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Trump Accomplishments
From
Washington Examiner, Washington Secrets,
Trump's List: 289 accomplishments in just 20 months, 'relentless' promise-keeping,
by Paul Bedard, Friday, October 12, 2018
- Economic Growth
- 4.2 percent growth in the second quarter of 2018.
- For the first time in more than a decade, growth is projected to exceed 3 percent over the calendar year.
- Jobs
- 4 million new jobs have been created since the election, and more than 3.5 million since Trump took office.
- More Americans are employed now than ever before in our history.
- Jobless claims at lowest level in nearly five decades.
- The economy has achieved the longest positive job-growth streak on record.
- Job openings are at an all-time high and outnumber job seekers for the first time on record.
- Unemployment claims at 50 year low
- African-American, Hispanic, and Asian-American unemployment rates have all recently reached record lows.
- African-American unemployment hit a record low of 5.9 percent in May 2018.
- Hispanic unemployment at 4.5 percent.
- Asian-American unemployment at record low of 2 percent.
- Women's unemployment recently at lowest rate in nearly 65 years.
- Female unemployment dropped to 3.6 percent in May 2018, the lowest since October 1953.
- Youth unemployment recently reached its lowest level in more than 50 years.
- July 2018's youth unemployment rate of 9.2 percent was the lowest since July 1966.
- Veterans' unemployment recently hit its lowest level in nearly two decades.
- July 2018's veterans' unemployment rate of 3.0 percent matched the lowest rate since May 2001.
- Unemployment rate for Americans without a high school diploma recently reached a record low.
- Rate for disabled Americans recently hit a record low.
- Blue-collar jobs recently grew at the fastest rate in more than three decades.
- Poll found that 85 percent of blue-collar workers believe their lives are headed "in the right direction".
- 68 percent reported receiving a pay increase in the past year.
- Last year, job satisfaction among American workers hit its highest level since 2005.
- Nearly two-thirds of Americans rate now as a good time to find a quality job.
- Optimism about the availability of good jobs has grown by 25 percent.
- Added more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since the election.
- Manufacturing employment is growing at its fastest pace in more than two decades.
- 100,000 new jobs supporting the production & transport of oil & natural gas.
- American Income
- Median household income rose to $61,372 in 2017, a post-recession high.
- Wages up in August by their fastest rate since June 2009.
- Paychecks rose by 3.3 percent between 2016 and 2017, the most in a decade.
- Council of Economic Advisers found that real wage compensation has grown by 1.4 percent over the past year.
- Some 3.9 million Americans off food stamps since the election.
- Median income for Hispanic-Americans rose by 3.7 percent and surpassed $50,000 for the first time ever in history.
- Home-ownership among Hispanics is at the highest rate in nearly a decade.
- Poverty rates for African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans have reached their lowest levels ever recorded.
- American Optimism
- Small business optimism has hit historic highs.
- NFIB's small business optimism index broke a 35 year-old record in August.
- SurveyMonkey/CNBC's small business confidence survey for Q3 of 2018 matched its all-time high.
- Manufacturers are more confident than ever.
- 95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future, the highest ever.
- Consumer confidence is at an 18-year high.
- 12 percent of Americans rate the economy as the most significant problem facing our country, the lowest level on record.
- Confidence in the economy is near a two-decade high, with 51 percent rating the economy as good or excellent.
- American Business
- Investment is flooding back into the United States due to the tax cuts.
- Over $450 billion dollars has already poured back into the U.S., including more than $300 billion in the first quarter of 2018.
- Retail sales have surged. Commerce Department figures from August show that retail sales increased 0.5 percent in July 2018, an increase of 6.4 percent from July 2017.
- ISM's index of manufacturing scored its highest reading in 14 years.
- Worker productivity is the highest it has been in more than three years.
- Steel and aluminum producers are re-opening.
- Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and NASDAQ have all notched record highs.
- Dow hit record highs 70 times in 2017 alone, the most ever recorded in one year.
- Deregulation
- Achieved massive deregulation at a rapid pace, completing 22 deregulatory actions to every one regulatory action during his first year in office.
- Signed legislation to roll back costly and harmful provisions of Dodd-Frank, providing relief to credit unions, and community and regional banks.
- Federal agencies achieved more than $8 billion in lifetime net regulatory cost savings.
- Rolled back Obama's burdensome Waters of the U.S. rule.
