Organized records from past administrations — actions, investigations, scandals, and more.
Administration
Category
President Trump signed the Tax Cuts for American Families Act, extending all 2017 TCJA provisions permanently, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay, and creating a new $5,000 child tax credit for families earning under $200,000. The CBO scores the legislation at $3.8 trillion added to the national debt over 10 years. Democrats uniformly opposed the bill.
2026-05-28
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a sweeping 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative, including administrative bans on 8 synthetic food dyes (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and others) in federally-funded school meals and nutrition programs. The initiative also includes proposed bans on brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, and propylparaben in processed foods.
2026-04-22
The Department of Government Efficiency released a cumulative savings report claiming $105 billion in federal spending cuts since January 2025 through contract terminations, agency closures, and workforce reductions. The Congressional Budget Office disputed the figure, placing verified savings at $34 billion and noting $18 billion in one-time severance and litigation costs not accounted for in DOGE's tally.
2026-04-15
The FY2026 budget resolution enacted through reconciliation cut Education Department discretionary funding by 65%, EPA by 55%, and HUD by 40% — the deepest single-year cuts to domestic agencies since the New Deal. The Education cuts effectively eliminate Title I funding for low-income schools, eliminate the Head Start program, and convert student loan programs to private servicing. Several states have announced they will sue to block implementation.
2026-03-28
The Department of Justice opened a formal criminal investigation into former FBI Director Christopher Wray and senior FBI officials for allegedly weaponizing investigative resources against political opponents during 2021-2024. The probe focuses on the Mar-a-Lago search warrant, subpoenas to Trump campaign advisors, and alleged selective enforcement of National Security Letters.
2026-03-10
President Trump imposed sweeping reciprocal tariffs on imports from over 180 countries, including 145% on Chinese goods, 20% on EU imports, and a 10% universal baseline. Financial markets experienced historic volatility, with the Dow dropping over 4,000 points in two sessions before a 90-day pause was announced.
2025-04-02
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accidentally added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat where senior administration officials — including SecDef Pete Hegseth, VP JD Vance, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe — discussed imminent military strike plans against Houthi targets in Yemen.
2025-03-24
The Senate confirmed Kash Patel as FBI Director in a 51-49 party-line vote in February 2025. Patel's confirmation hearings revealed plans to restructure FBI headquarters, relocate personnel, and open investigations into perceived political targeting of conservatives. Career FBI officials reportedly raised concerns about interference with ongoing investigations. The ACLU and former FBI officials warned of politicization risks.
2025-02-20
President Trump fired two sitting NLRB board members in February 2025, citing 'disloyalty to the President's agenda.' The terminations left the board without a quorum of three members required to decide cases, effectively halting federal labor law adjudication. A federal district court ordered reinstatement of the fired members in March 2025; the D.C. Circuit reversed in May 2025, leaving the board paralyzed pending Supreme Court review.
2025-02-15
The administration initiated the largest reduction in the federal workforce since World War II via executive orders establishing the Department of Government Efficiency. Over 100,000 federal positions targeted for elimination. Multiple federal courts issued temporary restraining orders blocking specific agency closures.
2025-02-11
The administration reinstated Schedule F via executive order, reclassifying thousands of career civil servants as at-will employees. OPM sent an email to all ~2 million federal workers demanding they list 5 accomplishments or face termination. Multiple agencies conducted rapid reductions in force amid court battles.
2025-01-27
Fox News host Pete Hegseth was confirmed as Secretary of Defense by a 50-50 Senate vote with VP JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote — the first time a tie-breaking VP vote confirmed a cabinet secretary. Hegseth faced allegations of sexual assault, excessive alcohol use, and financial mismanagement at a veterans organization.
2025-01-25
Acting Attorney General Matthew Gaetz directed the dismissal of all pending federal criminal cases against President Trump on January 20, 2025, including the classified documents case and the January 6 election interference case. Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned the same day. The dismissals ended the most extensive federal prosecution of a former and sitting president in U.S. history.
2025-01-20
President Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency via executive order, placing Elon Musk as its unofficial head. DOGE accessed sensitive federal payment and data systems across Treasury, OPM, HHS, and other agencies, cutting thousands of federal workers and canceling hundreds of contracts.
President Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization on his first day in office for the second time, effective January 2026. The withdrawal eliminates $880 million in annual U.S. contributions — the WHO's largest single donor. Global health officials warned the withdrawal creates critical funding gaps for disease surveillance, particularly for pandemic preparedness programs that depend on U.S. CDC data-sharing infrastructure.
Treasury Department released the final IRA clean energy investment accounting showing $369 billion allocated to clean energy tax credits, EVs, and climate resilience, leveraging an estimated $3 trillion in private sector investment. Top recipients include solar manufacturing ($89B), EV credit claims ($54B), and home energy efficiency credits ($31B). Several provisions face repeal under the Trump administration's 'Big Beautiful Bill.'
