H.R.2611: _ Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Boundary Modification Act _ What It Will Do: This act amends the borders of the historic site named in its title to add seven residences in the high school’s neighborhood, a total of 1.7 acres of land. Officials are instructed to enter into agreements with the residences’ owners to limit alterations to their exteriors without government approval and to allocate resources to research, mark, improve, and restore them, all to better preserve the history of an area that played a key role in American civil rights history. Who It Will Affect: This is a simple tweak that helps honor civil rights history; it seems to be uncontroversial and to have bipartisan support .

Presidential Proclamation 117: _ [Proclaiming] January 15, 2018, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday _ What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty, this proclamation commemorates Martin Luther King, Jr.’s contributions to the civil rights movement in American, and this year marks the 50-year anniversary of his assassination. Trump’s text acknowledges that King’s work reminds us that America can easily slip into injustice, against which we must endeavor to fight. It further claims that his administration is fighting for equality, through economic development, which will bring jobs and prosperity to marginalized communities. It also calls for Americans to not just mark the say with commemorations of King, but with acts of community service. Who It Will Affect: Americans across the nation marked King’s birthday with the usual acts of service and remembrance , just as Trump’s order suggests. However many also used the day to point out Trump’s hypocrisy , having spent a good chunk of the day on a golf course rather than in community service as his predecessors have since the 1990s. It’s also a convenient time for Trump critics to highlight the latest in a series of accusations of racism against the president.

Presidential Proclamation 118: _ [Proclaiming] January 16, 2018, as Religious Freedom Day _ What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty, this proclamation commemorates the passage of a Virginia law on this day in 1786 that became the basis for the First Amendment of the US Constitution, guaranteeing citizens the freedom to profess and practice their religious beliefs as they see fit. Trump’s text argues that America often falls far short of guaranteeing religious freedom and makes oblique reference to a number of Christian conservative pet court cases. He points to a few of the rather weak pro-religious freedom actions he took in 2017 as proof that he is devoted to the evangelical conservative vision of that concept, involving the right to deny or limit services to others based on religious views. Who It Will Affect: Most Americans will mark this day with events devoted to religious tolerance , as they have in the past. But Trump is clearly attempting to use this routine duty as a sop to the religious conservative base that supported him so devoutly in the 2016 presidential election.

S.139: FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017 What It Will Do: After September 11, 2001 , the federal government established a sweeping surveillance program within the older structure of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Known as Section 702 , this provision allows the National Intelligence Agency and the Department of Justice to monitor the communications of non-Americans outside of the country without a warrant from a FISA court. Authorization for this program ran out at the end of 2017, and was continued in stopgap form for several weeks, until Congress could pass this bill, which reauthorizes it through 2023. It also makes several technical amendments , like one that limits the FBI’s ability to access FISA surveillance databases in ongoing cases. There has long been a concern that Section 702 can be used to unmask and monitor American citizens communicating with foreign entities or who are mentioned in foreign communications, despite the fact that this program is not meant to target them. The pro-privacy tweaks made by this bill come with all manner of complex caveats , which anti-surveillance advocates worry will render them ineffective. Who It Will Affect: This was a contentious bill and a rare example of support not falling along partisan lines. Pro-security state Democrats and most Republicans favored it, as did the White House and the intelligence community. But libertarian-leaning Republicans and most Democrats, as well as privacy activists nationwide, worried that this bill still leaves enough room for the program to be used to surveil American citizens.

Presidential Proclamation 119: [Proclaiming] January 22, 2018, As National Sanctity of Human Life Day What It Will Do: An annual presidential tradition dating back to 1984 , although Bill Clinton and Barack Obama did not observe it, this proclamation ostensibly reaffirms America’s commitment to fighting the dehumanization of certain classes of people based on race, ability, or similar categories. However it is primarily concerned with asserting the executive branch’s commitment to protecting unborn children. To wit, it’s a reaffirmation of Trump’s pro-life, anti-abortion credentials, gussied up with text about protecting mothers, the elder, and the disabled. Who It Will Affect: As always, pro-life groups will mark this day with commemorations for aborted fetuses and other anti-abortion events. These groups will be happy to see the White House making this day as well. But it’ll piss off the pro-choice camp, as it usually does.

H.R.2228: Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 What It Will Do: This law instructs the attorney general and secretaries of the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to prepare a report for Congress on mental health practices and services in their departments that might be good models for federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. It instructs the Office of Community Oriented Policing to update a 2015 report on case studies of how programs designed to improve law officers’ health and wellbeing and report to Congress on this matter. It makes it possible for existing programs offering grants to state and local police forces to offer them for mental health and wellness pilot programs. The attorney general is also instructed to develop education materials with the Department of Health and Human Services to inform mental health providers about law enforcement culture and the special needs of and special therapies proven to work best for officers. Additionally, the attorney general is instructed to identify effective examples of law enforcement-focused crisis hotlines nationwide and recommend to Congress whether it should create a new such hotline or how it can support existing help lines. He is also instructed to review the efficacy of annual mental health checks for law enforcement officers and consult law enforcement officers on their mental health and wellness needs. Who It Will Affect: This measure was developed with input from police organizations and broad bipartisan support. While some in society may have their problems with cops, few would argue that we should not attempt to ensure the mental wellness of those given great force and power over our lives, or that this job comes with unique mental stresses .

H.R.2331: _ Connected Government Act _ What It Will Do: This act recognizes that many federal websites are hard to navigate or load, especially on the small screens of cell phones, which Americans increasingly use to look at the internet, especially during natural disasters . (According to one recent study, only 59 percent of federal websites are mobile friendly and only 36 percent load quickly on mobile phones.) It requires that 18 months after this act passes, all new federal websites, or revamps of existing websites, must be mobile friendly. In three years, the Office of Management and Budget and General Services Administration are instructed to prepare a report on the implementation of this law’s requirements to that point. Who It Will Affect: This is a commonsense public engagement and good governance measure that will, in theory, make it easier for citizens to access federal information and tools.

H.R.518: _ EPS Improvement Act of 2017 _ What It Will Do: This bill lifts conservation and energy usage restrictions on certain electrical equipment used to power certain types of lights and ceiling fans. Who It Will Affect: This is a narrow carveout on a narrow sliver of environmental protection and waste prevention legislation, similar to a November 2 law lifting some conservation restrictions on life-saving security systems. It will be appreciated by a few actors in the energy and hardware fields, but relatively inconsequential to the majority of the country.

H.R.954: To Remove the Use Restrictions on Certain Land Transferred to Rockingham County, Virginia, and for Other Purposes What It Will Do: In 1989, the federal government deeded about three acres land it owned to Virginia’s Rockingham County. In 1990, Congress passed a law allowing the Plains Area Day Care Center to be built on that land. However the law was narrow enough that several federal land usage restrictions remained on the land, limiting the center’s ability to secure loans for improvements to its facilities. This bill removes those restrictions on the land the center sits on, but not the full acreage granted to the county, to allow the center to continue its work. Who It Will Affect: This is a simple technical fix that benefits one daycare center and the people who use it.

H.R.863: _ To Facilitate the Addition of Park Administration at the Coltsville National Historical Park, and for Other Purposes _ What It Will Do: In December 2014 , Congress approved the creation of a national historical park on the site of Sam Colt’s 19th-century firearms manufacturing facilities in Hartford, Connecticut, to recognize a chapter in American industrial history. However the private company developing many of Colt’s old properties and the National Parks Service later agreed that the building chosen for the administrative and visitor center for the park wasn’t a good fit. This bill modifies the park’s creation to reflect the change of that center to another building.

H.R.2142: _ INTERDICT Act _ What It Will Do: This bill offers $9 million in new funding to US Customs and Border Protection to stock up on chemical screening devices used to detect fentanyl and other synthetic opioids at border checkpoints and mail facilities. Who It Will Affect: Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are incredibly powerful substances highly implicated in the increasing mortality of the opioid crisis in America. They are mostly produced abroad and come into the US through the mail system or across border checkpoints. This is a bipartisan measure to reduce the flow of a proven dangerous substance into the United States. However, many may still see it as a far cry from the level of action Trump promised to take against the opioid crisis in America during his presidential campaign.

This order recognizes that reality. It then calls on the secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs to address this service gap. They are tasked with developing a plan within 60 days to improve veterans’ access to support services in the first year after their service. One-hundred eighty days after that, they are to draft a report on the implementation of their plan, its efficacy in reducing veteran suicide rates, further reforms needed, and a timeline for full implementation. No funds are provided for this effort, which will be financed using existing department budgets. Who It Will Affect: Since this order only calls for the development of some kind of plan, it’s hard to say what effect it will have. However, officials have floated a number of ideas already, like increasing the number of relevant facilities, extending post-deployment access to a service providing face-to-face reintegration counseling and a 24-hour helpline, developing tools to help service members begin their transitions back to civilian life while they’re still in uniform, and reducing the barriers to access to services for recent veterans. Hopefully , these tweaks will bring suicide prevention services to all of the 265,000 individuals transitioning out of military service every year.

