Context:

President Donald Trump is seeking to radically alter the structure and functioning of various longstanding federal agencies and programs, some of which date back to the founding of the United States. His initiatives include redefining taxation systems, reshaping immigration policies, and attempting to dismantle or privatize entities such as the USPS and the Environmental Protection Agency. Significant cuts and restructuring plans are also directed toward scientific research funding through the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services faces potential consolidation and funding reductions. Trump's administration has aimed to shift the Civil Rights Division's focus from traditional anti-discrimination efforts to targeting anti-Christian bias and antisemitism, and has attempted to dismantle public broadcasting and arts funding. Additionally, Trump's policies could undermine the Affordable Care Act and disrupt federal disaster response capabilities managed by FEMA, while his economic strategies propose a reordering of the global monetary system with risks to the US dollar's status as a reserve currency.

Dive Deeper:

• Trump's administration is focused on reorganizing or dismantling federal agencies like the USPS and the IRS, with proposals to privatize or move them under different government departments to exert more control, and shift the revenue system from income taxes to tariffs.

• The Trump administration plans to challenge the birthright citizenship provision of the 14th Amendment, seeing it as a draw for illegal immigration, a move that would require Supreme Court involvement.

• Proposed budget cuts and restructuring at the National Institutes of Health could lead to significant reductions in scientific research funding, affecting numerous universities and researchers, and involve consolidating its 27 research institutes into eight.

• Trump's administration seeks to reshape public broadcasting by cutting federal funds for NPR and PBS, which receive significant funding for programming and local stations across the country, arguing these are frivolous expenditures.

• The Environmental Protection Agency under Trump's administration is set to focus on the economy, aiming to reduce regulations, particularly those addressing climate change, with plans to dismantle programs like Energy Star.

• FEMA faces potential downsizing and restructuring under Trump's administration, which believes state governments should take a more active role in disaster response, potentially leaving states without necessary federal support.

• Efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are underway, as Trump sees it as unnecessary, although its consumer protection roles are critical in the wake of the Great Recession; court challenges have arisen against these efforts.