2024-12-01
Special Counsel David Weiss secured two federal indictments against Hunter Biden: a three-count gun charges indictment in Delaware (convicted June 2024) and a nine-count federal tax charges indictment in California (convicted September 2024). Hunter Biden was sentenced in December 2024 to 3 years probation. President Biden pardoned his son on December 1, 2024, the day before sentencing.
The Biden administration awarded the first major CHIPS and Science Act grants: $8.5B to Intel, $6.6B to TSMC Arizona, and $6.4B to Samsung Texas for domestic semiconductor fabrication facilities. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo called it the most significant industrial policy investment since the Interstate Highway System. The awards included national security conditions barring recipients from expanding chip manufacturing in China for 10 years.
2024-03-20
President Biden's landmark AI Executive Order 14110 (October 2023) required AI developers of frontier models to share safety test results with the government, established new AI safety standards for critical infrastructure, and directed NIST to develop AI risk management frameworks. Over 30 federal agencies submitted compliance reports. The order was revoked by President Trump on January 20, 2025.
2023-10-30
The Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general filed a landmark antitrust lawsuit against Amazon in September 2023 alleging the company illegally maintains monopoly power in online retail and online marketplace services through anti-discounting rules, self-preferencing in search results, and Buy Box manipulation. The case is considered the most significant antitrust action since the DOJ's Microsoft case in 1998.
2023-09-26
IRS whistleblowers alleged that DOJ political interference hampered the Hunter Biden tax fraud investigation. Hunter Biden was ultimately convicted of three felony gun charges (lying on federal form 4473) and reached a plea deal on federal tax charges. IRS agents testified they were removed from the case after recommending charges years earlier.
2023-06-20
Congressional investigations and declassified intelligence assessments raised questions about NIH grant funding to the Wuhan Institute of Virology through EcoHealth Alliance, and whether gain-of-function research may have contributed to COVID-19 origins. NIH acknowledged funding relevant coronavirus research despite initial denials.
2023-03-01
The Biden administration announced a $10,000–$20,000 student loan cancellation for eligible borrowers, projected to cost $430B. The Supreme Court struck down the program 6-3 in Biden v. Nebraska, ruling it exceeded executive authority under the HEROES Act. Alternative forgiveness plans through IDR and SAVE were later partially blocked.
2022-08-24
The IRA appropriated $369B for climate and clean energy programs, $64B to extend ACA subsidies, and established a 15% corporate minimum tax. The law also empowered Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time and capped out-of-pocket costs for seniors.
2022-08-16
President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, authorizing $369 billion in climate and clean energy investments and $64 billion to extend ACA subsidies. The bill passed with zero Republican votes via budget reconciliation. Critics raised concerns about deficit impact and regulatory overreach.
The Biden administration completed the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, resulting in the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and Taliban takeover within days. The chaotic evacuation saw 13 U.S. service members killed in an ISIS-K bombing at Kabul airport. $7B in U.S. military equipment left behind.
2021-08-30
President Trump issued a wave of pardons in his final weeks including Paul Manafort (8 fraud/conspiracy counts), Roger Stone (7 obstruction/perjury counts), Michael Flynn (false statements to FBI), and indicted former adviser Steve Bannon (We Build The Wall fraud).
2020-12-23
President Trump issued pardons to three former associates convicted or pleaded guilty in connection with the Mueller investigation, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort (bank and tax fraud), Roger Stone (obstruction and lying to Congress), and Michael Flynn (lying to the FBI). Legal scholars widely criticized the pardons as obstructing justice.
The House impeached President Trump for withholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine while pressuring President Zelensky to announce investigations into political rival Joe Biden. The phone call transcript, released by the White House, became the central evidence. The Senate acquitted Trump 52-48 and 53-47.
2019-12-18
The House impeached President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to his withholding $391M in congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine and requesting investigation of political rival Joe Biden and his son in exchange for a White House meeting.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's two-year investigation documented extensive Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and examined potential obstruction of justice by President Trump. The report resulted in 37 indictments and 7 convictions but did not establish criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.
2019-04-18
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 448-page report (March 2019) documented Russian interference in the 2016 election through the Internet Research Agency social media campaign and GRU hacking operations, but did not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia. The report identified 10 potential obstruction of justice incidents but declined to reach a prosecutorial judgment, citing DOJ OLC policy against indicting a sitting president.
2019-03-22
The DOJ's zero-tolerance policy mandated criminal prosecution of all illegal border crossings, resulting in the separation of over 5,400 children from their parents at the southern border. The policy was reversed by executive order after global outrage. Reunification efforts continued years later.