- Used the Congressional Review Act to repeal regulations more times than in history.
- Tax Cuts
- Biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history by signing the Tax Cuts and Jobs act into law
- Provided more than $5.5 trillion in gross tax cuts, nearly 60 percent of which will go to families.
- Increased the exemption for the death tax to help save Family Farms & Small Business.
- Nearly doubled the standard deduction for individuals and families.
- Enabled vast majority of American families will be able to file their taxes on a single page by claiming the standard deduction.
- Doubled the child tax credit to help lessen the financial burden of raising a family.
- Lowered America's corporate tax rate from the highest in the developed world to allow American businesses to compete and win.
- Small businesses can now deduct 20 percent of their business income.
- Cut dozens of special interest tax breaks and closed loopholes for the wealthy.
- 9 in 10 American workers are expected see an increase in their paychecks thanks to the tax cuts, according to the Treasury Department.
- More than 6 million of American workers have received wage increases, bonuses, and increased benefits thanks to tax cuts.
- Over 100 utility companies have lowered electric, gas, or water rates thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
- Ernst & Young found 89 percent of companies planned to increase worker compensation thanks to the Trump tax cuts.
- Established opportunity zones to spur investment in left behind communities.
- Worker Development
- Established a National Council for the American Worker to develop a national strategy for training and retraining America's workers for high-demand industries.
- Employers have signed Trump's "Pledge to America's Workers," committing to train or retrain more than 4.2 million workers and students.
- Signed the first Perkins CTE reauthorization since 2006, authorizing more than $1 billion for states each year to fund vocational and career education programs.
- Executive order expanding apprenticeship opportunities for students and workers.
- Domestic Infrastructure
- Proposed infrastructure plan would utilize $200 billion in Federal funds to spur at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investment across the country.
- Executive order expediting environmental reviews and approvals for high priority infrastructure projects.
- Federal agencies have signed the One Federal Decision Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) streamlining the federal permitting process for infrastructure projects.
- Rural prosperity task force and signed an executive order to help expand broadband access in rural areas.
- Health Care
- Signed an executive order to help minimize the financial burden felt by American households Signed legislation to improve the National Suicide Hotline.
- Signed the most comprehensive childhood cancer legislation ever into law, which will advance childhood cancer research and improve treatments.
- Signed Right-to-Try legislation, expanding health care options for terminally ill patients.
- Enacted changes to the Medicare 340B program, saving seniors an estimated $320 million on drugs in 2018 alone.
- FDA set a new record for generic drug approvals in 2017, saving consumers nearly $9 billion.
- Released a blueprint to drive down drug prices for American patients, leading multiple major drug companies to announce they will freeze or reverse price increases.
- Expanded short-term, limited-duration health plans.
- Let more employers to form Association Health Plans, enabling more small businesses to join together and affordably provide health insurance to their employees.
- Cut Obamacare's burdensome individual mandate penalty.
- Signed legislation repealing Obamacare's Independent Payment Advisory Board, also known as the "death panels."
- USDA invested more than $1 billion in rural health care in 2017, improving access to health care for 2.5 million people in rural communities across 41 states
- Proposed Title X rule to help ensure taxpayers do not fund the abortion industry in violation of the law.
- Reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy to keep foreign aid from supporting the global abortion industry.
- HHS formed a new division over protecting the rights of conscience and religious freedom.
- Overturned Obama administration's midnight regulation prohibiting states from defunding certain abortion facilities.
- Signed executive order to help ensure that religious organizations are not forced to choose between violating their religious beliefs by complying with Obamacare's contraceptive mandate or shutting their doors.
- Combating Opioids
- Chaired meeting the 73rd General Session of the United Nations discussing the worldwide drug problem with international leaders.
- Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand, introducing new measures to keep dangerous drugs out of our communities.
- $6 billion in new funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
- DEA conducted a surge in April 2018 that arrested 28 medical professions and revoked 147 registrations for prescribing too many opioids.
- Brought the "Prescribed to Death" memorial to President's Park near the White House, helping raise awareness about the human toll of the opioid crisis.
- Helped reduce high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16 percent in 2017.
- Opioid Summit on the administration-wide efforts to combat the opioid crisis.
- Launched a national public awareness campaign about the dangers of opioid addiction.
- Created a Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis which recommended a number of pathways to tackle the opioid crisis.
