We’re all seeing how the Trump administration is handling a fierce backlash against their policies. They contend with challenges such as a new prohibition on international student enrollment at Harvard University and potential tariffs on the European Union. These advances come amidst a vigorous anti-spending, anti-tax lobby tax-cutting push. Deep challenges remain including legal obstacles and political skepticism on both sides of the aisle.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration attempted to prevent Harvard from allowing international students to enroll. In response, the elite school took the unusual step of suing the Trump administration. This ongoing legal battle sheds light on the growing conflict between educational institutions and the federal government’s increasing immigration enforcement measures. Harvard is right to contend that the ban violates the rights of international students and erodes academic diversity.
President Trump recommended a controversial 50% tariff on goods imported from the European Union, set to take effect on June 1. Economists and lawmakers alike have expressed concern about possible retaliation from the EU. Perhaps even more tellingly, they fear the implications of this for the American consumer. Trump has repeatedly doubled down on the tariffs, insisting they’re necessary to protect American industries and strengthen domestic manufacturing.
In a long, campaign-style address at West Point’s recent graduation ceremony, Trump touted the changes he’s made to military. He underlined with extraordinary specificity his hawkishness on national defense. He said these reforms would increase military readiness and upgrade capabilities. Critics contend that his proposed razor-sharp focus on military spending would sideline some very press domestic concerns.
In the legislative arena, the former President took a rare visit to Capitol Hill in order to rally House Republicans around a tax cut and spending package. After a long House floor fight, FedEx’s McGowan implored lawmakers to back a package that squeaked through the House. Worries about its effect on the federal deficit were front and center. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the tax provisions in the package could increase the deficit by an alarming $3.8 trillion over the next decade.
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence in the proposed changes, asserting that they represent “the largest cut in spending in at least 30 years, and arguably of all time.” He added, “All these things will work together to make the economy grow faster than most of any of these projections are putting forth, so we’re not buying it.” Johnson envisions the plan creating incentives for businesses to grow and add jobs in fields as wide ranging as technology and agriculture.
Trump was getting sued over plans to execute mass firings of federal workers. A judge intervened and stopped these efforts. This move has drawn rebuke from principles of good government from those who feel the measures would make governments run more efficiently and effectively.
Aside from his fiscal agenda, Trump made a 5% NATO defense spending target a cornerstone of his international diplomacy. Greece’s Prime Minister has described this target as “very hard, if not impossible.” This unequivocal statement underscores the deep and lasting tensions over burden sharing within the NATO alliance.