Trump turns again to executive orders

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is setting a brisk pace lately in issuing executive orders, and he’s just getting started as he tries to position himself as a man of action on everything from foreign policy to racial justice in an election year. The impact of some of the orders, though, is less than meets the eye.

Trump has so far issued 33 executive orders this year, though he was a critic of such actions when running for office. He’s on pace to exceed his high of 55 executive orders issued during his first year in office.

Mark Meadows, Trump’s chief of staff, says the president is considering more orders in coming days dealing with topics such as immigration, jobs and China. He contrasted Trump’s efforts with members of Congress who are returning to their home states and districts for much of July. They’re expected to come back for a short while before heading out again for most of August.

“It’s apparent that they are not willing to stay here to get the people’s work done. In fact, they’re disappearing for almost three weeks,” Meadows said.

An executive order can have the same effect as a federal law — but its impact can be fleeting. Congress can pass a new law to override an executive order, and future presidents can undo them. Trump’s executive orders allow him to make use of the bully pulpit, though it’s questionable how much some will accomplish.

For example, a recent order on protecting monuments and statues appealed to those alarmed by demonstrators growing increasingly emboldened to destroy statues that they deem offensive or inappropriate. But it merely called on federal officials to make the fullest use of existing law, which authorizes a penalty of up to 10 years in prison for the “willful injury” of federal property.

The president’s executive order on policing stopped far short of what Democratic lawmakers are seeking. Kristina Roth at Amnesty International USA said it “amounts to a BandAid for a bullet wound.”