- Led two National Prescription Drug Take Back Days in 2017 and 2018, collecting a record number of expired and unneeded prescription drugs each time.
- $485 million targeted grants in FY 2017 to help areas hit hardest by the opioid crisis.
- Signed INTERDICT Act, strengthening efforts to detect and intercept synthetic opioids before they reach our communities.
- DOJ secured its first-ever indictments against Chinese fentanyl manufacturers.
- Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) team, aimed at disrupting online illicit opioid sales.
- Declared the opioid crisis a Nationwide Public Health Emergency in October 2017.
- Law and Order
- More U.S. Circuit Court judges confirmed in the first year in office than ever.
- Confirmed more than two dozen U. S. Circuit Court judges.
- Followed through on the promise to nominate judges to the Supreme Court who will adhere to the Constitution
- Nominated and confirmed Justice Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
- Signed an executive order directing the Attorney General to develop a strategy to more effectively prosecute people who commit crimes against law enforcement officers.
- Launched an evaluation of grant programs to make sure they prioritize the protection and safety of law enforcement officers.
- Established a task force to reduce crime and restore public safety in communities across Signed an executive order to focus more federal resources on dismantling transnational criminal organizations such as drug cartels.
- Signed an executive order to focus more federal resources on dismantling transnational criminal organizations such as drug cartels.
- Violent crime decreased in 2017 according to FBI statistics.
- $137 million in grants through the COPS Hiring Program to preserve jobs, increase community policing capacities, and support crime prevention efforts.
- Enhanced and updated the Project Safe Neighborhoods to help reduce violent crime.
- Signed legislation making it easier to target websites that enable sex trafficking and strengthened penalties for people who promote or facilitate prostitution.
- Created an interagency task force working around the clock to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and prevent human trafficking.
- Conducted Operation Cross Country XI to combat human trafficking, rescuing 84 children and arresting 120 human traffickers.
- Encouraged federal prosecutors to use the death penalty when possible in the fight against the trafficking of deadly drugs.
- New rule effectively banning bump stock sales in the United States.
- Border Security and Immigration
- Secured $1.6 billion for border wall construction in the March 2018 omnibus bill.
- Construction of a 14-mile section of border wall began near San Diego.
- Worked to protect American communities from the threat posed by the vile MS-13 gang.
- ICE's Homeland Security Investigations division arrested 796 MS-13 members and associates in FY 2017, an 83 percent increase from the prior year.
- Justice worked with partners in Central America to secure criminal charges against more than 4,000 MS-13 members.
- Border Patrol agents arrested 228 illegal aliens affiliated with MS-13 in FY 2017.
- Fighting to stop the scourge of illegal drugs at our border.
- ICE HSI seized more than 980,000 pounds of narcotics in FY 2017, including 2,370 pounds of fentanyl and 6,967 pounds of heroin.
- ICE HSI dedicated nearly 630,000 investigative hours towards halting the illegal import of fentanyl.
- ICE HSI made 11,691 narcotics-related arrests in FY 2017.
- Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand introduced new measures to keep dangerous drugs out the United States.
- Signed the INTERDICT Act into law, enhancing efforts to detect and intercept synthetic opioids.
- DOJ secured its first-ever indictments against Chinese fentanyl manufacturers.
- DOJ launched their Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) team, aimed at disrupting online illicit opioid sales.
- Released an immigration framework that includes the resources required to secure our borders and close legal loopholes, and repeatedly called on Congress to fix our broken immigration laws.
- Authorized the deployment of the National Guard to help secure the border.
- Enhanced vetting of individuals entering the U.S. from countries that don't meet security standards, helping to ensure individuals who pose a threat to our country are identified before they enter.
- These procedures were upheld in a June 2018 Supreme Court hearing.
- ICE removed over 226,000 illegal aliens from the United States in 2017.
- ICE rescued or identified over 500 human trafficking victims and over 900 child exploitation victims in 2017 alone.
- In 2017, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested more than 127,000 aliens with criminal convictions or charges, responsible for
- Over 76,000 with dangerous drug offenses.
- More than 48,000 with assault offenses.
- More than 11,000 with weapons offenses.
- More than 5,000 with sexual assault offenses.
- More than 2,000 with kidnapping offenses.
- Over 1,800 with homicide offenses.
- Created the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office in order to support the victims and families affected by illegal alien crime.
