Trump's Legacy: Laws Passed Under His Administration

During his tenure as President of the United States, Donald Trump passed 55 bills into law, only two of which created new policies. Trump's legislative achievements include the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which imposed new sanctions on Russia, and the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, which gave the Department of Veterans Affairs more power to dismiss inept employees. Trump's administration also worked to reverse Obama-era efforts to fight climate change, withdrawing from the 2015 Paris Agreement and replacing the Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule. Trump's immigration policies included tightening borders, reducing refugee admissions, and instituting a ban on travelers from majority-Muslim and African nations. He also diverted billions of dollars in military funds to pay for a wall on the southern border, a campaign promise that Mexico was supposed to finance. Trump's America First trade policies sparked a tariff war with China, and he renegotiated the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed in 2017, was the most significant restructuring of the US tax system since the 1980s, slashing the corporate tax rate and cutting taxes for the wealthy. Trump's legacy will also endure in the federal courts, as he appointed three justices to the Supreme Court and 53 judges to federal appeals courts, resulting in a solid 6-3 conservative majority.

Trump appointed three justices to the Supreme Court, resulting in a 6-3 conservative majority

During his tenure, Trump appointed three justices to the Supreme Court, resulting in a 6-3 conservative majority. This was a feat last achieved by President Richard Nixon, who appointed four justices in his first four years. Trump's appointments will have a long-lasting impact on the federal courts, with his conservative lifetime appointees influencing every aspect of American life for decades.

Trump's success in appointing judges was due to his collaboration with Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who prioritised judicial nominations as the majority leader of the Senate (which confirms such appointments). In less than four years, Trump appointed 53 judges to federal appeals courts (just under a third of the total) and about a quarter of district court judges, the lowest rung on the federal judicial ladder. As a result, three of the country's 13 federal appeals courts were ideologically "flipped".

Trump's appointments to the Supreme Court, in particular, have had significant implications for various social and political issues. The Court's conservative majority has influenced rulings on abortion, gay rights, the death penalty, voting rights, regulatory and business disputes, employment law, and environmental concerns.

Trump's administration re-negotiated the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, adding stronger environmental and labour standards

Trump's administration re-negotiated the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which he blamed for the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs to Mexico. The new agreement included digital trade rules and stronger environmental and labour standards – the latter at the insistence of Democrats.

The agreement was renegotiated to include stronger environmental and labour standards, but it is unclear whether these changes were a direct result of Trump's administration. The changes could have been influenced by the Democrats, who insisted on stronger standards.

Trump's tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations were paid for by slashing basic living standards for the most vulnerable

On December 22, 2017, Trump signed into law the most extensive tax overhaul since the Tax Reform Act of 1986. The new tax law, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, made significant changes to both individual and corporate income taxes. While the act cut the maximum corporate income tax rate to 21%, it also eliminated the tax on people who do not have adequate health insurance coverage and made changes to the alternative minimum tax. These changes resulted in a more unequal distribution of after-tax income, benefiting high-income households far more than low and middle-income households.

The 2017 Trump Tax Law was heavily skewed towards the rich, with households in the top 1% receiving an average tax cut of over $60,000 in 2025, compared to an average tax cut of less than $500 for households in the bottom 60%. The law also included large, permanent corporate tax cuts, reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and adopting a territorial tax system that exempts certain foreign income of multinational corporations from tax. These corporate tax cuts were even more concentrated at the very top, with the top 1% receiving 36.2% of the benefits.

The law also cut the top individual income tax rate from 39.6% to 37% for married couples with over $600,000 in taxable income and weakened the alternative minimum tax, which was designed to ensure that higher-income individuals pay a minimum level of tax. Additionally, the law doubled the estate tax exemption, allowing the wealthiest households to pass on twice as much of their wealth to their heirs tax-free.

While the law did include some provisions that benefited low and middle-income families, such as lowering statutory tax rates and nearly doubling the standard deduction, these changes were offset by other provisions that raised taxes on these families. As a result, most families saw only modest tax cuts, which were far outweighed by the significant net tax cuts for the wealthy.

The Trump Administration claimed that the corporate tax cuts would boost economic growth and lead to a $4,000 increase in household income. However, research has shown that these gains did not trickle down to most workers, and there was no significant change in wages or earnings for those with incomes below $114,000. Instead, the tax cuts primarily benefited top executives and firm managers, with their salaries increasing sharply.

The 2017 Trump Tax Law was not only regressive but also expensive, eroding the US revenue base. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the law would cost $1.9 trillion over ten years, and recent estimates show that making the temporary individual income and estate tax cuts permanent would cost an additional $400 billion per year. These tax cuts have limited the government's ability to invest in critical areas such as healthcare, education, and social safety nets, and have added to the national debt.

Trump's administration weakened the Clean Power Plan, which was an Obama-era policy to cut emissions from the electricity sector

Trump's administration weakened the Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era policy to cut emissions from the electricity sector. The Clean Power Plan was replaced by the Affordable Clean Energy rule, which had no hard targets for emissions cuts.

Trump's actions on environmental policy were part of a broader strategy to slash environmental red tape, which he viewed as an obstacle to business and the US fossil fuel industry. He initiated the US withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Agreement, the international accord to fight global warming. The retreat meant that the US abandoned its pledge to slash emissions by 26-28% from 2005 levels by 2025.

Trump also altered the National Environmental Policy Act, which governs environmental reviews of large infrastructure projects, to reduce the weight that climate considerations can have in permitting.

Trump's administration withdrew from the Paris Agreement, an international accord to fight global warming

On June 1, 2017, Trump announced that the United States would cease all participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement, a global accord to implement the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Paris Agreement aimed to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, predominantly by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement was based on his belief that the agreement would "undermine" the U.S. economy and put the country "at a permanent disadvantage". He argued that the agreement, if implemented, would cost the United States $3 trillion in lost GDP and 6.5 million jobs. He also stated that it would "undermine our economy, hamstring our workers," and "effectively decapitate our coal industry".

Trump's announcement was met with criticism from various groups, including environmentalists, religious organizations, business leaders, scientists, and a majority of Americans. The withdrawal also impacted the U.S.'s financial contributions to the Green Climate Fund, reducing the funds available for climate change research and decreasing the chances of reaching the Paris Agreement goals.

Following Trump's announcement, several U.S. states, businesses, and cities formed the U.S. Climate Alliance to continue advancing the objectives of the Paris Agreement at the state level. Additionally, some states and businesses pledged to continue cutting carbon emissions and make up for the federal government's decision to withdraw from the agreement.

Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement also had international repercussions, as the U.S. became the first and only country to withdraw from the accord. This raised questions of trust and led to concerns about a potential domino effect, with other countries following suit. However, Trump's successor, Joe Biden, vowed to rejoin the Paris Agreement on his first day in office, which he did on January 20, 2021.

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