The First 100 Days — Will Trump Deliver?
December 7, 2016
Well, America, we did it. We made it through the election. Whether you are happy or unhappy with the result, the bottom line is the same: Donald Trump is our new president.
During his campaign, President-Elect Trump made a lot of campaign promises, but how do these promises fit into his First 100 Days plan? Is he going to keep the promises he made to his supporters, or will he choose to focus on other things?
On Nov. 21, Trump answered some of these questions. Here is a breakdown of his plan for his first 100 days.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal
Trump has called the Trans-Pacific Partnership “disastrous for jobs.” He campaigned on a promise to pull out of the trade deal, and it appears that this is one of his top priorities.
The TPP is a trade deal signed by the United States, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru. According to the BBC, the goal of the TPP is to “deepen economic ties between these nations, slashing tariffs and fostering trade to boost growth.”
But with America pulling out, according to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the TPP is “meaningless.”
Immigration
Another huge part of Trump’s campaign revolved around undocumented immigration. He said he will “direct the Department of Labor to investigate all abuses of visa programs that undercut the American worker.”
He also plans to repeal Obama’s executive action on immigration, Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, better known as the “Dream Act,” which creates a multi-phase process for undocumented immigrants that would grant them conditional residency (and often permanent residency) if they entered the country as children. By repealing this, these “illegal” immigrants, many of whom may have lived in this country virtually all of their lives and graduated from U.S. schools, will be subject to deportation.
Along with immigration from countries like Mexico, Trump also plans to implement a more stringent vetting process for people from “terror-prone” countries. Trump has compared his proposed system to one used during the Cold War.
This vetting system would include questioning immigrants from these countries on their political views. It would also include screening for anyone “hostile attitudes toward our country or its principles — or who believe that Sharia law should supplant American law.”
Trump did not talk about which countries he considers “terror-prone.”
Obamacare
Trump said he plans to initiate the process for repealing the Affordable Care Act on day one of his administration. But according to Politifact, this is likely impossible. But since both the House and the Senate will soon be controlled by Republicans, it is very likely that Obamacare will soon be repealed and replaced.
Trump says he plans to place tax deductions on health care premiums, allow people to buy health insurance across state lines, and allow block grants for state Medicaid programs.
According to Politifact, experts have estimated that this could cause 21 to 25 million people to lose their health care coverage. It could also increase out-of-pocket spending in the future and cost about $550 million over the next decade.
What’s missing?
Probably the most notable thing missing is the 100- foot wall that Trump has long talked about building on the border of Mexico and the United States. He has said that it is not high on the list of priorities as of right now.
Another thing Trump has backed down on is his promise of hiring a personal investigator to look into and eventually arrest Hillary Clinton. Trump has said he no longer plans to do this.