Recent executive orders recap

24 executive orders have been published since our recap in August. Here is a summary of the new orders, plus a few we missed last time.

Defense or War

Trump claimed to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, but the Executive Order only revives the department’s former name as a nickname, since the President cannot officially change the name without Congressional approval. Still, “defense.gov” now routes to “war.gov,” and Hegseth updated signs around his office since the order authorizes him to refer to himself as Secretary of War. Critics complain of the cost required to update emblems and signage both domestic and abroad – millions of dollars – as well as the message it would send to the American public and foreign leaders, while proponents claim the change would be more reflective of the department’s mission and capabilities.

Foreign Affairs and Immigration

President Trump has ordered new tariffs on India due to their trade relationship with Russia, Brazil for convicting their former President Jair Bolsonaro of attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election, modified tariffs on Japan and China, and signed broad changes to his reciprocal tariff plan which an appeals court has ruled is illegal.