Afraid of negative press about his first 100 days in office, the Trump administration released a list of "historic accomplishments" that are anything but.
Donald Trump's first 100 days in office have been one failure after another. His major initiatives — like repealing Obamacare and instituting a travel ban on Muslims — have died in Congress or are being held up by the courts.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration sent reporters a release detailing "President Trump's 100 Days of Historic Accomplishments." They highlighted a "slew" of legislation Trump has signed, boasting that "President Trump has worked with Congress to pass more legislation in his first 100 days than any President since Truman."
But what are those laws? Why have we not seen banner headlines hailing their transformative effect on the country and the world, fulfilling his campaign promise to immediately "make America great again"?
Because, like everything else from the Trump team, the reality does not match the hype.
Since occupying the White House, Trump has signed 28 pieces of legislation into law. These bills are largely a combination of bureaucratic procedure, meaningless proclamations, and favors to polluters and top donors.
Trump's legislative docket in his first 100 days pales in comparison to his predecessors. He has nothing like President Obama's Recovery Act, passed within 30 days of inauguration, or President Franklin Roosevelt's initiatives to fight the Great Depression, which set the modern mold for the 100-days yardstick.
Here are the laws Trump wants "historic" credit for. Try not to laugh. Or cry.
- Allowing someone to serve as secretary of defense within seven years of leaving active military duty
- Clarifying some of the details of the General Accounting Office
- Nullifying a rule that required companies in the oil and natural gas industry to disclose bribes and payments to foreign governments
- Undoing a rule protecting streams from mining
- Overturning a rule implemented after the Virginia Tech massacre to prevent individuals with certain mental health conditions from buying guns
- Encouraging women to be entrepreneurs (not any programs or initiatives, just recognition)
- Encouraging women to be involved in space exploration (Trump has proposed cuts to NASA)
- Naming the "Abie Abraham VA Clinic" in Center Township, Pennsylvania
- Clarifying various bureaucratic details of NASA's operations
- Disapproving a rule regarding labor laws and the Department of Defense, NASA, and General Services Administration
- Disapproving a rule dealing with the Bureau of Land Management and land use
- Disapproving a rule regarding teacher preparation
- Disapproving a rule regarding Department of Education bureaucracy
- Encouraging the display of the flag in honor of National Vietnam War Veterans Day
- Disapproving a rule on drug testing for unemployment applicants
- Naming the "Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin VA Clinic" in Pago Pago, American Samoa
- Approving the location of a memorial to soldiers who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm
- Nullifying a rule preventing hunting of wolves, bears, and coyotes on wildlife refuges in Alaska
- Nullifying a Department of Labor rule on keeping records on injuries
- Detailing how to appoint board members for the Office of Compliance
- Allowing internet providers to collect private information from their customers and sell it
- Allowing states to defund Planned Parenthood
- Disapproving a Department of Labor rule on savings arrangements for non-governmental state employees
- Improving weather research for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Amending legislation dealing with veteran health care (a bill introduced and sponsored by Democrats, for which he took credit)
- Reappointing Steve Case as a citizen regent on the Board of Regents for the Smithsonian
- Appointing Michael Govan to the Smithsonian Board of Regents
- Appointing Roger W. Ferguson to the Smithsonian Board of Regents
That is it. That is the list of Trump's "historic accomplishments" in his first 100 days as president.
Trump's party has the White House, House, and Senate, and this is their legislative record. There are some good things interspersed with the bad, but they are not the type of accomplishments that go down in history — unless you are cataloging a history of ineffectiveness.
