Trump’s Seventh Week: International Tensions and Domestic Upheaval
As the second Trump administration enters its seventh week, major policy changes on immigration, trade, and foreign aid spark controversy at home and abroad.
The seventh week of Trump’s second term has brought new developments in both domestic policy and international relations. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) faced backlash after Homeland Security requested IRS data on nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants. This comes amid President Trump’s ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigration, fueled by rising anti-immigrant sentiment. Meanwhile, the IRS and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are facing massive layoffs as part of the continued downsizing of the federal government.
Tensions with Ukraine have also escalated. European allies held an emergency meeting without the U.S., signaling a further shift in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth paused U.S. cyber offensive operations against Russia, and the U.S. has since halted military aid and intelligence reports to Ukraine. This shift follows a heated argument between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance during Zelenskyy’s recent White House visit, as previously reported by The Introspective.
A Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to control water pollution, weakening the Clean Water Act of 1972. Additionally, the Court ruled that the Trump administration must release more than $2 billion in foreign aid, following a previous Introspective report highlighting an emergency appeal filed by the administration to freeze payments during the ongoing disbandment of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The stock market took a dive this week after tariffs on Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese products were enacted, fueling fears of a trade war.
WWE co-founder Linda McMahon was confirmed as Secretary of Education, signaling further federal changes under the second Trump administration as plans to dismantle the Department of Education progress. This week also saw the resignation of a top Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent following tensions with the Department of Justice (DOJ) over Trump’s directives.
Immigration and Government Crackdowns
Homeland Security faced backlash after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was asked to hand over data, including addresses, of nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants the department is looking to deport. The request raised legal concerns, as providing taxpayer information to third parties is punishable by civil and criminal penalties.
A memo obtained by The Washington Post also requested the IRS deploy auditors and criminal investigators to look into businesses accused of hiring undocumented immigrants.
“IRS investigations should be conducted, and assistance should be provided without regard for any threshold, floor, or internal policy for opening an investigation,” the memo stated.
“Further, the IRS should provide leads on businesses that are circumventing tax laws or violating worksite-related statutes, many of which are from prior leads or complaints that the IRS did not investigate because they did not meet internal IRS policy for opening an investigation.”
While the IRS has refused to comply with the request, many immigration advocates have reacted strongly.
“Now we have the federal government—specifically the Trump administration—trying to weaponize the IRS to conduct immigration enforcement operations, which they’re not allowed to do under tax privacy laws,” Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, told NBC Miami.
“This is going to affect all of us because undocumented immigrants, as numerous studies have shown, contribute billions of dollars in tax revenue for all kinds of services. People are going to be afraid to contribute to that tax pool.”
The IRS is also facing mass layoffs as part of the Trump administration’s directive to downsize the federal government. This follows previous reports detailing a March 13 deadline for federal agencies to reduce their workforce.
Half of the IRS’s 90,000 employees are planned to be cut, a move that former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told The Associated Press would render the agency “dysfunctional.”
Another round of layoffs is scheduled for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), impacting more than 83,000 people. Many veterans rely on the VA for healthcare and education benefits, raising fears that the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (PACT), signed in 2022 to expand veterans' access to healthcare, may be undone.
“Gutting VA’s staffing to pre-PACT Act levels will cripple the very system that millions of veterans rely on, denying them access to lifesaving healthcare, claims processing, and education benefits they’ve earned,” Rep. Mark Takano, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, told Government Executive, an outlet that covers the Executive Branch of the federal government.
Meanwhile, President Trump called for cutting federal funding for universities that allow “illegal protests” in a Truth Social post, raising concerns about free speech.
“All federal funding will STOP for any college, school, or university that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump wrote.
His post sparked reactions from groups such as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a nonprofit group, which said Trump’s post could make students “fear punishment for wholly protected political speech.”
“President Trump also lacks the authority to expel individual students, who are entitled to due process on public college campuses and, almost universally, on private campuses as well,” FIRE stated.
Trump also instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to deport international students admitted on student visas if caught protesting.
International Relations and Foreign Policy Shifts
As tensions with Ukraine reach a boiling point, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has paused offensive cyberoperations against Russia, furthering a shift in the U.S.'s stance in the conflict. This follows previous reports highlighting Ukraine’s exclusion from a U.S.-Russia meeting in Saudi Arabia and a confrontation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Trump, and Sen. J.D. Vance during a White House visit.
Many have criticized the decision, as Russia has expanded its cyber efforts in recent years, potentially putting U.S. national security at risk.
“Instead of confronting this threat, the Trump administration has actively taken steps to make it easier for the Kremlin to interfere in our electoral processes,” said Liana Kessing, a member of the nonprofit Issue One, which studies the impact of technology on democracy, in an interview with The Associated Press.
Intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine were also halted, putting a pause on weapons authorized by former President Joe Biden.
“We can confirm that U.S. European Command has received an order to pause security assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” said U.S. European Command in a report by CBS News.
“Any materials paused in theater have been, or will be, moved to secure facilities in accordance with applicable host-nation agreements.”
This marks another break from U.S.-Ukraine relations, as the U.S. has shared intelligence with Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022, following decades of conflict.
