US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to cut ‘all taxpayer-funded benefits’ for undocumented migrants.
Yesterday (February 19), Trump signed another executive order – titled ‘Ending taxpayer subsidization of open borders’ – aimed at targeting ‘benefits for illegal aliens’.
It states: “The plain text of Federal law, including the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193) (PRWORA), generally prohibits illegal aliens from obtaining most taxpayer-funded benefits.
“Title IV of the PRWORA states that it is national policy that ‘aliens within the Nation’s borders not depend on public resources to meet their needs,’ and that ‘[i]t is a compelling government interest to remove the incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits.’ But in the decades since the passage of the PRWORA, numerous administrations have acted to undermine the principles and limitations directed by the Congress through that law.”
The order claims former US President Joe Biden’s Administration ‘repeatedly undercut the goals of that law, resulting in the improper expenditure of significant taxpayer resources’.
Trump’s Administration subsequently pledges to ‘uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protect benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans’.
Donald Trump has signed off on further restrictions against ‘aliens’ (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
What it means
Under ‘current welfare laws’, undocumented migrants are ‘generally barred from welfare programs’. If ‘they’re granted parole, they are classified as “qualified aliens” and become eligible for various welfare programs on a sliding scale, with full eligibility granted within five years’.
Trump’s executive order seeks to ‘identify all federally funded programs administered by the agency that currently permit illegal aliens to obtain any cash or non-cash public benefit, and, consistent with applicable law, take all appropriate actions to align such programs with the purposes of this order and the requirements of applicable Federal law, including the PRWORA’.
The order argues for federal payments not to ‘facilitate the subsidization or promotion of illegal immigration’ or ‘abet so-called “sanctuary” policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation’.
Trump signed the order on February 19 (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
How it will be enacted
It states within 30 days of the order being signed, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Administrator of the United States DOGE Service will work alongside the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy to ‘identify all other sources of Federal funding for illegal aliens’.
The White House’s ‘fact sheet’ for Trump’s decision to end ‘taxpayer subsidization of open borders’ states authorities should then take ‘corrective action’ to ensure ‘Federal funds to states and localities will not be used to support ‘sanctuary’ policies or assist illegal immigration’.
It resolves: “It mandates improvements in eligibility verification to prevent benefits from going to individuals unlawfully present in the United States.
“President Trump is committed to safeguarding Federal public benefits for American citizens who are truly in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.”
Donald Trump has argued why Joe Biden ‘could not be trusted with sensitive information’ after revoking his security clearance and prohibiting him from attending intelligence briefings.
Despite no longer serving as leaders of the United States, all former presidents are typically invited to classified intelligence briefings as a courtesy.
However, earlier this week, 47th President of the US Donald Trump revealed former President Joe Biden’s security clearance allowing him to attend such meetings would be revoked.
In a post shared to Truth Social on February 7, Trump wrote there’s ‘no need’ for Biden to ‘continue receiving access to classified information’ and so the government would ‘immediately’ be ‘revoking Biden’s security clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings’.
The reason? Well, Trump claimed Biden ‘set this precedent in 2021’ when he ‘instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents‘.
And he didn’t stop there either, going on to comment on why Biden apparently cannot ‘be trusted’ with such information anyway.
Donald Trump said what now? (Mandel Ngan – Pool/Getty Images)
Trump’s post continued: “The Hur Report revealed that Biden suffers from ‘poor memory’ and, even in his ‘prime,’ could not be trusted with sensitive information.
“I will always protect our National Security – JOE, YOU’RE FIRED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The ‘poor memory’ comment is from a report by special counsel Robert Hur from February last year which saw Biden described as a ‘well meaning, elderly man’ with a ‘poor memory,’ drawing on an alleged incident which saw Biden struggle to remember the year his son Beau passed away from cancer, BBC reports.
At the time, Biden refuted the claims, telling reporters: “I’m well-meaning, and I’m an elderly man, and I know what the hell I’m doing.” And a transcript later suggested Biden was not directly asked when his son had passed.
It’s not just Biden who’s had his security clearance revoked either, with Trump signing an executive order ‘holding former government officials accountable for election interference and improper disclosure of sensitive government information’.
The gloves are off (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The order ‘directs the revocation of any active or current security clearances held by: (i) the former intelligence officials who engaged in misleading and inappropriate political coordination with the 2020 Biden presidential campaign; and John R. Bolton’.
Former top US military commander Mark Milley – who has been vocal in his criticism of Trump – and former chief medical advisor to the president, Anthony Fauci, have had their security clearance revoked alongside Trump’s own former National Security Advisor, John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
US President Donald Trump has announced a ‘reciprocal tariff’ to any countries which charge tax on US imports.