- More than doubled the number of counties participating in the 287(g) program, which allows jails to detain criminal aliens until they are transferred to ICE custody.
- Trade
- Negotiating and renegotiating better trade deals, achieving free, fair, and reciprocal trade for the United States.
- Agreed to work with the European Union towards zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsides.
- Deal with the European Union to increase U.S. energy exports to Europe.
- Litigated multiple WTO disputes targeting unfair trade practices and upholding our right to enact fair trade laws.
- Finalized a revised trade agreement with South Korea, which includes provisions to increase American automobile exports.
- Negotiated an historic U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement to replace NAFTA.
- Agreement to begin trade negotiations for a U.S.-Japan trade agreement.
- Secured $250 billion in new trade and investment deals in China and $12 billion in Vietnam.
- Established a Trade and Investment Working Group with the United Kingdom, laying the groundwork for post-Brexit trade.
- Enacted steel and aluminum tariffs to protect our vital steel and aluminum producers and strengthen our national security.
- Conducted 82 anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations in 2017 alone.
- Confronting China's unfair trade practices after years of Washington looking the other way.
- 25 percent tariff on $50 billion of goods imported from China and later imposed an additional 10% tariff on $200 billion of Chinese goods.
- Conducted an investigation into Chinese forced technology transfers, unfair licensing practices, and intellectual property theft.
- Imposed safeguard tariffs to protect domestic washing machines and solar products manufacturers hurt by China's trade policies
- Withdrew from the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
- Secured access to new markets for America's farmers.
- Recent deal with Mexico included new improvements enabling food and agriculture to trade more fairly.
- Recent agreement with the E.U. will reduce barriers and increase trade of American soybeans to Europe.
- Won a WTO dispute regarding Indonesia's unfair restriction of U.S. agricultural exports.
- Defended American Tuna fisherman and packagers before the WTO
- Opened up Argentina to American pork experts for the first time in a quarter-century
- American beef exports have returned to china for the first time in more than a decade
- OK'd up to $12 billion in aid for farmers affected by unfair trade retaliation.
- Energy
- Presidential Memorandum to clear roadblocks to construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
- Presidential Memorandum declaring that the Dakota Access Pipeline serves the national interest and initiating the process to complete construction.
- Opened up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to energy exploration.
- Coal exports up over 60 percent in 2017.
- Rolled back the "stream protection rule" to prevent it from harming America's coal industry.
- Cancelled Obama's anti-coal Clean Power Plan and proposed the Affordable Clean Energy Rule as a replacement.
- Withdrew from the job-killing Paris climate agreement, which would have cost the U.S. nearly $3 trillion and led to 6.5 million fewer industrial sector jobs by 2040.
- U.S. oil production has achieved its highest level in American history
- United States is now the largest crude oil producer in the world.
- U.S. has become a net natural gas exporter for the first time in six decades.
- Action to expedite the identification and extraction of critical minerals that are vital to the nation's security and economic prosperity.
- Took action to reform National Ambient Air Quality Standards, benefitting American manufacturers.
- Rescinded Obama's hydraulic fracturing rule, which was expected to cost the industry $32 million per year.
- Proposed an expansion of offshore drilling as part of an all-of-the above energy strategy
- Held a lease sale for offshore oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico in August 2018.
- Got EU to increase its imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States.
- Issued permits for the New Burgos Pipeline that will cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Foreign Policy
- Moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
- Withdrew from Iran deal and immediately began the process of re-imposing sanctions that had been lifted or waived.
- Treasury has issued sanctions targeting Iranian activities and entities, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force
- Since enacting sanctions, Iran's crude exports have fallen off, the value of Iran's currency has plummeted, and international companies have pulled out of the country.
- All nuclear-related sanctions will be back in full force by early November 2018.
- Historic summit with North Korean President Kim Jong-Un, bringing beginnings of peace and denuclearization to the Korean Peninsula.
- The two leaders have exchanged letters and high-level officials from both sides have met resulting in tremendous progress.
- North Korea has halted nuclear and missile tests.
- Negotiated the return of the remains of missing-in-action soldiers from the Korean War.
- Imposed strong sanctions on Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro and his inner circle.
- Executive order preventing those in the U.S. from carrying out certain transactions with the Venezuelan regime, including prohibiting the purchase of the regime's debt.
- Responded to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime.
- Rolled out sanctions targeting individuals and entities tied to Syria's chemical weapons program.
