Trump eyes executive order use
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump may be one of President Obama’s toughest critics, but when it comes to Obama’s controversial use of executive orders to circumvent Congress, the Republican sees him as a role model.
Trump has already promised to be as aggressive as Obama on executive orders on a wide range of issues. They include:
• End special tax treatment for carried interest: Trump — like Democrat Hillary Clinton — calls for taxing carried interest as regular income, a move they could make by writing new Treasury Department regulations.
• Tighten regulations on money-transfer companies: The cornerstone of Trump’s candidacy has been a promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump says he can force Mexico to pay for it by rewriting banking rules to control an estimated $26 billion that is wired to Mexico from the United States every year.
• Increase wages for certain foreign workers, and require companies to hire Americans first: Trump says requiring higher wages for those who receive H1-B visas will deter companies from hiring foreign workers.
• Mandatory deportation for all illegal aliens with criminal records, and detentions for those caught at the border: Like Obama and President Bush before him, the Trump administration would set parameters on how to focus the deportation budget.
• Stop paying to defend NATO allies: Trump used his foreign policy address on April 27 to echo concerns shared by many U.S. officials that most of the 28 NATO member nations don’t spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense, as required by the agreement.
• Cancel the Paris climate accord and stop paying U.S. tax dollars into U.N. global warming programs.
• Scrap “job-destroying” energy regulations: Trump singled out Obama’s new limits on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, and said he would rescind “any regulation that is outdated, unnecessary, bad for workers or contrary to the national interest.”
• Declare China a currency manipulator: Trump says that China isn’t a fair trading partner, and that it’s “Great Wall of Protectionism” is hurting U.S. workers and companies. Trump says he would declare the country a currency manipulator “on day one,” echoing a promise by 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney.