President Donald Trump signed dozens of executive actions on his first day in office, including two that could impact the IRS—and your tax refund.

President Trump on Monday signed an executive order suspending any new U.S. foreign development assistance for three months, and directed a review of foreign assistance programs to ensure they

• Establish the Department of Government Efficiency under the Executive Office of the President until July 4, 2026. This is the entity led by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, and is charged with recommending cuts in federal programs and spending.

In the 6 p.m. hour, Mr. Trump signed more orders before a packed Capital One Arena, in Washington, D.C. Among them, a requirement that federal workers return to full-time work in person immediately, a freeze on all federal hiring, except by the military and some other excluded categories.

Adept White House legal maneuvering is shielding the new Department of Government Efficiency from Freedom of Information Act transparency regulations and sidestepping onerous federal staffing laws—providing maximum political and operational flexibility to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, leader of the “DOGE” initiative.

President Trump called for a hiring freeze and a return to office for federal employees, but implementing telework changes will face multiple roadblocks.

according to an August 2024 report from the federal Office of Management and Budget

President Trump, starting his second term, began a slew of executive actions by rescinding 78 Biden-era executive orders, executive actions, and presidential memoranda.

The classification, which makes it easier to fire federal workers, is also the subject of congressional legislation.

Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget has refused to say Trump will follow the law that forbids him from blocking funds.