet, and will greatly impact the future of our children and grandchildren. Trump doesn't want to pivot away from fossil fuels because he cares more about money and profit than he does the health and wellbeing of future generations.

EO#17: Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program - This order suspends the United States Refugee Admissions Program, halting decisions on refugee applications. It also states that refugees must be able to assimilate completely, but also that no taxpayer dollars will be spent on programs which have previously aided in the assimilation of refugees such as English language assistance and employment training. The Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is to issue a report within 90 days of the EO and every 90 days thereafter to determine if resumption of the program would be "in the interest of the United States".

• pg 178 "The federal government’s obligation to shift national security–essential screening and vetting resources to the forged border crisis will necessitate an indefinite curtailment of the number of USRAP refugee admissions."
  
  The US Refugee Resettlement Program was created in 1980 and prioritized women, children, and elderly people at risk in their home countries. More refugees were admitted under Reagan than any other president; it was a remarkably bipartisan program. Resettled refugees contribute to local economies and according to the Center for Global Development, reducing the number of refugees and asylum seekers in the US will have an adverse effect on our economy.

EO#18: Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety - This order instructs the Attorney General to seek the death penalty in all applicable cases, including murder of a cop and any capital offense by an undocumented immigrant. It also advises that she look into the 37 murderers whose federal death sentences were commuted by Biden to ensure their living conditions are consistent with their crimes, and that she seek to have the Supreme Court overturn previous decisions which placed limitations on capital punishment. 

• pg554 "The next conservative Administration should therefore do everything possible to obtain finality for the 44 prisoners currently on federal death row. It should also pursue the death penalty for applicable crimes—particularly heinous crimes involving violence and sexual abuse of children—until Congress says otherwise through legislation."
  
  At least 200 people have been exonerated after being convicted and sentenced to death since 1973. Liberty and justice for all, right?

EO#19: Securing Our Borders - This order calls for  physical barriers along the southern border, increases to border personnel, expansion of detention facilities, remain in Mexico policies, ceasing use of the app immigrants can use to schedule appointments and apply for entry to the country, termination of parole programs, and implementation of DNA and ID requirements to verify familial relationships between immigrants. 

• pg 147 "Mandatory appropriation for border wall system infrastructure. The monies appropriated would be used to fund the construction of additional border wall systems, technology, and personnel in strategic locations in accordance with the Border Security Improvement Plan (BSIP)."
• pg 143 "Congress should mandate and fund additional bed space for alien detainees. ICE should be funded for a significant increase in detention space, raising the daily available number of beds to 100,000."
• pg 151 "Recommence negotiations with Mexico to fully implement the Remain in Mexico Protocols"
  
  This executive order, among other things, hinders the legal immigration process. We don't want immigrants to enter our country illegally, so we take steps to curtail the legal immigration process. It goes to show that it's not about "coming the right way", but about xenophobia and racism towards brown people coming to America for a better life. 

EO#20: Application of Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act to TikTok - This order instructs the Attorney General to allow 75 days for a solution surrounding TikTok before enforcing the ban. 

• Project 2025 actually says repeatedly that TikTok should be banned. On page 789 it says "Ban all Chinese social media apps such as TikTok and WeChat, which pose significant national security risks and expose American consumers to data and identity theft." This is the first executive order I've researched so far which not only isn't directly aligned with project 2025, but in direct opposition. 
  
  To give credit where it's due - clearly Project 2025 isn't Trump's sole agenda. However, up to this point, 90% of the executive orders I've researched align directly with Project 2025. So far, only 2 of 20 are not specific actions dictated by the conservative guidebook.