Executive Order 57: Supporting Our Veterans During Their Transition from Uniformed Service to Civilian Life What It Will Do: Due to the challenges of transitioning back to civilian life after service, veterans in America are particularly at risk for suicide . According to recent Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, about 20 vets end their lives every day. The risk of suicide is up to two times higher in the first year of a veteran’s transition back to civilian life. Yet as of now, only 40 percent of veterans qualify for relevant support services, and must prove that their problems resulted from their service in order to receive any sort of help.

H.R.381: _ To Designate a Mountain in the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra National Forest as “Sky Point” _ What It Will Do: This bill recognizes the service and memory of US Marine Corps Staff Sargent Sky Mote, who died in 2012 while protecting fellow service members from an attack by a rogue Afghan police officer at a military base in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. It does this by naming a previously unnamed peak in the Humphrey Basin at which he and his family used to camp after him. Who It Will Affect: This will be a welcome gesture to those who knew and cared for Sky Mote, especially those who visited this peak with him.

H.R.699: _ Mount Hood Cooper Spur Land Exchange Clarification Act _ What It Will Do: In 2009, Congress enacted a major land management bill that set acres of forest around Oregon’s Mount Hood up for a land swap agreement that would turn it into protected wilderness. However the details of that land swap got tied up in messy litigation for years—it’s all a bit esoteric and highly local to Oregon. A deal was finally reached to allow 100 acres of forest on one slope of the mountain to be developed and 700 acres to be preserved as wilderness. This act just clarifies and codifies the parameters of that deal. Who It Will Affect: Those eager to see wilderness around Mount Hood protected will be happy to see a long administrative and legal slog finally put to bed.

Presidential Memorandum 91: Supporting Broadband Tower Facilities in Rural America on Federal Properties Managed by the Department of the Interior What It Will Do: This action is a corollary to Executive Order 56. (See above.) It instructs the secretary of the Interior to develop a plan to make it easier for broadband developers to access federal facilities managed by his department. Within 180 days, he is to report to the president on his progress. Who It Will Affect: Basically the same as for Executive Order 56. It’s a tiny move to address a huge issue. And it’s disappointing, both for tech development wonks and those living in under-connected rural areas, considering all the other actions Trump could have taken on this issue

Executive Order 56: Streamlining and Expediting Requests to Locate Broadband Facilities in Rural America What It Will Do: This order acknowledges the importance of affordable and reliable broadband to success in the modern economy, and the chronic lack of access to said resources in rural America. ( As of 2016 , the federal government estimated that 39 percent of rural Americans lacked high-speed internet, versus 4 percent of urban Americans.) To address this massive and chronic issue, this order just commits the Trump administration to following provisions of a 2012 law that mandated the federal government draw up standard forms for broadband companies to apply to put wireless facilities on federal properties. Trump’s main innovation here is requiring officials to evaluate the efficacy of the current forms and, within 180 days, identify any revisions that could be made to them. Officials are instructed to see how many form applications were approved, why rejected forms were rejected, and monitor the time from an application to a decision to see if any other reforms are merited. Who It Will Affect: Even the White House acknowledged that this was an incremental step toward a larger policy, which will probably require serious federal funding. ( Estimates place the cost of improving rural broadband access at $80 billion.) It does nothing to address the lack of incentives to develop rural broadband, or the lack of competition in rural marketplaces. At best, it’s a minor band aid that could help projects in the works a bit.

Presidential Memorandum 93: Delegation of Responsibilities under the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016 What It Will Do: Under Section 301 of the act named in this action’s title, the president’s office is tasked with identifying non-state actors across the world engaged in egregious violations of religious freedoms and then putting them in an annual report. In this action, Trump just offloads this upcoming duty from his office onto the secretary of State. Who It Will Affect: This is just another instance of Trump shirking the nuts and bolts duties of his office. It’s not surprising by now.

This memorandum gives the Director of National Intelligence 30 days to develop a policy that will shift the standards for how every element of the intelligence community processes requests from federal, state, and local officials to unmask citizens’ information. It is expected to significantly tighten standards, making it harder to uncover names linked to intel reports. Who It Will Affect: Depending on the policy enacted in a month’s time, this could be frustrating for officials trying to figure out how important or meaningful any given piece of intel may be. However, it will increase the privacy and information security of citizens. The fact that Trump is asking for this after his tizzy last year, though, will prompt suspicion about his motives.

Presidential Memorandum 92: _ For the Director of National Intelligence _ What It Will Do: To protect citizens’ privacy , intelligence reports circulated to government officials usually redact their names. These names can be “unmasked” if an official makes the case that it is necessary for them to understand the value of any given intelligence report. Trump notoriously cried fall about this process last year, saying reports that the Obama administration requested to unmask some of his associates in a report proved he’d been “wiretapped.”

H.R.1306: Western Oregon Tribal Fairness Act What It Will Do: This bill grants 18,519 acres of land in Oregon to the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians and 14,742 acres to the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians. These tribes were not recognized by the government until the 1980s; this act finally gives them control over sovereign territory. It also restores sovereignty over forest management to the Coquille Tribe on their lands, which was not granted to them when they received their sovereign territory in 1996. The secretary of the Interior is instructed to firm up the boundaries of and terms of federal access rights to these lands in the coming months. Who It Will Affect: This is a monumental development for three tribal groups, and may have some effect on facilities operating on these lands before this status change.

H.R.1927: _ African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2017 _ What It Will Do: This act recognizes the importance of the African American civil rights movement and those who made sacrifices for it. It authorizes the National Park Service to create a US Civil Rights Network, tying together relevant operations within the Service, that will be tasked with coordinating and facilitating projects to commemorate the history of that movement. The Network will operate for seven years, tending to relevant events and historical sites and developing and disseminating new educational materials on the issue. Who It Will Affect: Those interested in preserving the history of this vital chapter in American history will appreciate this gesture , although it remains to be seen what the network will do.

H.R.560: To Amend the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Improvement Act to Provide Access to Certain Vehicles Serving Residents of Municipalities Adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and for Other Purposes What It Will Do: About 30 years ago , Pennsylvania gave a portion of a state highway passing through the area mentioned in this bill’s title to the National Parks Service. It subjected the road to a ban on commercial traffic on National Parks–operated roads, which would have caused potential trouble for adjacent towns and for businesses operating in the area. At the time, and for years since, waivers were issued for certain forms of commercial transit on this road. Those waivers lapsed in 2015. This act restores them until September 30, 2021, at which point they will need restoring again. Who It Will Affect: This will make life easier for businesses and towns in and around the recreation area in question, but will have no wider effect.

H.R.1242: _ 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act _ What It Will Do: This bill commemorates the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans in the English colonies in Virginia in 1619. It creates a 15-member commission, composed of government officials, members of civic societies, and historians, to be appointed within 120 days. The commission will plan, develop, and carry out activities recognizing and highlighting African-American history since that point in time, and it will be authorized to provide grants of up to $20,000 to support related activities at all levels. The commission is unfunded, but will be authorized to raise money for its activities. (Estimates place its projected expenses at about $6 million .) Who It Will Affect: This is a bipartisan measure, and a routine act of recognition, on par with Commissions created to highlight English heritage in America in light of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia.

S.1532: _ No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act _ What It Will Do: This bill mandates that anyone who uses a commercial motor vehicle in committing a felony related to human trafficking should be disqualified from holding a commercial vehicle license. Who It Will Affect: This bill is an effort to keep bad actors from re-abusing America’s road systems for trafficking purposes, so it plays to law and order types as well as those who have supported a host of anti-trafficking measures passed in recent years.

S.1766: _ SAFER Act of 2017 _ What It Will Do: In 2013 , Congress passed a previous version of this act allocating funds to help process the tens of thousands of backlogged rape kits sitting in evidence lockers nationwide. This bill reauthorizes that program until 2023. It also ensures that pediatric nurse practitioners can receive training in sexual assault examinations. Who It Will Affect: This bill mostly maintains a status quo—which clearly is not good enough, given America’s continuing massive rape kit processing backlog .

H.R.267: _ Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act of 2017 _ What It Will Do: In 1992, the federal government recognized several sites associated with the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., as a collective national historic site. This bill adds one building , the former headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that King co-founded, and upgrades the collective site to national park status—the first such entity in Georgia. Who It Will Affect: This is a welcome gesture of recognition to efforts to preserve and elevate the history of the civil rights movement and the memory of King and those involved in them .

When the commission made sweeping requests for voter data in June, the vast majority of states balked, and some joined civil rights organizations to file lawsuits alleging federal overreach. In July, the commission published emails from its critics without redacting the sensitive personal information of individual citizens, sparking another round of backlash. In November , one of the few Democrats who agreed to participate on the commission concluded that it was not as constructive and apolitical an exercise as he’d hoped and that he was being frozen out of its communications; he filed a lawsuit and in December a judge found grounds in it to compel the commission to hand over more information to its own member. Also in the fall , the Government Accountability Office launched an investigation into the commission’s funding, internal operations, and handling of sensitive voter information.

