President Trump’s First 100 Days: What Brookings experts are saying, 4/28/17

Saturday, April 29, in week 14 of Donald Trump’s presidency, marks the completion of his first 100 days in office (and the end of this blog series). Admittedly an artificial milestone, made most famous by the crisis-driven 100+ day congressional session of President Franklin Roosevelt’s new presidency, it nevertheless is a widely-remarked upon measure of the momentum a new president has, or doesn’t have.

Here’s an update on what Brookings experts are saying in the past week about the Trump administration’s policy choices, personnel decisions, and engagements with global and domestic events. To receive daily updates on new Brookings research, commentary, and events, subscribe to our newsletters.

On Monday April 24, Brookings hosted a half-day forum to look back on the first 100 days of the Trump presidency and look ahead to the future. Get highlights and watch video clips here.

Read what Brookings experts had to say about the First 100 Days in: Week 13 |  Week Twelve | Week Eleven | Week Ten | Week Nine | Week Eight | Week Seven | Week Six | Week Five | Week Four | Week Three | Week Two | Week One.

ON DOMESTIC & ECONOMIC POLICY

William Gale says that “the President’s tax proposals are the wrong way to move forward. The fact that even Republicans in Congress are balking at the proposed tax cuts should indicate there is something wrong.”

William Galston comments on new Pew Research Center data showing that for the first time since the end of the George W. Bush administration, “Americans who want a larger government outnumber those who prefer a smaller one,” with increased spending on education, veterans’ affairs, and infrastructure being the main areas of agreement between Republicans and Democrats.

Adam Looney argues that by pursuing a 15 percent business tax rate, President Trump “is running into a quagmire that will make the repeal of Obamacare seem simple by comparison.”

Sarah Binder considers why the Trump administration has achieved so little of its legislative agenda thus far. Watch:

Alan Berube breaks down why the federal court ruling temporarily blocked Trump’s executive order on sanctuary cities. Watch:

ON FOREIGN & NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY

Experts from Brookings’s Foreign Policy program examine a range of major foreign policy promises made by President Trump, including trade with China, Mexico and NAFTA, arms control, and more.

George Ingram explains why the functions of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are distinct and should not be folded into the State Department. “Both are required to achieve our national interest,” he argues, and they “need to inform and coordinate with the other, and each needs to be allowed to focus on its primary mandate.”

A group of Brookings foreign policy experts convened to assess the threats posed by North Korea, potential escalation scenarios, interests in the region, and U.S. policy.

Elaine Kamarck says that the failure of SBInet, President George W. Bush’s billion dollar “virtual fence” on the U.S.-Mexico border, “is a harbinger of problems to come for President Trump’s wall.”

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For more details policy recommendations and analyses from Brookings experts for the new administration, see “Brookings Big Ideas for America” on issues including the threatened middle-class dream in America, health care, criminal justice reform, infrastructure, U.S. alliances, nuclear weapons, terrorism, and regional conflicts.