2018-04-06
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (December 2017) permanently cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, temporarily reduced individual income tax rates, doubled the standard deduction, and capped the SALT deduction at $10,000. The law was projected by CBO to add $1.9 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. Corporate repatriation of overseas profits generated a one-time $664 billion inflow but did not produce the promised investment surge.
2017-12-22
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 22-month investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election produced 37 indictments, 7 guilty pleas, and a 448-page report. Established Russia engaged in sweeping interference operation but did not establish conspiracy with the Trump campaign.
2017-05-17
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from all Russia-related investigations in March 2017 following disclosure that he had twice met Russian Ambassador Kislyak during the campaign and had not disclosed the meetings during his confirmation testimony. Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein then appointed Robert Mueller as Special Counsel in May 2017 following Trump's firing of FBI Director Comey. Trump subsequently pressured Sessions to un-recuse and later fired him in November 2018.
2017-03-02
Executive Order 13769 (January 27, 2017) suspended entry from 7 majority-Muslim countries for 90 days, halted the refugee admissions program for 120 days, and capped annual refugee admissions at 50,000. Immediate implementation at airports created chaos, mass detentions of arriving travelers, and triggered the largest spontaneous airport protests in U.S. history. Federal courts issued emergency stays within hours.
2017-01-27
Leaked NSA documents disclosed by Edward Snowden revealed PRISM, a classified program collecting internet communications of foreign targets from Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, Yahoo and other major tech companies under FISA Section 702.
2013-06-06
Edward Snowden's June 2013 disclosures revealed NSA's PRISM program collecting internet communications from Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, and Apple under FISA court orders, and XKEYSCORE enabling real-time query of global internet activity. The disclosures triggered the USA FREEDOM Act (2015), limited bulk telephone metadata collection, and resulted in major tech companies implementing end-to-end encryption.
2013-06-05
The IRS subjected conservative and Tea Party nonprofit applicants to heightened scrutiny and delays in tax-exempt status applications. Inspector General report confirmed the targeting was inappropriate. IRS official Lois Lerner invoked Fifth Amendment before Congress.
2013-05-10
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) revealed in May 2013 that IRS personnel in the Cincinnati Exempt Organizations unit used political criteria (Tea Party, Patriots, 9/12 groups) to flag nonprofit applications for additional scrutiny. IRS Commissioner Steven Miller resigned. The scandal prompted extensive congressional hearings, a DOJ investigation (closed without charges in 2015), and lasting damage to IRS public trust.
The IRS Inspector General revealed that the IRS improperly scrutinized Tea Party and other conservative organizations applying for tax-exempt status, applying heightened review based on political ideology. Acting IRS Commissioner was forced to resign. Congressional investigations followed.
President Obama signed an executive memorandum establishing DACA, shielding approximately 700,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and granting work authorization. Circumvented the DREAM Act which failed to pass Congress.
2012-06-15
President Obama announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program via executive memorandum in June 2012, providing deportation relief and work authorization to approximately 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. DACA survived Trump's first-term rescission attempt (DHS v. Regents of UC, SCOTUS 5-4 in 2020), has been subject to continuous litigation since 2017, and remains in a legally precarious status under a permanent injunction from the Fifth Circuit.
The ATF's Operation Fast and Furious allowed over 2,000 firearms to be illegally purchased by suspected straw buyers and walk into Mexico, intending to trace weapons to drug cartel leaders. Two of the weapons appeared at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
2011-02-04
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (March 2010) expanded Medicaid, created health insurance exchanges, required minimum essential coverage, and mandated community rating and guaranteed issue in individual insurance markets. The ACA reduced the uninsured rate from 16% to 9% by 2016. It survived two Supreme Court challenges (NFIB v. Sebelius, 2012; King v. Burwell, 2015) and multiple congressional repeal attempts.
2010-03-23
The ACA fundamentally restructured the U.S. healthcare system, establishing insurance exchanges, Medicaid expansion, coverage mandates, and consumer protections. The law survived two Supreme Court challenges and a failed Republican repeal effort. Implementation challenges included the disastrous Healthcare.gov launch.
President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the most significant overhaul of U.S. healthcare since Medicare in 1965. The ACA extended coverage to 20+ million uninsured Americans, established insurance exchanges, mandated minimum coverage standards, and expanded Medicaid.
The ARRA was the largest peacetime government spending program in U.S. history at the time of enactment. Included $288B in tax cuts, $224B in unemployment and healthcare, and $275B in federal contracts. Critics cited $535M Solyndra solar loan guarantee that ended in bankruptcy.
2009-02-17
The Troubled Asset Relief Program authorized the Treasury to purchase toxic mortgage-backed securities and equity stakes in failing financial institutions. The government took ownership stakes in Citigroup, Bank of America, GM, and Chrysler among hundreds of others.
2008-10-03