Presidential Memoranda: Pipelines, TPP

Programming note: The memoranda below are the final memoranda to be reviewed for the current administration.  Following this post, we will begin looking at Presidential proclamations.

Construction of American Pipelines

This memorandum was issued on January 24, 2017 and is addressed to the Secretary of Commerce.  This memorandum asks the Secretary to submit a plant to the President to ensure that pipelines in the US are "produced in the United States" and provides some definition of what that is intended to mean.  A review of news regarding this seems to indicate that not much ultimately happened in the way of rule-making for enforcing the intent expressed so that the domestic steel industry would get a boost.

Withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations and Agreement

This memorandum was issued January 23, 2017 and is addressed to the US Trade Representative.  This was done to keep a campaign promise.  However, the US withdrawal did not kill the TPP, the remaining signatories continued the trade pact although it now covered significantly less traded goods.  The philosophy that the administration follows is that bilateral negotiations are good whereas multi-lateral negotiations are bad for the US on the basis that in multi-lateral negotiations, the US cannot wield as much influence..

The Mexico City Policy

This memorandum was issued January 23, 2017 and is addressed to several cabinet members.  It revokes the Presidential memorandum of January 23, 2009 and instead implements the opposite policy.  This policy regards abortion and funding NGO's and other aid organizations based on whether or not they provide information to women about abortion.

Hiring Freeze

This memorandum was issued on January 23, 2017 and is addressed to the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies.  While there a large number of caveats listed in the memorandum, it has effectively put a hiring freeze on the executive branch and there are regularly stories in the news how the executive branch departments and agencies are struggling to keep up with the workload required.
There is a long-term plan that was to be created by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.  The freeze was lifted on April 12, 2017.