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In a break from the established Republican party stance on climate change, a number of GOP icons, including former Secretaries of State James Baker III and George Shultz, and former Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson Jr., are quietly advocating that sitting Republican lawmakers take the issue of global warming seriously, through the implementation of a carbon-tax. This approach stands in stark contrast to the party’s traditional view on the subject, having not only repeatedly tried to ignore the issue, but have also actively tried to block greenhouse gas reduction efforts.
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On January 27, 2016, President Trump signed an executive order that bans the entry of citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen into the United States, under all available visas, for 120 days. The order –supposedly to prevent terrorists from entering the U.S. — effectively stops the migration of refugees from these countries altogether for this period, and affects refugees originating from Syria indefinitely. However, since the order blankets everyone with a citizenship with the affected countries, this prevents the entry of not only those in need, but also those that would be of  benefit to the U.S.
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Staff members of the Environmental Protection Agency have been instructed to freeze all grants in the agency’s extensive funding program, including, but not limited to, funds for environmental research, education, industrial site redevelopment, and air quality monitoring. Furthermore, staff have also received orders not to talk about the issue with anyone outside the agency, including the public and the press.

This news broke when an anonymous EPA staff member informed the congressional office about the development earlier this week, and it is unknown as to whether the freeze will be temporary or not. The Huffington Post published a message that was reportedly given to EPA staff on January 23, outlining tight controls on external communication:
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President Trump has signed an executive order that authorizes the construction of the wall that he promised would be built along the United States-Mexico border. To pay the massive bill that such an ambitious construction project would bring, Trump also proposed a 20 percent tariff on goods imported from countries that the U.S. has a trade deficit with, including the $50 billion deficit with Mexico. Trump says that this is his way of getting Mexico to pay for the wall, but in the end, it will be the American consumer that will be footing the bill.
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