After getting sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump wasted no time signing a staggering 50 plus executive orders – although, a fair few have been halted in their tracks.
However, yesterday (February 13), the White House shared an article announcing ‘Reciprocal trade and tariffs’.
The article declares itself as a written message for the Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the United States Trade Representative, the Assistant of the President for Economic Policy and the Senior Counselor to the President for Trade and Manufacturing.
It states the US has been ‘treated unfairly by trading partners, both friend and foe,’ for ‘many years’ and its ‘workers and industries’ are bearing ‘the brunt of unfair practices and limited access to foreign markets’.
Branding the situation ‘untenable,’ and threatening the US’ ‘economic and national security,’ Trump’s new policy aims to make ‘trade more reciprocal and balanced’ by introducing the ‘Fair and Reciprocal Plan’ to ‘counter non-reciprocal trading arrangements with trading partners by determining the equivalent of a reciprocal tariff with respect to each foreign trading partner’.
To do this, the plan will examine ‘tariffs imposed on US products’ alongside taxes imposed on US businesses, workers, and consumers.
And Trump doubled down on the plan in a post on Truth Social.
Donald Trump has announced a ‘Reciprocal Tariff’ (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Trump wrote: “On Trade, I have decided, for purposes of Fairness, that I will charge a RECIPROCAL Tariff meaning, whatever Countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them – No more, no less!
“For purposes of this United States Policy, we will consider Countries that use the VAT System, which is far more punitive than a Tariff, to be similar to that of a Tariff. Sending merchandise, product, or anything by any other name through another Country, for purposes of unfairly harming America, will not be accepted.”
If Trump treats VAT as a tariff, chief North America economist at Capital Economics, Paul Ashworth, told Sky News that India could be hit with tariffs as high as 29 percent, Brazil with 28 percent, the EU with 25 percent and the UK a potential 24 percent.
But Trump reckons ‘no other Country can complain’ as he deems the policy ‘fair to all’.
Trump doesn’t think any country ‘can complain’ (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“In some cases, if a Country feels that the United States would be getting too high a Tariff, all they have to do is reduce or terminate their Tariff against us,” he argued. “There are no Tariffs if you manufacture or build your product in the United States.”
He rallied: “America has helped many Countries throughout the years, at great financial cost. It is now time that these Countries remember this, and treat us fairly – A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR AMERICAN WORKERS.”
It comes after Trump previously threatened to put 25 percent import taxes on all goods from Canada and Mexico.
However, he implemented a 30-day pause on these tariffs earlier this month after Mexico and Canada retaliated by issuing their own counter-tariffs.
Canada is imposing 25 percent tariffs on CA $155 billion of US goods, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ordered her economic minister to implement measures to protect Mexico’s best interests.
What are tariffs?
Tariffs are taxes imposed on foreign goods, meaning many of these goods will cost more to sell in the US – so ultimately, the consumer will pay.
Advanced countries fell out of favor with tariffs following World War II, because they often lead to ‘reduced trade, higher prices for consumers, and retaliation from abroad’, the Council on Foreign Relations reports.
FBI uncovers thousands more undisclosed JFK assassination files after Trump’s executive order to release them
Donald Trump ordered JFK’s assassination files to be declassified last month
The FBI has uncovered thousands more undisclosed JFK assassination files following President Donald Trump’s executive order to release them.
I think Trump’s first three weeks in office can be described with two simple words… executive orders.
Yep, the 47th POTUS signed off on numerous executive orders, which included halting the ban of TikTok, changing laws on immigration, and declaring that there are ‘only two genders’, just hours upon his return to the Oval Office.
A few days into the job, Trump signed off an executive order that would see the files connected to the deaths of Marin Luther King Jr., President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy declassified.
Donald Trump loves an executive order (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
Part of the newly signed order states, as per Mail Online: “More than 50 years after the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, Senator Robert F Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Federal Government has not released to the public all of its records related to those events.
“Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth. It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay.”
It was Axios who first reported 2,400 records tied to the infamous assassination had been released following a review.
The FBI told Fox News: “In 2020, the FBI opened the Central Records Complex and began a multi-year effort to first ship and then electronically inventory and store closed case files from FBI field offices across the country.
“The resulting, more comprehensive records inventory, coupled with the technologic advances in automating the FBI’s record keeping processes, allows us to more quickly search and locate records.”
They added: “The FBI conducted a new records search pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order issued on January 23, 2025, regarding the declassification of the assassination files of JFK, RFK, and MLK. The search resulted in approximately 2400 newly inventoried and digitized records that were previously unrecognized as related to the JFK assassination case file.
JFK was assassinated in 1963 (Getty Stock Photo)
“The FBI has made the appropriate notifications of the newly discovered documents and is working to transfer them to the National Archives and Records Administration for inclusion in the ongoing declassification process.”
