The Trump administration continued its focus on immigration and indicated progress in trade talks as this week marked the end of its first 100 days.

This week, President Trump issued several executive orders related to immigration, tariffs, and media bias. Meanwhile, the administration signaled that it has made progress in trade talks with various countries. Below is a high-level overview of the administration’s actions, broken down by topic, along with updates on related court challenges, personnel changes, and other breaking developments in their implementation.

This post will be the last in our “Week in Review” series as the administration’s first 100 days come to a close. Latham lawyers will continue monitoring and writing about the latest regulatory and legal developments, and will continue to provide updates on the blog.

Immigration

The administration issued an executive order directing the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to, within 30 days of the order, publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that are “sanctuary” jurisdictions and, after publication, notify each jurisdiction of “its defiance of Federal immigration law enforcement and any potential violations of Federal criminal law.” The heads of each agency and executive department are to coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget and, as appropriate, identify federal funds to sanctuary jurisdictions for suspension or termination.

The administration also announced its policy to “support America’s truckers and safeguard our roadways by enforcing the commonsense English-language requirement for commercial motor vehicles.” It directs the Secretary of Transportation to, within 60 days of the order, rescind the existing guidance regarding English proficiency testing and enforcement and issue new guidance to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and enforcement personnel with revised inspection procedures. The Secretary is also to (1) review “non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses” issued by state agencies for any irregular patterns or discrepancies and evaluate and improve the current protocols for verifying domestic and international commercial driving credentials; and (2) within 60 days of the order, identify and begin carrying out additional actions to improve truck drivers’ working conditions.

Tariffs and Trade

On April 29, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the administration had reached a trade deal with a yet-undisclosed country. According to news reports, China is considering trade talks with the United States in the wake of the multiple tariffs imposed by the administration, although only after the administration cancels its tariffs on Chinese goods. As of May 2, the administration’s decision to eliminate the de minimis exception to the tariffs for goods from China and Hong Kong under $800 will go into effect. A number of online retailers have already raised prices and publicly stated that the decision was due to US tariffs.

The administration also issued an executive order outlining the procedure to determine “which of multiple tariffs shall apply to an article” when it is subject to more than one. More about the tariffs can be found in this blog post.

On April 30, the administration announced a minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine that creates a joint investment fund between the countries and provides that the United States will share future revenues from Ukraine’s mineral reserves. Exact details of the agreement have not yet been provided.

Civil Rights

The administration issued an executive order establishing a Religious Liberty Commission, composed of 14 members appointed by the president. The commission is to “produce a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, the impact of religious liberty on American society, current threats to domestic religious liberty, strategies to preserve and enhance religious liberty protections for future generations, and programs to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism.” The commission will also advise the White House Faith Office and the Domestic Policy Council on US religious liberty policies.

To advise the commission, the order creates an Advisory Board of Religious Leaders (not to exceed 15 members), an Advisory Board of Lay Leaders (not to exceed 15 members), and an Advisory Board of Legal Experts (not to exceed 10 attorneys).

The administration also issued two proclamations related to religion:

• One proclamation designates a National Day of Prayer, which “encourage[s] all Americans to observe [the] day … and the importance of prayer.”
• The other proclamation designates April 29 as a day in celebration of the “First Landing and the Raising of the Cross at Cape Henry, Virginia,” and states that the cross serves as a “testament to the steadfast Christian belief of the Jamestown settlers.”

Separately, according to news reports, the Department of Justice (DOJ) anticipates that roughly 70% of its Civil Rights Division will accept a second round of offers to federal employees that allows them to resign from their positions and be paid through September 2025.

Media

On May 1, the administration issued an executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to stop direct funding to NPR and PBS, both by cancelling existing direct funding and declining to provide any future funding. The CPB board is also to cease indirect funding to NPR and PBS, including by ensuring that licensees and permittees of public radio and TV stations and any other CPB fund recipients do not use federal funds for NPR and PBS.

In order to carry out this directive, the CPB is to revise the 2025 Television Community Service Grants General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria and the 2025 Radio Community Service Grants General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria to prohibit direct or indirect funding of NPR and PBS. The heads of all agencies are to identify any remaining grants, contracts, or other funding instruments they have in place with NPR or PBS.

Healthcare

On April 29, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that its Administration for Children and Families would take steps to “expand choices for parents to support their children’s education” as part of the administration’s aim to deliver “educational freedom for families.”

On May 1, HHS released a “comprehensive review of the evidence and best practices for prompting the health of children and adolescents with gender dysmorphia.” The review purports to reveal “serious concerns about medical interventions … that attempt to transition children and adolescents away from their sex.”

On May 1, HHS announced that it was developing a universal vaccine platform, the “Generation Gold Standard,” whose vaccines aim to provide broad-spectrum protection against “multiple strains of pandemic-prone viruses.”

Education

In light of last week’s executive order on higher education accreditation, discussed in this blog post, the Department of Education (DOE) released a “Dear Colleague Letter” that emphasizes its aim to expedite the process of changing accreditors by removing certain requirements and conducting expeditious reviews except in very rare cases.

According to news reports, the DOE will stop paying out $1 billion in federal grants that school districts have used to hire mental health professionals.

The administration announced that it will seek to revoke tax-exempt status to universities that do not comply with the administration’s demand to alter diversity programs and hiring practices.

Key Appointments

The administration announced its intent to nominate Whitney Hermandorfer to serve as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

On May 1, the administration announced eight new appointees to the board of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, who will replace the board members that the president recently removed. The nominees are Betty Schwartz, Fred Marcus, Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, Sid Rosenberg, Ariel Abergel, Barbara Feingold, Alex Witkoff, and Robert Garson.

Mark Waltz was removed as the White House national security adviser and has been tapped for a post with the United Nations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as the interim national security adviser.

News of Other Interest

A number of developments have occurred in the European infrastructure space, impacting Great Britain, Germany, and Spain. The European Commission also introduced the Clean Industrial Deal to enhance Europe’s industrial competitiveness. For more details on these developments, see this newsletter.

Last week, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System announced that it was rescinding 2022 guidance regarding digital asset and stablecoin activities. The board also announced that, along with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, it would withdraw from two 2023 joint statements limiting banks’ ability to engage in digital asset activities. New guidance on supervised institutions’ involvement with digital assets is likely underway. For a deeper discussion, see this blog post.