- Directed strikes in April 2017 against a Syrian airfield used in a chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians.
- Joined allies in launching airstrikes in April 2018 against targets associated with Syria's chemical weapons use.
- New Cuba policy that enhanced compliance with U.S. law and held the Cuban regime accountable for political oppression and human rights abuses.
- Treasury and State are working to channel economic activity away from the Cuban regime, particularly the military.
- Changed the rules of engagement, empowering commanders to take the fight to ISIS.
- ISIS has lost virtually all of its territory, more than half of which has been lost under Trump.
- ISIS' self-proclaimed capital city, Raqqah, was liberated in October 2017.
- All Iraqi territory had been liberated from ISIS.
- More than a dozen American hostages have been freed from captivity all of the world.
- Action to combat Russia's malign activities, including their efforts to undermine the sanctity of United States elections.
- Expelled dozens of Russian intelligence officers from the United States and ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle, WA.
- Banned the use of Kaspersky Labs software on government computers, due to the company's ties to Russian intelligence.
- Imposed sanctions against five Russian entities and three individuals for enabling Russia's military and intelligence units to increase Russia's offensive cyber capabilities.
- Sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs, and 12 companies they own or control, who profit from Russia's destabilizing activities.
- Sanctioned 100 targets in response to Russia's occupation of Crimea and aggression in Eastern Ukraine.
- Enhanced support for Ukraine's Armed Forces to help Ukraine better defend itself.
- Helped win U.S. bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
- Helped win U.S.-Mexico-Canada's united bid for 2026 World Cup.
- Defense
- Executive order keeping the detention facilities at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay open.
- $700 billion in military funding for FY 2018 and $716 billion for FY 2019.
- Largest military pay raise in nearly a decade.
- Ordered a Nuclear Posture Review to ensure America's nuclear forces are up to date and serve as a credible deterrent.
- Released America's first fully articulated cyber strategy in 15 years.
- New strategy on national biodefense, which better prepares the nation to defend against biological threats.
- Administration has announced that it will use whatever means necessary to protect American citizens and servicemen from unjust prosecution by the International Criminal Court.
- Released an America first National Security Strategy.
- Put in motion the launch of a Space Force as a new branch of the military and relaunched the National Space Council.
- Encouraged North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to increase defense spending to their agree-upon levels.
- In 2017 alone, there was an increase of more than 4.8 percent in defense spending amongst NATO allies.
- Every member state has increased defense spending.
- Eight NATO allies will reach the 2 percent benchmark by the end of 2018 and 15 allies are on trade to do so by 2024.
- NATO allies spent over $42 billion dollars more on defense since 2016.
- Executive order to help military spouses find employment as their families deploy domestically and abroad.
- Veterans affairs
- Signed the VA Accountability Act and expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics, and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
- Delivered more appeals decisions - 81,000 - to veterans in a single year than ever before.
- Strengthened protections for individuals who come forward and identify programs occurring within the VA.
- Signed legislation that provided $86.5 billion in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the largest dollar amount in history for the VA.
- VA MISSION Act, enacting sweeping reform to the VA system that:
- Consolidated and strengthened VA community care programs.
- Funding for the Veterans Choice program.
- Expanded eligibility for the Family Caregivers Program.
- Gave veterans more access to walk-in care.
- Strengthened the VA's ability to recruit and retain quality healthcare professionals.
- Enabled the VA to modernize its assets and infrastructure.
- Signed the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act in 2017, which authorized $2.1 billion in addition funds for the Veterans Choice Program.
- Worked to shift veterans' electronic medical records to the same system used by the Department of Defense, a decades old priority.
- Issued an executive order requiring the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs to submit a joint plan to provide veterans access to access to mental health treatment as they transition to civilian life.
- Increased transparency and accountability at the VA by launching an online "Access and Quality Tool," providing veterans with access to wait time and quality of care data.
- Signed legislation to modernize the claims and appeal process at the VA.
- Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, providing enhanced educational benefits to veterans, service members, and their family members.
- Lifted a 15-year limit on veterans' access to their educational benefits.
- Created a White House VA Hotline to help veterans and principally staffed it with veterans and direct family members of veterans.
- VA employees are being held accountable for poor performance, with more than 4,000 VA employees removed, demoted, and suspended so far.
- Signed the Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act, increasing the number of VA employees that can assist justice-involved veterans.
