The Trump Era

Item set

• AHA–OAH Statement on Executive Order "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling" (2025)
  This joint statement from the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians called out the "politicization of history grounded in ahistorical thinking" mandated by President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14190. More than 30 other organizations have signed on to the statement.
• Alien Enemies Act (1798)
  This is one of four acts known collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts. These acts, passed by a Federalist-controlled Congress, applied restrictions to immigration and speech in the U.S. The acts were highly controversial and contributed to the Federalist defeat in the election of 1800. After 1802, only the Alien Enemies Act remained in force, and has continued to be invoked during times of war. In 2025, President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expedite the exportation of Venezuelan suspected gang members. The Alien Enemies Act gave the president the power to apprehend, restrain, secure, and remove "natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects" of a hostile nation or government during times of war, invasion, or "predatory incursion."
• Dear Colleague Letter (2025)
  This letter, sent to the departments of education in all 50 states, summarized the Trump administration's position on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). While the letter does not carry the force of law, it states that any institutions of higher education who do not comply with the administration's interpretation of existing nondiscrimination requirements may lose federal funding.
• Executive Order 11246 - Equal Employment Opportunity (1965)
  This executive order enacted by President Lyndon B. Johnson was repealed by a January 2025 executive order from Donald Trump. The original order was written to ensure equal opportunity in government employment and limit discrimination based on race. It required employers to furnish documentation of nondiscriminatory practices upon request.
• Executive Order 13672 - Further Amendments to Executive Order 11478, Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal Government, and Executive Order 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity (2014)
  This executive order by President Barack Obama revised and amended Presidents Richard Nixon's and Lyndon B. Johnson's Executive Orders 11478 and 11246 to include protections against discrimination in the federal government based on sexual orientation or gender identity. President Donald Trump rescinded this order on January 21, 2025, with his own Executive Order 14173.
• Executive Order 13988 - Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation (2021)
  In this executive order, President Joe Biden stated his administration's commitment to the idea that "all persons should receive equal treatment under the law, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation." The order directed federal agencies to review all orders, regulations, guidance documents, policies, programs, or other agency actions to ensure they are consistent with this idea and to extend such protections if they are not. President Donald Trump rescinded this order on January 20, 2025, with his own Executive Order 14168.
• Executive Order 14021 - Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free From Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity (2021)
  In this executive order, President Joe Biden declared that under his administration, "all students should be guaranteed an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex," including sexual harassment and sexual violence, as well as discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The order directed federal agencies to review all regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies, and any other similar agency actions to ensure they are consistent with this order and to extend such protections if they are not. President Donald Trump rescinded this order on January 20, 2025, with his own Executive Order 14168.
• Executive Order 14151 - Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing (2025)
  This executive order by President Donald Trump directed the Office of Management and Budget to terminate all mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities relating to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. It also required federal agencies to report a list of all employees in DEI positions within 60 days. As a result, these employees were terminated.
• Executive Order 14160 - Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship (2025)
  This executive order by President Donald Trump aimed to end birthright citizenship for children when the mother is in the United States illegally or the mother is in the U.S. temporarily and the father is not a citizen.
• Executive Order 14168 - Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government (2025)
  This executive order by President Donald Trump narrowly defined sex and gender in a way inconsistent with biology, prohibited gender self-identification on federal documents, ended funding for gender-affirming care, and restricted transgender people from being imprisoned in facilities consistent with their gender identity.
• Executive Order 14173 - Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (2025)
  This executive order by President Donald Trump took aim at diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives in private institutions, especially institutions of higher education receiving federal funding. It also revoked several longstanding executive orders related to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action.
• Executive Order 14190 - Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling (2025)
  This executive order by President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Department of Education and other federal agencies to end funding and support for "illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination" in K-12 schools, including practices and programs based on "gender ideology" and "discriminatory equity ideology." It also called for the reestablishment of the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission "to promote patriotic education."
• Iowa Civil Rights Act (1965)
  This Iowa law outlined the civil rights protections in areas like employment, housing, education, and public accommodations, prohibiting discrimination based on race, creed, religion, color, and national origin. Since its original passage in 1965, the Iowa Civil Rights Act has been expanded to include protections against sex (1970), age (1972), disability (1981), and gender identity and sexual orientation (2007) discrimination. In 2025, the state legislature removed gender identity from the list of protected classes, becoming the first state in the U.S. to do so.
• Proclamation 10903 - Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of the United States by Tren de Aragua (2025)
  This proclamation issued by President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to apprehend and remove suspected members of Tren de Aragua from within the U.S. The proclamation called for the apprehension, restraint, and removal of Venezuelan citizens who were at least 14 years of age, within the U.S., and who were not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
• Proclamation 10948 - Enhancing National Security By Addressing Risks At Harvard University (2025)
  This presidential proclamation by Donald Trump claimed that because of an increase of criminal activity at Harvard University and a failure of the University to comply with federal directives, international student visas would be revoked. Harvard filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security, arguing that the ban violated the University's rights under the First and Fifth Amendments. A federal judge granted Harvard's request for a temporary restraining order that would allow international students to enter the country to attend the University. A federal court later found that the proclamation exceeded the scope of presidential authority and infringed upon Harvard's constitutional rights. The Department of Homeland Security appealed the decision.
• Proclamation 10949 - Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats (2025)
  This presidential proclamation reinstated the travel ban from Donald Trump's first presidency that banned the entry into the United States of citizens from 12 countries from the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean. In January 2026, Proclamation 10998 went into effect, raising the number of countries with a full suspension of entry into the U.S. to 20, including countries from Asia.
• Re: DEI Programs Are Lawful Under Federal Civil Rights Laws and Supreme Court Precedent (2025)
  This memorandum from law professors across the United States explains how diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are legally defensible, in spite of the January 21, 2025, Executive Order titled "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity."
• Re: February 14, 2025 Dear Colleague Letter issued by the United States Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (2025)
  In this letter from the Montana University System, the Chief Legal Counsel responded to the Dear Colleague letter, describing its compliance with the guidance from the letter. It called attention to Montana's work with tribal governments to increase the recruitment and retention of tribal students, noting that the Supreme Court has recognized distinctions based on tribal enrollment as political not racial classification.
• Voting Rights Act (1965)
  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited racial discrimination in voting, enforcing the voting rights protected by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. Its intent was to outlaw the discriminatory voting practices adopted by many southern states against African Americans. The Voting Rights Act's power was severely reduced by the 2013 Supreme Court Decision in Shelby County v. Holder and again in 2026 by Louisiana v. Callais. Mere days after the decision in Callais, Tennessee passed a new redistricting map that will divide the only majority-Black district in the state. Several other southern states have also taken steps toward redistricting areas with a Black majority.