Trump-Vance Administration Preview
On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump will become the 47th President of the United States, and J.D. Vance will become the 50th Vice President of the United States as well as President of the U.S. Senate.
The President-elect's transition team is still vetting candidates for Senate-confirmed positions. To track appointments, we recommend using Politico. If you are interested in learning more about the Presidential Transition process, we encourage you to visit the Center for Presidential Transition.
After the transition, all eyes will be on the Trump-Vance Administration's first 100 days. Knowing that congressional approval will be needed to fully accomplish many of the President-elect’s priorities, here’s what we think the Administration will focus on first:
- Extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: At the end of 2025, many provisions of then-President Trump’s flagship 2017 tax bill will expire, meaning a tax package is on the way. The President-elect has signaled that he will look to extend most of these provisions, and that he will prioritize additional individual tax breaks. (Look out for more on this in our 119th Congress preview, coming your way on December 6.)
- Immigration: On the campaign trail, President-elect Trump made it clear that he's laser focused on immigration, including mass deportations and reimagining the nation's border policy. Within the first 100 days, we expect to see several executive orders focused on immigration and increase federal funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Domestic energy production: During President-elect Trump's first term, he prioritized increasing oil production in the U.S., with a focus on making the U.S. the number one producer of oil and natural gas. Within the first 100 days, we can expect to see efforts, including executive orders and legislation, focused on making the U.S. the number one producer of oil and natural gas, as well as a reduction in restrictions on the use of oil, natural gas, and coal.
- Trade policy: Over the last year, the President-elect has doubled down on his goal to put "America First" by reducing the U.S. economy's reliance on imports. He has recommended the U.S. impose higher tariffs on imported goods to encourage Americans to purchase more goods that are made in the U.S. In addition, we expect the Trump Administration to continue to focus on China.
- Social priorities: Throughout the campaign, Trump focused on issues such as religious freedom and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Within the first 100 days, we expect to see executive orders as well as other efforts to add additional protections around religious freedom. In addition, we may see a reduction or removal of federal funding from diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
- Federal Workforce and Regulations: President-elect Trump has said that he wants to cut federal spending, shrink the federal workforce, and make the government more efficient. Within the first 100 days, we expect to see executive orders focused on the federal workforce. We expect to see a pause in finalizing some regulations that were started during the Biden Administration, such as the pending donor-advised fund regulations (if not finalized before January 20). And it remains unclear the role that the Department of Government Efficiency will have in the upcoming Administration, but we do expect it to capture much of the conversation in the first 100 days. Read Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Wall Street Journal opinion piece.
In addition, Vice President-elect Vance has made it clear where he stands on the issue of the tax code as it pertains to the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. He has said that the assets of foundations should be taxed in order to shrink their size over time. At one point, he proposed that any charitable organization with an endowment over $100 million should be required to spend 20% of its endowment each year, or else lose its 501(c)(3) status and the preferential treatment of its income. While Vance has not prioritized these proposals in the Senate or since becoming President-elect Trump’s running mate, we may see their return sometime in the next four years.
The Council's Government Affairs team will keep you abreast of proposed executive actions as they arise. As always, don't hesitate to reach out to govt@cof.org if you have any questions.
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