Many Ukrainians expressed anger after the announcement, one of whom said the United States has the “power” to protect its citizens.
“The United States has the power at least to protect and save the lives of civilians from Russia’s brutal and terrorizing attacks … and you just choose not to,” said Myroslava Yeremkiv, a Ukrainian in Kyiv, the nation’s capital, in an interview with NBC News.
“This looks like a thug tactic — blackmailing and trying to break Ukrainian society into submission before negotiations.”
Global leaders have since convened to discuss the evolving conflict in Ukraine, without U.S. involvement. French President Emmanuel Macron said that France should not wait for the U.S.'s involvement.
“I want to believe the U.S. will stay at our side, but we must be ready if that is not the case,” Macron said.
Economic Policy and Market Reaction
The stock market fell this week following the imposition of tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China. The tariffs include a 25% tax on products from Mexico and Canada, and a 10% tax on items from China, doubling the previous 10% tariff placed on China last month.
While efforts from officials such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have attempted to end the tariffs, President Trump considered them “not good enough” in a post on Truth Social.
“Justin Trudeau, of Canada, called me to ask what could be done about tariffs. I told him that many people have died from fentanyl that came through the borders of Canada and Mexico, and nothing has convinced me that it has stopped. He said that it’s gotten better, but I said, ‘That’s not good enough.’ The call ended in a ‘somewhat’ friendly manner! He was unable to tell me when the Canadian election is taking place, which made me curious, like, what’s going on here? I then realized he is trying to use this issue to stay in power. Good luck, Justin!” Trump wrote.
Tensions with China have increased following the tariffs, raising fears of a trade war after the Chinese embassy said China is “ready to fight till the end” in an X post.
“If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war, or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” the Chinese embassy wrote.
American automakers such as General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis gained some relief from the tariffs after Trump granted a one-month exemption to the automakers.
In an interview with ABC News, the American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC) applauded the exemption.
“American automakers Ford, GM, and Stellantis applaud President Trump for recognizing that vehicles and parts that meet the high U.S. and regional USMCA content requirements should be exempt from these tariffs,” said AAPC President Matt Blunt.
As prices are expected to rise on various products, the Trump administration has since considered agricultural exemptions regarding the tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
Supreme Court Rulings and Domestic Policy Shifts
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Tuesday to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate water pollution, weakening the Clean Water Act—a landmark 1972 law that regulates the dumping of pollutants in waterways.
“The agency has adequate tools to obtain needed information from permittees without resorting to end-result requirements,” wrote Justice Samuel Alito, who was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch in the majority opinion.
The ruling followed a case brought by San Francisco after the EPA issued the city a permit halting efforts to release raw sewage into the Pacific Ocean during thunderstorms, arguing that the agency lacked the authority to regulate the practice.
The four dissenting justices—Amy Coney Barrett, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—disagreed with the ruling.
“The city is wrong,” wrote Justice Barrett.
“The relevant provision of the Clean Water Act directs the EPA to impose any more stringent limitation that is necessary to meet … or required to implement any applicable water quality standard.”
The following day, the Supreme Court also ruled that the Trump administration must release more than $2 billion in frozen foreign aid. The decision follows an earlier Introspective report detailing a pause imposed by the Court after previously giving officials a Feb. 26 deadline, as the administration moves to disband USAID.
“Given that the deadline in the challenged order has now passed, and in light of the ongoing preliminary injunction proceedings, the District Court should clarify what obligations the government must fulfill to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order, with due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines,” the ruling stated.
Justice Alito dissented, joined by Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh.
“Does a single district court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever) $2 billion in taxpayer dollars? The answer to that question should be an emphatic ‘No,’ but a majority of this Court apparently thinks otherwise,” Alito wrote.
“I am stunned.”
Meanwhile, a federal judge on Thursday denied a request from members of the Personal Service Contractor Association (PSCA)—an advocacy group for contractors employed by USAID—to block the Trump administration’s mass terminations.
Political Fallout and Administration Shakeups
The Senate confirmed WWE co-founder Linda McMahon as secretary of education on Monday in a 51-45 vote. Her confirmation comes as President Donald Trump pushes to disband the Department of Education as part of his administration’s initiative to downsize the federal government. Trump has previously stated that he wanted McMahon to put herself “out of a job.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized McMahon’s confirmation during the vote.
“Americans believe in public education,” Schumer said.
“They don’t want to see the Department of Education abolished. If the Trump administration follows through on cuts to education, schools will lose billions in funding.”
Following her confirmation, McMahon released a statement obtained by The Introspective outlining the Department of Education’s “final mission,” which includes rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
“Parents are the primary decision-makers in their children’s education,” the statement read. “Taxpayer-funded education should refocus on meaningful learning in math, reading, science, and history—not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology.”
According to reports from CNN, the Trump administration is preparing an executive order that would officially begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education. The draft order calls for McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department.”
“The experiment of controlling American education through federal programs and dollars—and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support—has failed our children, our teachers, and our families,” the draft order states.
Meanwhile, the State Department is preparing for mass layoffs of its global workforce and plans to shut down consulates in Western Europe.
According to its website, the State Department has a total workforce of more than 68,000.
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