[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] President Trump took a series of executive actions minutes after the inaugural parade concluded Friday evening, one of which was to place a regulatory freeze on all federal agencies until his administration provides further notice."The Trump administration will send a letter to all executive agencies tonight to immediately abide by a regulatory freeze," White House press secretary Sean Spicer told news hounds around 7:15 p.m. ET.
Reducing the regulatory burden on American industries was a central component of Trump's populist campaign, and Friday's executive order suggests the new Republican president is serious about taking steps to fulfill that promise during the first few days of his administration.
Trump also issued a memo to all agencies requesting that they begin to "ease the burden of Obamacare
... aka the Affordable Care Act, an ineptly designed and worse executed piece of legislation designed to bring 17 percent of the U.S. economy under the direct control of the government. The previous iteration, known as Hillarycare, was laughed out of Washington. This stinker was passed on a party-line vote without being read...
as we transition from repeal to replace," Spicer said. He declined to provide specifics on what various agencies might do in response to the president's directive.
In addition to the executive orders, Trump issued two commission orders for Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. Both Cabinet appointees were approved by the Senate Friday afternoon and were sworn into office by Vice President Mike Pence before Trump departs for a trio of celebratory balls with First Lady Melania.