Executive Order 55: Termination of Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity What It Will Do: On May 11 , Trump established the commission named in this order’s title ostensibly to enhance voter confidence in American election systems and find ways to deter fraudulent voter registration or voting. But from the beginning, many observers noted it seemed to be more intent on substantiating Trump’s claims that millions of people voted illegally against him in 2016, costing him the popular vote. Multiple studies have found that such voter fraud is extremely rare and Trump has offered no evidence to back his assertions. It was also seen as a potential vehicle for the promotion of nationwide voter restriction measures that would likely disproportionately disenfranchise poor and minority voters.

S.1393: _ Jobs for Our Heroes Act _ What It Will Do: This bill makes it easier for veterans to obtain commercial driver’s licenses to get work in the transit industry. It does this by widening the scope of people at Veterans Affairs facilities authorized to give them a required medical examination and allowing them to count their time spent driving vehicles in the Armed Services towards their commercial vehicle driver’s test. Who It Will Affect: The commercial transit industry is in the middle of a huge driver shortage , projected to be 50,000 people this year and to reach 174,000 by 2026 under current trends. It has long eyed veterans as a potential source of competent drivers.

Executive Order 54: On Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay What It Will Do: Earlier this year , Trump set pay raises for federal employees in 2018 at levels slightly below what they would have automatically received under current law. However, he noted that his order would not take effect if Congress decided to set a different rate. Legislators didn’t act on this issue, so this is Trump enacting his rate changes for 2018. Who It Will Affect: Most federal groups believe Trump is exercising unnecessary austerity, while conservatives think he’s not going far enough in equalizing federal and private sector compensation rates. Trump may reduce pay increases further next year , exacerbating these debates.

Presidential Proclamation 115: To Take Certain Actions under the African Growth and Opportunity Act and for Other Purposes What It Will Do: This proclamation maintains the status quo on a number of trade deal provisions, like one providing duty-free access to US markets for Israeli agricultural products that’s been in place since 2004 but needs annual reauthorizations. It also makes minor tweaks to a number of provisions of several trade deals. Most significantly, it reverses Obama-era decisions to deny Gambia and Swaziland duty-free trade access to American markets under the act named in the proclamation’s title. That access is contingent on maintaining or improving political freedoms and human rights standards. Obama decided that those two nations were not living up to their obligations, but Trump seems to feel they’re making progress. Who It Will Affect: This decision will make ramifications for some exporters in a number of nations. But most significantly it will be a major boon to industries in the two African nations. Critics of these nations’ governments may question whether they really have made enough progress on political access and human rights to warrant this reversal, however.

Presidential Proclamation 116: [Proclaiming] January 2018 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month What It Will Do: This is an annual presidential duty that calls on Americans to acknowledge the continued existence and prevalence of human trafficking—some 25 million individuals are currently bonded into forced sexual or physical labor in brothels, factories, homes, and on farms and vessels worldwide—and recommit government to eradicating the practice. Some 7,500 cases of trafficking were reported in America in 2016, an increase of 2,000 cases over the previous year; this plays into Trump’s (overblown) rhetoric about a wave of crime plaguing the nation. It has also been a priority on his daughter and adviser Ivanka’s agenda . Trump uses most of his text to applaud his administration’s work on this issue, and notes he will be signing two bills related to combating trafficking on America’s road systems later this month. Who It Will Affect: Organizations dedicated to ending human trafficking will appreciate this recognition of the issue, and mark the month with educational and awareness-raising events nationwide. However, some will likely take the opportunity to note that Trump’s draconian stances on immigration seem to be making it harder for trafficking victims to come forward for fear that they will not be able to secure protective visas and may ultimately be deported.

This order disbands the commission after only two meetings (in July and September) and before it could yield any findings. In related statements, the administration has blamed the deluge of non-compliance and lawsuits and stated that it will pass on the task of investigating voter fraud to the Department of Homeland Security. Who It Will Affect: Commission members on both sides of the aisle were reportedly blindsided by this decision ; just last week reports emerged that it would hold its third meeting in January. Democrats and voting rights activists have been celebrating this move. However voter restriction supporters point out that the Department of Homeland Security may be able to move faster than the commission, and with fewer potential barriers. Trump also continues to insist, baselessly, that voter fraud is a rampant problem and that America needs a national voter identification law. So this is a mixed result for both sides of the voter fraud and access debate.

However, as Congress approached a December 22 deadline to re-fund the government or face a federal shutdown, dealmakers needed a legislative vehicle that’d already passed through both chambers to insert new funding language and pass it as quickly as possible. So they stripped this bill of its original language and turned it into a bill that funds the government at current levels until January 19. The bill also appropriates extra funds for a number of health programs that Congress never got around to reauthorizing this year through the end of March, including the Children’s Health Insurance Program. But it does not resolve any of these programs’ ultimate fates. And it appropriates substantial funds for new ballistic missile acquisitions, defense projects, and relevant research and development in the military. Who It Will Affect: This bill mostly keeps the government afloat for a couple more weeks. However it’s just queuing up another major funding showdown soon after Congress returns from its holiday recess. Legislators are taking serious flack for failing to resolve the fate of CHIP and other healthcare programs.

H.R.1370: An Act to Amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to Issue Department of Homeland Security-wide Guidance and Develop Training Programs as Part of the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, and for Other Purposes What It Will Do: This bill was originally the “Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act of 2017,” which codified a longstanding Department of Homeland Security initiative coordinating efforts at reducing human trafficking. It also called for the development of guidelines and training on how to identify traffickers and their victims, get assistance for victims, and collect and share records on suspected or convicted offenders and their current modes of operation. And it appropriated $819,000 for these efforts and required a report to Congress on its status within 18 months.

S.Con.Res.31: A Concurrent Resolution Authorizing the Use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a Ceremony to Award the Congressional Gold Medal to Bob Dole What It Will Do: On September 14 , legislation was enacted officially conferring the Congressional Gold Medal upon Bob Dole.This action just permits a ceremony awarding that medal to be held in the Capitol Rotunda on January 17, 2018.

Executive Order 53: Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption What It Will Do: This is the first utilization of the Global Magnitsky Act, signed into law about a year ago, which allows the president to impose financial and visa sanctions on foreigners suspected of or proven to have perpetrated human rights violations or acts of corruption. Trump here lists 13 individuals, with the Treasury Department listing another 39, who will now have their financial or property assets moving through America frozen and face new limits in their ability to do business with Americans or American institutions or to travel to the US. The two lists cover people from a Balkan arms dealer to a Pakistani surgeon to a Guatemalan congressman to former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. They also notably target a general involved in Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing of its Rohingya Muslim minority, a Chinese security officer implicated in the death of a human rights activist, and several Russians in or affiliated with that country’s government. The sanctions went into effect the day the order was signed. Who It Will Affect: Directly, this order just covers the 52 individuals. But it also sends signals about how the sweeping sanctions powers of the Global Magnitsky Act could be used during the Trump administration. It sends limited signs as well that the US will continue to exert some pressure on the standard human rights abuser states. However, the sanction of one officer has already irked China. Threats of retaliation may limit how widely Trump decides to use these powers.

Republicans seem to hope that the tax relief they do offer in the immediate future will benefit them politically, overcoming the intense unpopularity of the tax bill and the rushed, partisan process by which it was created. But both the political and the practical, human-level consequences of this hugely consequential piece of legislation remain unclear.

Who It Will Affect: Starting next year, the majority of Americans will receive some tax relief , while rates will rise only for some people and usually not the most vulnerable. However this relief will be marginal for most Americans, and benefits will accrue mostly to the wealthiest individuals. Once the individual tax provisions of this bill run out, taxes could start going up for many Americans. Republicans seem to be banking on future Congresses re-passing those provisions, though—and possibly cutting other programs, like welfare, to do so—in a bid to avoid inflicting pain on middle-class taxpayers. The bill also changes the way inflation is calculated for tax brackets, shifting to a slower calculation, which may degrade the value of tax cuts and increased deductions over time, even if they are renewed.

However, in this proclamation, Trump issues a waiver that allows the SBA to delay issuing a report on potential impacts until after the trade negotiations have concluded. The idea is that the report will still be available for members of Congress before they vote on any final trade deal. Who It Will Affect: This is a strange move from an administration that supposedly wants to renegotiate NAFTA to benefit small American businesses and workers. Small firms in America are spooked about the uncertainties of trade with neighboring nations that a NAFTA renegotiation represents, and many would like to have more of a voice in the renegotiation process. Delaying this report robs them of one vital avenue for input and increases that uncertainty. A delay may make it easier for the administration to negotiate quickly and on its own logic and terms. But it may undercut some of the supposed rationales underpinning the Trump trade agenda.

Presidential Proclamation 113: Delaying Submission of the Small Business Administration Report under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 What It Will Do: On May 18 , Trump announced his intentions to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by March 2018. In late June, the Small Business Administration (SBA) started convening a working group to analyze the potential impacts of this move on small businesses in America, and to feel out small business priorities and concerns for the trade deal, as per the provisions of the act mentioned in this proclamation’s title. This was the first time such a group had been assembled under this law, and would have been a major step in incorporating small business voices into major trade negotiations. The working group was expected to issue a report on small business priorities and concerns around this time of year.

