In the day-old Trump White House, there is no time to waste. On his inauguration day, now President Donald Trump signed an order on Obamacare that his press secretary, Sean Spicer, said would require government agencies to “ease the burden of the law.”
No further details were provided, but it was the shape of things to come. The White House did not immediately provide the order after Trump signed it in the Oval Office.
An avid Trump said over and over during the campaign he would repeal Obamacare, and Congress has passed a budget resolution allowing for a repeal to advance. It took less than four hours after he was sworn in to make good on his promise.
He had said that a replacement plan will provide “insurance for everybody,” at a January 11 press conference. He wanted to repeal it and a replacement policy to be passed “essentially simultaneously.” It is a certainty the Democrats and the largely hostile media will be watching his every move on Obama’s main legacy.
Spicer said Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, would issue a memo to government agencies ordering a freeze on new regulations. That should be accomplished next week.
Trump made his first day also a day of business in the nation’s capital. He also signed commissions for Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who were confirmed by the Senate late Friday. They will be sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence, Spicer said.
It was reported that Trump planned a two day vacation. But anyone who is close to the new president understands that “vacation” is a word he detests and has said there is no time for such trivialities.
