I'm James Oliphant, national political correspondent for Reuters, and having covered the Trump campaign, I know first-hand how determined Trump and his team were to start quickly and avoid the misfires that characterized much of his first term.
But Trump's second week in office has been challenging, with his plans sparking outrage, confusion and legal fights.
A federal judge stopped his plan to freeze federal outlays in its tracks. Two unions representing federal government workers sued Trump over his plan to reclassify thousands of career employees as political appointees.
Trump appears serious about wanting to swing a wrecking ball through the federal bureaucracy. Along with the career employee reclassification plan, the White House is offering buyouts to more than 2 million federal workers, an announcement many civil servants and unions said they did not trust.
Nothing sparked more chaos than the White House's order on Monday suspending billions of dollars in federal loans and grants. While officials claimed the order was only intended to apply to diversity programs and other governmental initiatives that Trump wants to eliminate, it wasn't interpreted that way in some sectors. Democrats said the order effectively prevented doctors and preschool teachers from receiving federal payments.
Facing a second lawsuit by 22 states that argued Trump was usurping Congress' power to oversee spending, the White House's Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday rescinded the directive implementing the order.
It was not a great look for a president who as a candidate questioned the Biden administration's competence at every turn, though the White House does not seem to be concerned whether its steamroller agenda carries risk of political blowback.
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