Presidential Memorandum 90: On Reinvigorating America’s Human Space Exploration Program What It Will Do: This document amends Obama-era space exploration policies to stress the current administration’s desire to restart manned missions to the moon in the near future, and thereafter to Mars. Trump’s policy stresses cooperation with emerging private space exploration firms for projects advancing raw exploration and seeking to utilize resources in space. Who It Will Affect: Space industry and policy experts support this sentiment . But it’s nothing terribly new. Trump made his interest in the pomp of space exploration and moon landings as a symbol of American greatness apparent back in June , when he re-launched the National Space Council. And this document provides absolutely zero details on how and when the Trump administration would revive manned missions to the moon, or expand them to Mars. So this is mostly a symbolic gesture reinforcing existing, known sentiments within the administration.

H.R.4374: _ To Amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to Authorize Additional Emergency Uses for Medical Products to Reduce Deaths and Severity of Injuries Caused by Agents of War, and for Other Purposes _ What It Will Do: The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 contains language that would allow the Department of Defense to unilaterally sign off on medical devices, drugs, and products not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in military emergencies or expected emergencies—war zones, in other words. This language was reportedly spurred by frustrations in the rollout of freeze-dried plasma, which many consider uniquely life-saving in combat scenarios, but which has been highly restricted for a decade. Health officials, however, protested that the language in that bill was too strong and essentially would allow the Pentagon to sign off on anything it liked with no FDA approval, putting soldiers at an increased risk of medical harm. So this bill repeals that bill’s language on the matter and replaces it with more restrained language, allowing the Pentagon to request the expedited review and approval of products it can show are relevant to a military emergency and outlining steps the FDA can take to speed the process up. Who It Will Affect: This legislation maintains the integrity of the FDA, likely saving the lives of soldiers who could have been exposed to unsafe materials by an overeager military looking to help them but acting outside of its expertise. However it should also satisfy those in the military frustrated with the pace and process of the FDA.

H.R.2810: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 What It Will Do: This is a massive piece of legislation, well over 1,000 pages long, which ultimately does something fairly simple: It funds the Pentagon, America’s armed services, and the nuclear systems within the Department of Energy for the next fiscal year. Ultimately it authorizes $692 billion towards these ends, $632 billion for basic defense spending, and $60 billion for the Overseas Contingency Operations fund, which is used for war operations like the fight against ISIS. Most of the text digs into the technical minutiae about how these funds should be used. It contains a number of minor provisions, only a few of which have wide significance—like the decision to ban military usage of software from Russian cyber security firm Kaspersky Labs . The firm has come under accusations of operating as a backdoor for the Russian government. This provision is one of several highlighting Congressional concerns with Russian activities, which the Trump administration does not seem to wholeheartedly share. Who It Will Affect: This measure not only keeps America’s military and other defense apparatuses functioning, it expands them. What’s more, it does so more than Trump had called for in his 2018 budget, and with substantial bipartisan support. That support was the result of decisions to block the addition of controversial amendments to this bill, which could have turned it into a problematic lightning rod. The bill did elicit minor pushback from fiscal conservatives who worry about the fact that it exceeds budget caps by $83 billion, a sign to them of unbridled spending; they also worry that the Overseas Contingency Fund is being used inappropriately, as a slush fund to get around these caps. However this was, overall, a straightforward spending measure, perhaps a signal that, to get something done, Republicans may want to move on simple spending measures for the rest of the government by year’s end, avoiding controversial fights tacked onto them.

Presidential Proclamation 114: [Proclaiming] December 17, 2017, as Wright Brothers Day What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty dating to 1963, this proclamation commemorates the day the Wright brothers’ biplane first lifted off at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, ushering in the age of aviation in the United States. Trump’s text gives a brief overview of the last 114 years of aeronautic innovation in the US and notes that the spirit of the Wright brothers is at the heart of the American narrative. Who It Will Affect: As in years past, aviation and relevant historical societies will mark this day with commemorations nationwide.

H.R.288: Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Consolidation Act of 2017 What It Will Do: A number of federal agencies provide diverse grants to Native American communities nationwide to enhance their education, skills training, and job placement. But the diverse sources of support often lead to bureaucratic issues sorting people into the right programs or getting them set up across multiple initiatives. This law allows Native American communities to pool different federal programs together into consolidated, centralized employment and training programs at the tribal level to streamline their services. Who It Will Affect: This may make it easier for members of Native American communities to find the support they need to find employment and financial security. It has received support from a number of communities.

S. 371: Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017, Improvements Act What It Will Do: This is a mostly technocratic adjustment to an earlier bill setting policy and spending priorities for the State Department. It mostly loops the appropriations committees of the Senate and House into oversight provisions in the bill, and makes a few legalese tweaks. Who It Will Affect: Few folks outside of State functionaries and relevant committee members.

Executive Order 52: On a Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals What It Will Do: This order was seemingly timed to the release, a day prior, of the United States Geological Survey’s first comprehensive report since 1973 on 23 minerals critical to tech, military, and other operations in the US. It found that for all but two of those minerals, at least 50 percent of the American supply is dependent on foreign exporters, with 20 minerals highly tied up in trade with China. Trump’s order instructs the Department of Defense to publish a list of key minerals of concern within 60 days. Within 180 days, six federal agencies are tasked with submitting a report to the president laying out strategies for reducing reliance on these minerals, increasing domestic recycling and reprocessing of them, and decreasing permitting process burdens for potential mine operators, among other things. Who It Will Affect: This order will excite domestic mineral extraction firms, eager to see more support for their operations and protections against international competition. However it’s unclear how Trump will boost domestic production, considering that it is low because importing many of these minerals from the countries we do is much cheaper. China meanwhile may take this as another attack on Sino-American trade relations; it remains to be seen how it will process this highly speculative order. And Democrats and environmental organizations will likely respond with fear and apprehension, as this order may serve as a smokescreen for Trump to justify further ripping into environmental regulations on national security grounds.

S.1266: Enhancing Veteran Care Act What It Will Do: This bill authorizes officials in charge of medical facility networks within the Department of Veterans Affairs to contract nonprofit third-party organizations that accredit other healthcare organizations and programs in America to investigate their facilities. The hope is that these reports will turn up deficiencies or failures that internal reviews might not. Who It Will Affect: This is a basic and bipartisan bit of good governance, aiming to provide external oversight to an institution that has very publicly failed to live up to its potential or to adequately police itself in the recent past. Hopefully it will help to root out failures and abuses , ultimately improving medical care for veterans across the nation.

Given the tense geopolitical situation, the Jerusalem Embassy Act has never been enacted. Even presidents who have voiced support for the move, like Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, have repeatedly used a clause in the Act allowing them to delay the move past 1999 for six months with no repercussions to avoid the risks associated with the potential shift. Trump quietly used this waiver authority on June 1, despite his campaign promises to move the embassy.

Presidential Proclamation 111: Recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel and Relocating the United States Embassy to Israel to Jerusalem What It Will Do: In 1995 Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act , seeking to force the president to move America’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by 1999; if this was not done, the building budget for the State Department would automatically be chopped in half. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital and keeps its state institutions there, although its control of the eastern half of the city, seized during a conflict in 1967, is highly contested and Palestine claims eastern Jerusalem as its own capital. As such, while some nations recognize Western Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, few have acknowledged the nation’s overall claim and many keep their diplomatic services in Tel Aviv, forcing officials to regularly commute to Jerusalem, to avoid the perception of implicitly supporting Israel’s claim to the whole city .

Presidential Proclamation 112: [Proclaiming] December 7, 2017, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty, this proclamation honors those who lost their lives or were injured in the December 7, 1941, attack on a military instillation in Oahu, Hawaii, by Japan. It also honors those who served in the war. Who It Will Affect: Veterans groups and historical organizations across the country will mark this day with commemorations and informative events, as they always do.

H.J.Res.123: Making Further Continuing Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2017, and for Other Purposes What It Will Do: This resolution averted a government shutdown on December 8, when a previous short-term funding deal brokered in early September was set to expire. It continues the previous funding levels for the government—but only through December 22. On that date, Congress is expected to hash out another short-term deal, funding the government through mid-January, when officials hope to strike a long-term deal for the rest of 2017. This resolution also makes provisions for officials to shuffle around existing funding between now and December 31 to keep Children’s Health Insurance Programs afloat in states where they were about to collapse . However, this is not a long-term solution, and CHIP (along with a number of other programs and issues) will need to be addressed at the end of this year, or early next year. Who It Will Affect: This bill doesn’t do much but avert disaster and bitter debate for two weeks. All of the disputes and crises we covered a few weeks ago still remain in place. We could see two major funding battles over the next month; a shutdown is entirely possible.

Executive Order 51: Revising the Seal for the National Credit Union Administration What It Will Do: This order approves (and describes) the design of a new seal proposed by the National Credit Union Administration board for that agency. It also revokes an executive order from 1971 that described and approved the outgoing seal for the administration. Who It Will Affect: Whoever decided the NCUA needed a new seal will appreciate this. It’s unclear that it has any greater impact than on agency self-perception, and maybe on seal wonks.

However, some observers suspect that it may now be subject to increased grazing or other forms of resource extraction that may risk the integrity of historical sites and significant landscapes. Local conservatives will argue this benefits regional economies without significantly impacting anything of real scientific or cultural value. However, it’s unclear at this point whether, or to what extent, released lands will be exploited.

Presidential Proclamation 110: Modifying the Bears Ears National Monument What It Will Do: In December 2016, Obama used his authorities under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to declare the creation of the 1.35-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, largely as a response to requests from regional Native American leaders for better protections for major cultural and historical sites on its grounds. In this proclamation, Trump points out that the Antiquities Act requires that the president protect only the smallest amount of land absolutely needed to protect a unique cultural or scientific site. His administration, he says, has determined that the monument actually covers many sites that are not unique or that have other forms of protection. So he here unilaterally reduces the size of the monument by 1,150,860 acres, or 85 percent of its current size, paring it down to two sites, including the Bears Ears buttes themselves. This is the largest-ever reduction of a national monument and, with the provisions in Presidential Proclamation 109 , the first modification of a monument in over half a century. Who It Will Affect: Trump made his animus toward Bears Ears clear almost from its inception. He construes many monuments as federal overreaches that limit local control over their lands. He shares this view with many conservative Western lawmakers, who have applauded this action. So there’s not a whole lot to change physically, on the ground, with regards to its management.

Presidential Memorandum 88: Delegation of Authority Under Sections 506(a)(2)(A) and 652 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 What It Will Do: Under the provision listed in this action’s title, the president is responsible for deciding when to draw down the allocation of resources for government and military education and training programs abroad, and then to direct that drawdown. Here, Trump abdicates that duty to the Secretary of State, directing him to make determinations and actions on $22 million in United States educational and training activities operating in Iraq at the moment. Who It Will Affect: This is just the umpteenth instance of Trump shirking some of his more technical and hands-on duties to his cabinet. The actual implications of this action for US operations in Iraq remain to be seen.

Presidential Memorandum 89: Suspension of Limitations under the Jerusalem Embassy Act What It Will Do: This memorandum is just Trump continuing that delayed implementation of the act. However, on the same day he signed this, he issued Presidential Proclamation 111 (above), in which he made it clear that he intends to move the embassy eventually. Just not right now. Maybe in another six months. Who It Will Affect: This action maintains the status quo with respect to America’s diplomatic presence in Israel. But this was completely undermined by the above proclamation.

In this proclamation, though, Trump declares that he will relocate the embassy. This action does not actually initiate that move; Presidential Memorandum 111 (see below), signed at the same time, issues another six-month waiver. This just makes Trump’s intentions, which he calls a recognition of the de fact reality of Israel’s control of the city and governance from it, clear. Who It Will Affect: This proclamation has no effect on the location of America’s embassy in Israel. But it is a loud signal , meant to appease Trump’s counterparts in Israel and appeal to his evangelical conservative base. Some have argued that this will destabilize any attempts at negotiating peace between Israel and Palestine, as it implicitly concedes a key bargaining chip to the Israel while giving nothing to Palestine and seems to show US impartiality. Really, there is actually no serious US-led peace process at work to destabilize. Still this sudden concession bucked warnings not just from many of Trump’s advisors, but from a number of America’s Arab and Muslim allies around the world, who see the legitimization of Israeli control of Jerusalem as a serious affront, if not a red line. It’s also led to massive protests in Palestine and across the Arab and Muslim worlds, which have led to crackdowns and injuries, and rebukes from a number of our Western allies. But not even everyone in Israel or among the US evangelical population is happy with this decision, for its threat to stability and goodwill in a peace process. And it’s not clear that this is one of the promises his base really cares if he keeps. So this is actually a huge global risk that could lead to violence in many nations and damage our international standing for minor domestic gains.

H.R.3243: FITARA Enhancement Act of 2017 What It Will Do: In 2014 , Congress enacted legislation that created a dashboard system within the Office of Management and Budget to make federal information technology investments more transparent. That legislation also created a system for regular reviews of the government’s IT portfolio and initiated a consolidation effort in federal data centers. However, the legislation put a sunset date on all of these initiatives. This legislation eliminates those sunset dates for all but data center consolidation efforts, making them permanent—and on that latter initiative, it extends the sunset date from 2018 to 2020. Who It Will Affect: This legislation passed with unanimous support. No one’s going to oppose the good governance measure of transparency and clear review processes.

H.R.3949: VALOR Act What It Will Do: Although the government encourages businesses to in developing apprenticeship programs to help veterans find employment or transition back into the workforce, some companies have found it difficult because they have to register their program with authorities in every state they operate in. This bill allows the programs to register in the state where a company has its headquarters or where it mainly operates the program. It also loosens a few other technical approval criteria to streamline approvals and assistance. Who It Will Affect: This is a bipartisan and broadly supported measure that could make it easier for companies to develop programs helping vets find work.

Presidential Proclamation 107: [ Proclaiming] December 1, 2017, as World AIDS Day What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty dating back to 1993, this proclamation honors those who’ve lost their lives to the AIDS/HIV crisis since the first recorded case of the disease some 36 years ago. Trump’s text is almost a copy of Obama’s , albeit a little vaguer and briefer. It notes that, as of 2014, 1.1 million Americans were living with HIV and trumpets America’s suggests in reducing infections by 18 percent between 2008 and 2014. Trump then somewhat crassly frames this as a cost-saving success on lifetime medical expenses. He also boasts about America’s success in providing antiretroviral treatments and helping to reduce the spread of infections in several sub-Saharan African nations through foreign aid projects. He vows that his administration will continue to advance efforts to combat this global health crisis. Who It Will Affect: Public health and AIDS/HIV-specific advocacy groups will mark this day with commemorations and educational or outreach events worldwide. However, many of these same groups are using the day to strike out at Trump . His proposed 2018 budget would have sliced into the foreign aid projects his proclamation lauds. His reinstitution and expansion of a rule that US aid money cannot go to clinics that provide or advise patients to seek out abortions will likely cripple many health service providers in at-risk communities. His moves to slash health program budgets in the US and to attack the Affordable Care Act create new risks for infection and mortality within the United States. To top it all off, the LGBT community has also used the day to attack Trump, as his proclamation did not, in contrast to years past, acknowledge the oversized burden the AIDS/HIV crisis has placed on their communities.

Presidential Proclamation 108: [Proclaiming] December 2017 as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty dating back to 2012, this proclamation recognizes the prevalence and lethality of driving under the influence of a substance, usually alcohol. Trump’s text notes that about every 50 minutes there is a vehicular accident in the US involving an alcohol-impaired driver, that millions of adults admit to having driven drunk over the last month at any given time, and that despite gains in recent decades, 2016 marked the second year in a row when alcohol-impaired traffic accident fatalities increased in the nation. He calls on people to educate themselves on the risks of drunk driving and to pledge not to do it in the future. He also—in a bit of a stretch—claims that his anti-regulatory policies will help companies to develop innovative technology to cut back on drunk driving fatalities and that his vague pro-law stance will improve life-saving enforcement actions against drunk drivers. Who It Will Affect: Government agencies and anti-drunk driving organizations will mark this month with education and awareness raising events nationwide.

Presidential Proclamation 109: Modifying the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument What It Will Do: In 1996, Bill Clinton used his powers under the Antiquities Act to create this 1.7-million-acre national monument on the grounds that the areas it covers contain unique and scientifically significant fossil deposits as well as other natural and cultural features. He may have been attempting to prevent imminent environmental damage linked to a planned coal mine . In this proclamation, Trump notes that the Antiquities Act requires Monuments only to include the minimum amount of land necessary to protect something unique or important. He argues that his administration has found many of the sites covered by this Monument are not unique. Therefore he unilaterally reduces its size by 861,974 acres, or about 46 percent. Who It Will Affect: Most of the dynamics from Presidential Proclamation 110 (see above) apply here. Western Conservatives are hyped about what they see as a blow against federal overreach and a victory for self-determination and economic development. It’s questionable whether any coal mines or other extraction enterprises will open on the now less restricted lands, as it is still a remote and costly site for development. Conservation advocates worry that exploration, road development, and possible resource extraction could damage important or sensitive landscapes. Regional tourism operators worry that reducing the size of the monument could jeopardize a $78 million regional leisure industry. A coalition of environmental groups will challenge this reduction in court—part of the escalating challenge to the president’s authority to reduce National Monuments.

