In Defying the Odds, we discuss Trump's approach to governing. The update -- just published --includes a chapter on the 2018 midterms.
Noah Bierman at LAT:
Noah Bierman at LAT:
The Times reviewed 101 executive orders Trump has signed since inauguration day, and interviewed experts, advocates and administration officials about their effects. Many were geared toward favored political constituencies, including veterans, blue-collar workers and evangelical Christians. Few moved policy significantly; generally the orders created committees or task forces, demanded reports or pressed for enforcement of existing laws.
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Many orders seek action from Cabinet secretaries, something Trump could easily accomplish with a phone call.
“You don’t really need an executive order for a lot of this stuff, but it makes for a good show,” said Elaine Kamarck, a Clinton administration veteran who is the director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution.
“He even gives out pens, which is really sort of ridiculous,” she added, noting that past presidents reserved that tradition for signing momentous laws like the Civil Rights Act.
