The Myth Of Trump's Do-Nothing Presidency
Wall Street Journal
Greg Ip
July 26, 2017
" … To gauge a president’s impact you have to go beyond the laws he signs to the vast authority he wields through departments and agencies that apply the law. On that score, Mr. Trump is on track to do a lot. On finance, the internet, immigration and drugs, to name just a few issues, Trump appointees have begun nudging the economy and the country in a more conservative, pro-business direction. Whether that is good or bad is to a great extent in the eye of the beholder. What isn’t debatable is that the imperial presidency, after expanding under Barack Obama, remains just as formidable under Mr. Trump.
" … The latest update on regulatory actions released last week by the White House Office of Management and Budget contained 1,731 preliminary, proposed or final rules, down 40% from its peak under Mr. Obama in 2011 and a 17-year low, according to Sofie Miller of George Washington University’s Regulatory Studies Center. Many actions taken under Mr. Trump are actually reversals of earlier rules. Ms. Miller says of 66 completed actions at the Environmental Protection Agency, a third were rule withdrawals.
" ... Deciding not to act can be just as consequential as deciding to act, given the discretion presidents have in how they enforce existing laws. Mr. Obama, for example, chose to not deport some classes of illegal immigrants. Mr. Trump’s playbook is similar. His appointees have signaled they will use the discretion allowed under the sweeping Dodd-Frank postcrisis regulatory overhaul to loosen the reins on finance. Keith Noreika, the acting comptroller of the currency, has suggested he may reinterpret the 'Volcker rule' prohibition on proprietary trading to make it less onerous.
...
" … A shift in the political winds can also prompt agency staff, companies and individuals to fall in line. Amicus Therapeutics, a biotech company, recently applied for approval of a drug treating a rare genetic disorder without the additional clinical trial the Food and Drug Administration had previously demanded, a sign the agency’s new commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, is pushing faster approvals.
"Now that the Department of Homeland Security is prioritizing deportation, far fewer illegal immigrants are attempting to enter the U.S., judging by reduced apprehensions at the Southwest border … "
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