This and Proclamation 109 are likely only the start of a long battle over the president’s rights to reduce monuments. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke on Tuesday released the results of a review of 27 national monuments that Trump ordered in late April . He calls for the creation of three new monuments, but also for the shrinking of four more and altering the management of another six, likely to make development and resource extraction easier. All of those alterations will likely spark legal battles based on environmental and cultural concerns as well. For More: Read about the Native American response to this action

Five regional tribes have banded together to file a lawsuit attempting to block this reduction. The suit will likely argue that presidents only have the right to establish, not reduce, protected lands under the Antiquities Act. However, this will require arguing that over 80 modifications made in the early 20th century, most of which were minor, were illegal. Conservation and tourism groups will also likely oppose changes to the monument, which they argue has cultural and economic value.

H.R.1545: VA Prescription Data Accountability Act 2017 What It Will Do: For some time, the Department of Veterans Affairs has reported secure data on prescriptions of controlled substances issued to veterans receiving care at VA facilities to state programs that track prescription practice in hopes of tackling opioid abuse. This bill clarifies that data-sharing authority, extending it to dependents and others treated at VA facilities and to prescriptions through outside facilities approved to work on the VA’s behalf. The hope is that this will make it easier to track and address veteran-linked opioid abuse. Who It Will Affect: This is a bipartisan bill with strong support from veterans’ organizations. It may have a positive impact on tackling the national opioid crisis. It’s entirely unobjectionable.

H.R.1678: FEMA Accountability, Modernization and Transparency Act of 2017 What It Will Do: This bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make sure that it has an online grant application portal that provides assistance for applicants, allows them to check the status of their applications, and shares data where possible with states and localities to reduce the amount of duplicate materials an applicant needs to submit for disaster assistance. Who It Will Affect: This is a bipartisan good governance measure that will likely perceptibly benefit, if carried out well, disaster relief fund applicants.

H.R.3031: TSP Modernization Act of 2017 What It Will Do: Under existing rules, federal employees can only withdraw partial sums from their Thrift Savings Plans (TSPs), the fed’s retirement savings scheme, once at age 59 and once after leaving government service. This lack of flexibility has led many former employees to, in recent years, withdraw all their savings from TSPs and roll it into other retirement savings vehicles. To preserve the integrity of the program, this legislation allows multiple partial withdrawals linked to age or after leaving government service, and more flexibility in the timing and amount of periodic payments issued from those accounts.

H.R.304: Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2017 What It Will Do: Medical officials have long issued standing orders that allow emergency medical services personnel, like paramedics, to administer life-saving controlled substances, like anti-seizure medication or pain treatments, on the spot to patients they encounter in critical condition without direct physical supervision or permission. However, the validity of these orders has come under question due to developing DEA regulations. So this bill protects the right to issue those orders, and also clarifies clearly who can give them, how the DEA can grant permissions to issue them, and how controlled substances used by emergency responders must be stored and transported. Who It Will Affect: This bill mostly maintains and clarifies a status quo. It has been hailed by emergency responder and other medical organizations.

H.R.194: Federal Agency Mail Management Act of 2017 What It Will Do: This bill tweaks existing laws to require the General Services Administration to provide more support and guidance in making sure that federal mail is sent out economically and efficiently. It doesn’t contain any real specifics on how that should be done, though. Who It Will Affect: The measure is so light on details, it’s hard to say, in practical terms, what it will do.

Presidential Proclamation 103: [Proclaiming] November 13 through November 19, 2017, as National Apprenticeship Week What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty since 2015 , this proclamation recognizes the value of apprenticeships in helping employers find workers with the skills they need that do not often get taught at high schools or colleges. Trump touts his June executive order that seeks to expand the government’s apprenticeship promotion program and calls on businesses to use this week as a challenge, motivating them to develop their own apprenticeship programs. Who It Will Affect: Businesses and trade groups may examine the issue of apprenticeships with renewed vigor this week, if not rise to the occasion of Trump’s challenge.

Presidential Proclamation 104: [Proclaiming] Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War What It Will Do: Th Trump’s text recognizes the 500,000 Americans who served in Vietnam in 1967, as well as the 9 million who served over the course of the entire 13-year conflict. He honors the 58,000 who lost their lives and the 1,253 still missing in action. Who It Will Affect: Veterans and Vietnam War-specific organizations across the nation will mark this commemoration, parallel to Veterans Day, with events and memorials nationwide.

Presidential Memorandum 87: Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 1245(d)(4)(B) and (C) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal year 2012 What It Will Do: The law mentioned in this memorandum’s title authorized new sanctions on Iran, but out of concerns for national security left open a loophole to temporarily freeze the imposition of sanctions on oil-related transactions if the president decides, after a regular review, that it’s too expensive or impractical to prioritize oil importation from other nations. This is just Trump saying we still don’t need to make that exception, so the sanctions can stay as are.

Presidential Proclamation 105: [Proclaiming] November 19 through November 25, 2017, as National Family Week What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty dating to 1987, this proclamation emphasizes the importance of the family as a core social unit and family values as a lynchpin of American norms. Trump uses his text to hype up his tax plan, which he claims will make it easier for families to do whatever it is families do. He also insists that his administration’s approach to the opioid epidemic will help to strengthen America’s families and thus the nation overall. Who It Will Affect: Family values groups across the nation will mark this week with events and commemorations. However, Trump’s text just draws more attention to his massively controversial and unpopular tax plan and anemic opioid response efforts .

Presidential Proclamation 106: [Proclaiming] Thursday, November 23, 2017, as a National Day of Thanksgiving What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty dating back to 1863, this proclamation marks Thanksgiving. Trump’s text recounts the rosy, whitewashed traditional story of the Pilgrims and American perseverance and reverence for god. It also takes a beat to honor the response of law enforcement, first responders, and others in the wake of a string of disasters this year.

Presidential Memorandum 85: Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Burundi What It Will Do: In 2015, Obama decided that an outbreak of repression and political violence in Burundi was detrimental to American national interests and issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in the nation, imposing sanctions on those linked to the transgressions. Under law, for those sanctions to stick the president needs to renew that order every year. This is Trump’s first renewal of those two-year-old sanctions. Who It Will Affect: This mostly just maintains a recent foreign policy status quo. But it will likely disappoint Burundian officials, who had hoped Trump would back off the sanctions.

Presidential Memorandum 86: Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction What It Will Do: In 1994, Bill Clinton declared the risk of the proliferation of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons of mass destruction a risk to American interests and established a state of emergency in an executive order that slapped sanctions on individuals linked to that proliferation. Those sanctions were expanded in 1998 and 2005 . The executive order establishing that state of emergency needs to be renewed every year for its sanctions to stay in effect, under law. This is Trump’s first renewal of that 23-year-old sanctions regime. Who It Will Affect: This move just maintains the status quo.

Presidential Proclamation 100: [Proclaiming] November 11, 2017 as Veterans Day What It Will Do: A presidential duty dating back to 1919 , this proclamation marks the federal holiday (since 1938) named in its title. Trump’s text makes the standard notes about honoring the service of veterans and the importance of caring for them as a society even after a conflict ends. His text touts his dedication to rebuilding the American military and the legislation he his signed to date improving the Department of Veterans Affairs. He also puts a special spotlight on Vietnam War veterans, because he will soon be visiting Vietnam. Who It Will Affect: Government bodies and veterans associations will mark the day , as usual, with commemorations and ceremonies nationwide.

Presidential Proclamation 101: [Proclaiming] November 9, 2017, as World Freedom Day What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty dating back to 2001, this proclamation marks the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which it touts as a symbol of the triumph of freedom over communism. Trump’s text calls, in boilerplate terms, for the acknowledgement of those who fight for freedom around the world and for the continued cooperation of nations around the world to fight radicalism and terrorism. Who It Will Affect: Conservative groups tend to focus on this commemoration as signaling the virtues of liberal Western democracy over all other systems and venerating the ghost of Ronald Reagan.

Presidential Proclamation 102: [Proclaiming] November 12 through November 18, 2017, as American Education Week What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty dating to the 1920s , this proclamation recognizes the vital role of quality education for all children to the realization of the American dream. Trump’s text puts the focus on parents and guardians as the primary guarantors of quality education, pivoting to his administration’s broad school choice positions. He also pats himself on the back for a number of proclamations and initiatives he’s signed promoting STEM education. Who It Will Affect: National educator groups will mark this week, as will many parents and teachers, with events stressing the importance and development of robust education.

H.R.1616: Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 What It Will Do: This bill authorizes the operation of the Secret Service’s National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI) through 2022. The NCFI trains state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement officials in preventing and detecting cyber crime, and helps to equip their agencies with relevant materials. The bill also authorizes the Bureau of Justice Assistance to help law enforcement detect, investigate, and prosecute white-collar and cyber crimes. Who It Will Affect: The NCFI has been operational since 2008 and has already trained thousands of agents across the nation. So this bill mostly maintains the status quo, while making it possible for perhaps a little more money to go towards white-collar crime operations.

H.R.1329: Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2017 What It Will Do: Unlike Social Security benefits, Veterans Affairs payments do not rise automatically each year to match inflation. Congress must pass an annual bill enacting that cost-of-living adjustment. This is 2017’s iteration of that routine legislation. It boosts payments to vets with service-linked disabilities and their dependents by about 1 percent starting on December 1. Who It Will Affect: This will impact millions of veterans and many more of their dependents. The increase is not huge—on average, a $25 boost per month. But it’s one of the largest increases of the decade; cost-of-living adjustments have been suppressed as an austerity measure across the government for years.

