Federal Restructuring and Cultural Policy Mark Trump’s 16th Week in Office
From immigration incentives to education grant freezes and defense reforms, the Trump administration continues major policy shifts in Week 16.
Trump’s sixteenth week brought new developments in immigration policy, federal downsizing, and LGBTQ+ rights. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a $1,000 stipend and travel assistance program to encourage undocumented immigrants to self-deport. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court ordered the return of detained Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk to Vermont. A previous report from The Introspective detailed Öztürk’s arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over her support for Palestine.
President Trump also drew backlash after announcing plans to reopen Alcatraz, the infamous maximum-security prison that closed more than 60 years ago—raising concerns about restoration costs and logistics. Simultaneously, his federal downsizing initiative continued, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering a 20% reduction in four-star generals and admirals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disbanded a federal advisory committee on infection prevention in health care facilities, prompting criticism amid ongoing outbreaks of bird flu and measles.
In a continuation of The Introspective’s earlier coverage, the Supreme Court allowed a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military to proceed, intensifying debates over LGBTQ+ rights during Trump’s second term.
As tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard University escalate, the Department of Education paused billions in grant funding to the university. The Introspective previously reported on Harvard’s lawsuit against the administration over funding and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Columbia University also laid off nearly 180 researchers as federally funded positions disappeared, following campus protests related to Palestine.
On the economic front, the Trump administration announced a 100% tariff on foreign films. Interest rates remained unchanged despite growing pressure from the president, who continues to clash with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Immigration Developments
As anti-immigrant sentiment continues to rise, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it will offer undocumented immigrants $1,000 and travel assistance if they self-deport. The move has intensified tensions, as mass deportations have defined much of President Trump’s second term.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a press release.
“This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens, and is a 70% savings for U.S. taxpayers.”
At the same time, a federal appeals court ordered the transfer of detained Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk to Vermont. Öztürk has been held in an ICE facility in Louisiana since her March arrest, which stemmed from her support for Palestine.
“Permitting Öztürk’s transfer will provide her ready access to legal and medical services, address concerns about the conditions of her confinement, and expedite resolution of this matter — all of which are required, as the court below noted, to proceed expeditiously,” wrote Judges Barrington Parker, Susan Carney, and Alison Nathan in the ruling.
“At stake, too, is Öztürk’s ability to participate meaningfully in her habeas proceedings.”
In a statement, Esha Bhandari, a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who represented Öztürk, said she was “grateful” for the court’s decision.
“No one should be arrested and locked up for their political views,” Bhandari said.
“Every day that Rümeysa Öztürk remains in detention is a day too long.”
Öztürk—an international student—was arrested by ICE over her support for Palestine. While at Tufts, she co-authored an opinion piece criticizing the university for refusing to divest from companies with ties to Israel, calling the effort “a sincere effort to hold Israel accountable for clear violations of international law.”
She later became one of thousands of international students who have had their visas revoked. A previous report from The Introspective found that more than 1,500 international students had their visas revoked under the Trump administration.
“She asserts that the government arrested and detained her to prevent speech with which it disagrees. Such an act would be a violation of the Constitution — quite separate from the removal procedures followed by the immigration courts,” the judges wrote.
Institutional Overhauls, Federal Downsizing, and LGBTQ+ Rights
President Trump announced he would reopen Alcatraz prison—which closed 60 years ago—directing federal agencies to rebuild the infamous facility.
“When we were a more serious nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ to house America's most ruthless and violent offenders.”
Trump’s pledge to reopen the prison has raised concerns over logistics and reconstruction costs. In a report by NPR, the Federal Bureau of Prisons stated that Alcatraz originally closed because “the institution was too expensive to continue operating.”
“This isolation meant that everything had to be brought to Alcatraz by boat,” the bureau said.
“For example, the island had no source of fresh water, so nearly one million gallons of water had to be barged to the island each week.”
In that same report, historian Jolene Babyak noted that “water and sewage” would be major challenges in restoring the facility.
“All of the sewage in those days was dumped in the bay,” Babyak said.
“So that is a problem.”
That same day, as part of Trump’s broader initiative to downsize the federal government, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a 20% reduction in the number of four-star generals and admirals across the Pentagon. He argued the cuts would “drive innovation and operational excellence,” stating that the military must be “unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness.”
“We're going to shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our warfighters,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X.
In a further move, Trump officials disbanded the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), a federal advisory group responsible for infection prevention in health care facilities. The decision raised concerns as viruses such as bird flu and measles continue to spread.
“There was really a lot of important material in there and, I think, a lot of lessons learned from COVID that helped shape those guidelines to put us in a better place than we were pre-pandemic,” said Dr. Anurag Malani, a former member of HICPAC, in a report by NBC News.
“You’d want to avoid seeing state and local health departments try to figure this out on their own.”
Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ rights have also come under fire. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that transgender people are banned from serving in the military. Previous Introspective reports highlighted how lower courts had initially blocked Trump’s executive order banning transgender service members.
Education Tensions
As tensions with Harvard University reach a boiling point, the Department of Education announced it would freeze billions of dollars in research grants and aid until the university addresses concerns about antisemitism and dismantles policies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). A previous Introspective report detailed Harvard rebranding its DEI office as the Office of Community and Campus Life.
“This letter is to inform you that Harvard should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided,” wrote Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
At the same time, Columbia University is laying off more than 180 researchers due to federal funding cuts over its handling of student protests.
“Columbia's leadership continues discussions with the federal government in support of resuming activity on these research awards and additional other awards that have remained active but unpaid. We are working on and planning for every eventuality, but the strain in the meantime, financially and on our research mission, is intense,” wrote Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, in a statement.
“We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources. Those decisions also impact our greatest resource — our people. We understand this news will be hard.”
Termination notices were sent to employees whose research was funded by the grants, including studies on COVID-19, maternal mortality and childhood obesity.
Trade War Update
With the trade war ongoing, President Trump announced that a 100% tariff will be placed on foreign films.
“The movie industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% tariff on any and all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
Many in the entertainment industry reacted to the announcement, with Jay Sures, vice chairman of United Talent Agency, telling CNN that the tariff “doesn’t make sense.”
“The fact is, it’s cheaper for Hollywood studios to pay for everyone to get on planes, pay for hotels, because the cost of labor, lack of rebates, and the ability to make things overseas is infinitely cheaper,” Sures said.
In that same report, an industry insider stated that the tariffs would harm the film industry.
“On first blush, it’s shocking and would represent a virtually complete halt of production,” the insider said.
“But in reality, he has no jurisdiction to do this, and it’s too complex to enforce.”
Meanwhile, despite pressure from President Trump to lower interest rates, the Federal Reserve decided to keep rates at their current range of 4.25% to 4.5% as recession risks persist.
“We’ve judged that the risk to higher inflation and unemployment has risen since March, when the Fed last met,” said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. “We can’t say which way this will shake out.”
A trade deal was later established with the United Kingdom on Thursday—the first such agreement since Trump issued tariffs on all trading partners. Under the deal, the UK will reduce non-tariff barriers on products such as beef, machinery and chemicals. However, the 10% tariff against the European country will remain in place.