Trump News 01/25/2017

The Trump administration has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to put all grants and contracts on hold, and to shut down all communication with the public. This could affect climate change research as well as plans to improve the water and air quality in impoverished communities.

According to reports, within hours of Donald Trump's inauguration, an email went out to employees that said, "New EPA administration has asked that all contract and grant awards be temporarily suspended, effective immediately. Until we receive further clarification, which we hope to have soon, please construe this to include task orders and work assignments." (The Washington Post)

The Trump administration has also asked the EPA, along with the departments of the Interior, Transportation, Agriculture and Health and Human Services to stop issuing press releases and using social media to communicate with the public.

Liz Purchia, who headed EPA’s public affairs office during the Obama administration, said, “It’s ironic that Trump based his entire campaign on Twitter and social media and now he’s preventing the staff that work from him from communicating with the public.”

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Donald Trump's continued insistence that he would have won the popular vote if it wasn't for the millions of immigrants who voted illegally is even drawing push back from some top Republicans.

Although the claim, which Trump had previously tweeted about, has been proven false by numerous fact checker and the Trump administration has provided no evidence to back up the claim, Trump continues to insist that's the case, even making the claim to lawmakers on Monday at the White House.

On Tuesday, at least two Republicans-- House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- and a Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters spoke out about the claims. (The Hill)

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President Trump is expected to announce today an executive order that will make good on his biggest campaign promise.  The President's order will direct federal resources toward construction of a wall on the southwest border with Mexico. He will make the announcement this afternoon during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security. The executive order will not only take a step closer to building the wall but will also increase the staff at Customs and Border Patrol and repair the existing areas of fencing along the border.

Today's controversial action is the first of several President Trump will take in the interest of national security. He also plans to reduce the number of refugees that can come to the United States and will temporarily block those from "terror prone" nations from entering. A source says the President also wants to keep the prison at Guantanamo Bay open.