Presidential Proclamation 99: Honoring the Victims of the Sutherland Springs, Texas Shooting What It Will Do: This proclamation honors the victims of the mass shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and prays for the healing of their families and loved ones. It also calls for flags at federal properties, military facilities, and embassies to fly at half mast in commemoration of these victim until November 9.

Presidential Memorandum 83: Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Iran What It Will Do: Soon after the Iranian Islamic revolution and related US hostage crisis kicked off in 1979, president Jimmy Carter issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Iran that posed a threat to American interests. The order imposed sanctions on individuals involved in the crisis.The order must be renewed every year. This is the latest renewal of those sanctions.

Presidential Memorandum 84: A Letter from the President to the Congress of the United States [Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Iran] What It Will Do: This is just Trump following a statutory requirement to notify Congress of his decision to extend sanctions on Iran in Presidential Memorandum 83, below.

S.504: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Cards Act of 2017 What It Will Do: In 1995 , an idea emerged among members of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum that would see the creation of a special travel document allowing expedited customs proceedings for frequent business travelers. In 1997, a few states launched APEC Business Travel Cards, commonly known as ABT Cards. The United States was one of the last nations in the bloc to issue its own iteration on these cards; in 2011, Obama signed a law allowing American citizens to apply for them. These cards lasted three years at a go and were issued for a small fee that covered the costs of the program. In 2016 , Obama signed legislation extending their duration to five years. In America, they allow travelers to speed through customs and border patrol, while in other nations they offer varied levels of expedited entry and act as pre-processed multiple-entry visas for 59 to 90 day stays. This program was temporary, though, and set to expire on September 30, 2018. This law makes the ABT Card program permanent. Who It Will Affect: The codification of this program was a simple and bipartisan issue with strong business community support and will benefit tens of thousands of American travelers.

S.190: Power and Security Systems (PASS) Act What It Will Do: Security systems, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide monitors, among other potentially life-saving electronic systems, have in the past been exempted from power efficiency standards that would have increased their prices substantially without much gain. These exemptions were set to expire this year. This act extends them to 2021 for some devices, 2023 for others. Who It Will Affect: This is a pretty harmless continuation of the status quo with bipartisan support.

H.R.2989: Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act What It Will Do: This bill opens by recognizing Douglass’s exceptional rise from slavery to the forefront of the nascent American civil rights movement, as well as his vital role in abolitionism, contributions to the Union in the Civil War, and service in national government. It affirms that all Americans would benefit from learning more about and following the examples laid out by Douglass. The act creates a commission to plan and carry out federal activities to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his 1818 birth.

In 2010 , the BCFP, a body created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act , initiated a study on “arbitration agreements.” These clauses, often buried in the fine print of financial services contracts, prevent consumers from suing companies for transgressions and bind them to use an arbitration system outside of the courts. The BCFP determined that these agreements are detrimental to millions of Americans, and often prevent companies from feeling full legal repercussions for their missteps. So in mid-July, it instituted a rule that would, starting in March 2018, have prevented companies from putting language into arbitration agreements preventing consumers from joining class action suits on transgressions. This resolution prevents that rule from taking effect, leaving arbitration agreements in full force. Who It Will Affect: Advocates of the rule claim that its last-minute cancellation, by a 50-50 vote in the Senate —all 48 Democrats and two Republicans voted against it, with Vice President Pence breaking the tie—will benefit large financial institutions at the expense of consumers and of justice. It will prevent companies like Equifax from feeling the full potential repercussions of their failures. Financial institutions and most Republicans, however, view this as a victory against overreach by and flawed logic on the part of the BCFP. They also argue that blocking the rule will keep financial services costs low, benefitting consumers.

H.J.Res.111: Providing for Congressional Disapproval under Chapter 8 of Title 5, United States Code, of the Rule Submitted by Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (BCFP) Relating to “Arbitration Agreements” What It Will Do: This is the first use of the Congressional Review Act, under which Congress can block a new rule from coming into effect by a simple majority vote, since mid-April. It’s also the 14th use of the CRA this year, and the 15th usage of the power ever.

S.1617: Javier Vega, Jr. Memorial Act of 2017 What It Will Do: This bill names a border checkpoint in Sarita, Texas, after the individual named in its title. Vega served as a border patrol agent, primarily at this border control point, from 2008 to 2014, when he was killed while protecting his family from a violent robbery at the hands of two undocumented immigrants while on vacation. His death was ruled, after public pressure, a line-of-duty fatality. Who It Will Affect: Vega’s family and community will appreciate this bill. He is apparently a local hero; a street in Sarita was recently named after him as well. Yet while the man’s memory and bravery deserve to be recognized, this recognition comes at a politically charged moment. Vega’s case has been a focal point for Breitbart and nativists, who see it as proof that illegal immigrants are often a violent threat to American safety.

S.920: National Clinical Care Commission Act What It Will Do: This bill creates the commission in its name, to be housed within the Department of Health and Human Services. It will explore ways to improve care available to individuals with diabetes, and perhaps other insulin-related autoimmune disorders, including improving the coordination and leveraging of federal programs relevant to the issue. Within three years of its first meeting, it will issue a report on all of its findings and recommendations on clinical care for individuals with diabetes. It will disband within 60 days of issuing this final report, or by the end of fiscal year 2021, whichever comes first. Who It Will Affect: There’s been support for a body like this among diabetic care advocacy groups for some time. This move will earn some appreciation and respect from them, as well as other public health advocates and individuals with diabetes.

S.782: Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act of 2017 What It Will Do: This bill reauthorizes the national Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force program, which has worked to catch child porn distributors since 1998, through 2022. Who It Will Affect: This just continues a program that no one would ever oppose for five years.

Presidential Proclamation 97: [Proclaiming] November 2017 as National Family Caregivers Month What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty, this proclamation honors the sacrifices of family members who often put parts of their lives on hold to care for chronically ill, disabled, elderly, or injured kin. Trump's text stresses that this dedication shows the value of respect for life at all stages and the importance of the family unit in society. He claims that his administration remains committed to finding ways to help caregivers. Who It Will Affect: Caregiver groups will mark the month with events and commemorations.

Presidential Memorandum 82: Notice Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Sudan What It Will Do: In July, Donald Trump delayed a decision on whether or not to make the easing of some sanctions on Sudan initiated by the Obama administration. (See Executive Order 38 .) In mid-October, Trump finally decided to make those changes permanent . However, this policy shift left a number of sanctions on Sudanese individuals and restrictions on Sudanese-American trade in place due to continuing concerns about the state of their government and its progress in rectifying human rights abuses. This text confirms that Trump does not think Sudan has made enough progress to lift those remaining sanctions and restrictions. So he indicates that he will renew them for another year. Who It Will Affect: As with Trump's previous decisions on Sudan, this is a mixed bag. The Sudanese and American companies eager to explore its new markets will be dismayed that Trump didn't move beyond his initial openness to easing sanctions. Human rights groups and Sudanese dissidents will be happy he's not letting the country totally off the hook.

Presidential Proclamation 98: [Proclaiming] November 2017 as National Veterans and Military Families Month What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty, this proclamation honors the contributions of service members and the families who support and often have to find a way to get by for long stretches without them. Trump's text instructs the Department of Veterans Affairs to take point on commemorating this month, and notes that his administration has made great strides over the last nine months in reforming that troubled agency to better serve this population. Who It Will Affect: The VA will, as instructed, mark the month with events nationwide. Trump may choose to take a victory lap on his VA achievements, which are actually numerous. But his critics will use that celebration to point out that his VA is one of the strongholds of Obama holdovers in his administration, and that most of the successes in reforming the VA in his term are not his own achievements, but bipartisan measures that have long been in the works.

Presidential Proclamation 95: [Proclaiming] November 2017 as Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty, this proclamation emphasizes the importance of safeguarding vital infrastructure against accidents, attacks, capacity strain, natural disasters, and a host of other issues. Trump's text touts American infrastructure as among the most secure in the world, but points out that we've seen this year how natural disasters like hurricanes can still break through our defenses. He argues that his administration is making it easier for businesses to invest in infrastructure spending and relevant research and development through tax reform and deregulation. Who It Will Affect: Various government agencies and infrastructure-related groups will mark this month with informational events. However Trump critics may use the month to point out how Trump has repeatedly failed to roll out his long promised infrastructure plan. Some may also point to Trump's phenomenal failures in responding to hurricane damage in Puerto Rico to question his commitment to the ideals he touts in this proclamation.

Presidential Proclamation 96: [Proclaiming] November 2017 as National Entrepreneurship Month What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty dating back to 2012, this proclamation honors the importance of entrepreneurship in the narrative of American character and to the national economy. Trump specifically celebrates female entrepreneurs, noting that there are 11 million women-owned firms in the nation, employing millions and generating over a trillion dollars in annual revenues. He stresses that his administration is, by cutting regulatory red tape and fighting in trade deals to protect American intellectual property, creating an environment in which entrepreneurship can prosper. Who It Will Affect: Entrepreneur groups across the nation will make this month with events and celebrations. However some may use it to hit back at Trump, as entrepreneurs regularly note that his immigration policies are detrimental to the growth of small firms.

Presidential Memorandum 80: For the heads of Executive Departments and Agencies [Regarding] Combatting the National Drug Demand and Opioid Crisis What It Will Do: The memorandum calls on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to declare a public health emergency around the opioid crisis and take actions with the new powers that gives the agency. Specifically, HHS is expected to expand telemedicine services into rural communities, cut some red tape around grant money distribution, and shift some extant grant allocations towards the crisis. HHS can also tap into the Public Health Emergency Fund to address the crisis, but this chronically underfunded pool had only $57,000 remaining in it at the time this memorandum was released and there were no guarantees from Trump or his allies that it would be bolstered soon. Who It Will Affect: While addiction services advocates welcome any progress towards addressing what has become a leading public health crisis, This action feels anemic to many, especially in light of his rhetoric on the issue. Trump has promised to throw resources into improving access to life-saving overdose treatments, the development of painkillers with a lower risk of abuse, and the expansion of treatment options—a massive national response that basically accords with what advocates believe is necessary.

Presidential Memorandum 81: Temporary Certification for Certain Records Related to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy What It Will Do: Trump had claimed he's committed to transparency on records related to the investigation of the 1963 assassination of JFK. In truth, the documents in question would have been released under the provisions of a 1992 law even if he hadn't lifted a finger. Trump only has the power under that law to delay the release of records on national security or foreign policy grounds. That's precisely what this text does. Trump here allows 180 days for the review of all redactions in released documents and calls for the declassification of anything that cannot be justified. He gives agencies until March 12, 2018, to apply for the postponement of the release of records they're still holding back, and says he will make a final decision on these records on April 26, 2018. This covers a couple hundred documents , containing thousands of pages, that were not released as part of the week's highly anticipated document dump. Who It Will Affect: This is mostly a minor irritation to historians and a major boon to conspiracy theorists, who will seize onto any remaining redactions of postponed declassification to stay that something sinister remains uncovered. However, as most of the texts released parallel to this memorandum just reinforce what is already known about the assassination and the deficient investigation that followed, it seems unlikely this order will deeply affect on the average citizen's understandings of history.

Presidential Proclamation 94: [Proclaiming] November 2017 as National Adoption Month What It Will Do: An annual presidential duty dating back to 1998, this proclamation honors the thousands of families who choose, every year, to give homes to children in need. Trump throws in some pro-life messaging, saying they prove that no child, born or unborn, is ever unwanted. He also notes that this year his administration will focus on promoting the importance of adopting older youths who often find it harder to find a home. Who It Will Affect: Government agencies and pro-adoption groups with mark this month with informational events nationwide.

H.Con.Res.71: Establishing the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2017 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2019 through 2027 What It Will Do: This resolution lays out a $4 trillion blueprint for spending in the 2018 fiscal year, though it is not legally binding. Its real practical function is that it triggers the reconciliation process, by which Republicans can pass tax cuts and a bill that would allow for oil drilling in an arctic preserve, with a filibuster-proof simple majority vote. Who It Will Affect: This will energize Republicans, who see it as giving momentum to tax reform , their biggest legislative initiative. But triggering this process does nothing to overcome the many practical difficulties still facing tax reform efforts.

Trump has dithered in declaring a crisis, long after his own commission on this issue requested it as the first and most important step in an interim report in July. That commission is expected to issue a report on November 1 that should become a blueprint for a more robust administrative strategy on the opioid crisis, but that report is a month behind schedule due to chronic staffing and support issues. Trump's HHS is itself understaffed, and his drug czar nominee had to withdraw from consideration after reports emerged about his apparent role in exacerbating the opioid crisis as a congressman.

It also establishes a procedure for examining whether suicides were related to retaliations for whistleblowing. It requires that supervisors found guilty of a prohibited personnel action be suspended for at least three days upon their first infraction, with higher punishments thereafter. Agency heads are responsible for making sure all new employees learn about whistleblowing protections and how to safely disclose sensitive information. The Comptroller General of the United States is ordered to author a report on retaliation against employees while on probation after an attempt to fire them. Finally, the bill contains a few miscellaneous VA-specific provisions: improving outreach on mental health services for VA employees and responses to threats made against employees. Who It Will Affect: Any move to better protect whistleblowers and secure consequences for retaliations against them is generally seen as a commonsense good-governance move. This bill is no exception, and has been met with widespread support.

S.585: Dr. Chris Kilpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 What It Will Do: Kilpatrick was a psychologist at a Veterans Affairs (VA) facility in Tomah, Wisconsin, who was fired after questioning the overmedication of patients. He committed suicide the same day. Testimony on his death and related retaliations against VA whistleblowers led to this effort to improve protections for those disclosing violations of law, mismanagement of public resources, abuses of power, or public endangerment. Specifically, it makes it easier for employees appealing their termination to transfer out from under their previous supervisor while on probation, limits supervisors' access to employees' medical files, and requires all agencies to improve their training on responding to complaints of whistleblower protection violations.

Toward these ends, it establishes the program named in the memorandum's title. Under the UASIPP, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will over the next 90 days solicit proposals from states, localities, and tribal jurisdictions to test out different ways of integrating drones into the US air system at altitudes of between 200 and 400 feet. Within 180 days, they will enter into agreements with at least five of these local governments, seeking to represent a diverse array of regions and projects, allowing them to test out their ideas and waiving extant regulations where possible to give them the freedom to do so. Each agreement will be worked out on a case-by-case basis, but must keep national security and personal privacy in mind. The programs must begin operations within 90 days of an agreement being established. New proposals will be considered to replace existing ones within a year of their slated termination.

Presidential Memorandum 79: For the Secretary of Transportation [Regarding an] Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program What It Will Do: This text recognizes the massive growth of private and commercial drones in the US in recent years. It also establishes the administration's position that expanding drone manufacture and applications could add tens of thousands of jobs to the US economy and lead to useful new consumer services, disaster relief, and security applications.

This uncontroversial measure was transformed in the fall into a vehicle for $36.5 billion in hurricane and wildfire relief , provisions for which were tacked on top of the bankruptcy judgeship elements of the bill. Specifically, the bill calls for a boost of $18.7 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's overtaxed Disaster Relief Fund, $4.9 billion of which will be made available as ow-interest loans targeted at Puerto Rico , whose debt crisis has made it difficult for the territory to borrow money to help it recover from the hurricane. Another $16 billion is debt erasure for the troubled National Flood Insurance Program , which has hit its congressionally-imposed borrowing cap while struggling to pay out claims. There's also $1.27 billion in the bill in nutritional funding assistance for Puerto Rico and $576.5 million for wildfire recovery for the American West. This brings total post-hurricane relief spending, following a first tranche in September, to $50 billion . Who It Will Affect: This relief funding was uncontroversial; almost everyone agrees America should respond quickly and robustly after a natural disaster. However some disaster zone representatives were a little sour that the bill did not go farther— they expect tens of billions more in a third tranche of relief in November. Conservatives were miffed that this relief did not come with offset spending cuts to pay for its assistance, and indicates that there may be a serious standoff between these fiscal hawks and other legislators over that third relief tranche next month.

H.R.2266: Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017 What It Will Do: This bill started out as the "Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2017," a simple measure extending 14 temporary judgeships to special bankruptcy courts in seven states and Puerto Rico and adding four new temporary judgeships in three other states. These temporary positions typically last for five years. It also increased the fees debtors declaring bankruptcy have to pay to the United States Trustee System for handling their cases, although this fee expansion will only apply to certain cases. The fee increase would pay for the judgeships. It also made some small adjustments to technical details of the bankruptcy declaration process.

It resumes the refugee program, but notes that the United States has increased data collection, interview, and biometric check standards for refugee applicants. It also notes that the secretaries of Homeland Security and State can always reconsider what categories of people constitute a threat and institute adjustments to the administration of the program as they see fit.

Executive Order 50: Resuming the United States Refugee Admissions Program with Enhanced Vetting Capabilities What It Will Do: Trump's March 6 iteration of his notorious travel ban instituted a 120-day suspension of the nation's refugee admissions program, during which officials were to review its vetting standards. Court injunctions delayed this ban until June, when the Supreme Court let it go into force. The ban then expired on October 24. This order responds to that review and expiration.

H.Con.Res.85: Providing for a Correction in the Enrollment of H.R.2266 What It Will Do: This resolution just changes the name of the pending bill cited in its title to reflect the fact that it has been converted from a contained measure adding a few judges to bankruptcy courts temporarily to a fast-pass vehicle for post-hurricane disaster relief.

The program will last for a total of three years. Throughout it's run and upon its conclusion, agencies will gather information from its projects to improve drone traffic-management systems, safety protocols, drone platform and system cybersecurity, and anti-drone response tactics. A final report on the program's findings will be issued withi