Trump Begins Executive Actions, Eyes Cutting Regulations 'by 75 Percent'

President Donald Trump’s initial executive actions include withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a freeze on recent regulations and a federal government hiring freeze except for the military. “We’ve been talking about this one for a long time,” Trump said Monday of the withdrawal from TPP, a trade deal that had been a priority for the Obama administration. Reince Priebus, Trump’s chief of staff, sent a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies Friday demanding a regulatory freeze pending review. “With respect to regulations that have been sent to the OFR but not published in the Federal Register, immediately withdraw them from the OFR [Office of the Federal Register] for review and approval,” Priebus said. “With respect to regulations that have been published in the OFR but have not taken effect, as permitted by applicable law, temporarily postpone their effective date for 60 days from the date of this memorandum … for the purpose of reviewing questions of fact, law, and policy they raise. Where appropriate and as permitted by applicable law, you should consider proposing for notice and comment a rule to delay the effective date for regulations beyond that 60-day period.” Trump also spoke generally Monday about his plans for taxation and regulation, in a meeting with industry CEOs including those leading Dell and SpaceX. “We are going to be cutting taxes massively for both the middle class and for companies,” Trump said, according to a pool report. “A bigger thing … we think we can cut regulations by 75 percent.” Trump "decided to reconvene the group of industry executives in a month and have them meet on a quarterly basis,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said. Competitive Enterprise Institute Policy Director Clyde Wayne Crews, writing in a Forbes column, said "Trump will fail" if he "does not challenge and uproot the core premises of the unelected administrative state governing human innovations" in the telecom sector, among others.