Day 8

Suppression of Organized Labor: Union Busting, NLRB Destruction, and Collective Bargaining Revocation

The Trump administration launched a systematic campaign against organized labor: firing NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox to destroy the board's quorum (the first-ever removal of an NLRB member mid-term), firing NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, issuing an executive order stripping collective bargaining rights from 950,000 federal employees by falsely designating their agencies as performing 'national security' work, and extending that order to NASA, NOAA, and the National Weather Service. A federal judge found Wilcox's firing unlawful under the removal protections then in force, but the Supreme Court allowed her removal to stand pending appeal, leaving the NLRB without a quorum to hear cases; in June 2026 the Court overruled Humphrey's Executor in Trump v. Slaughter, validating such removals as a matter of US law.

Second-Term Transgender Military Ban: Executive Order 14183

On January 27, 2025, a week after returning to office, Trump signed Executive Order 14183 ('Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness'), reinstating the ban on transgender individuals serving in the U.S. military. The order went beyond the first-term ban: it directed the military to immediately cease providing gender-affirming medical care to currently serving transgender service members, required them to serve 'in accordance with their sex' (meaning birth sex), and directed their discharge unless an exception was granted. Estimates of the number affected range from the 4,240 service members the Pentagon said in December 2024 had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria to advocacy estimates of about 15,000 transgender service members; some had served for years and had transition-related care integrated into their service history.

Deportation flights resume on military aircraft

US deportation flights to Colombia resume using military aircraft as demanded. The Colombian presidential plane is prepared to assist in repatriating citizens.

From: Colombia Deportation Standoff: Economic Coercion via Tariff Threats

Transgender military ban signed

Trump signs Executive Order 14183, 'Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,' banning transgender people from military service and directing Defense Secretary Hegseth to submit an implementation plan within 30 days.

From: Executive Orders Targeting Transgender Rights and Gender Identity Recognition

Refugee admissions suspension takes effect

All refugee processing, admissions, and related funding were halted. Refugees mid-transit had flights cancelled, some after selling their belongings.

From: Indefinite Suspension of US Refugee Admissions Program and Record-Low Resettlement Cap