On March 14, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order that eliminates, to the extent practicable under law, several small federal agencies and institutions, including the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, whose mission is “to coordinate the federal response to homelessness and to create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation while maximizing the effectiveness of the federal government in contributing to the end of homelessness.” 

One of President Trump’s first-week orders revives a policy on the design of federal buildings he instituted in his first term but was revoked by President Biden. It requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to make recommendations to “advance the policy that federal public buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings and respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States and our system of self-government.”

UPDATE: In April, President Trump issued a new executive order that repeals longstanding requirements that federal facilities be sited in central business districts and repurpose, to the extent prudent, historic buildings.  

President Trump has issued several executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and DEIA (DEI plus accessibility) programs in the federal government – and beyond. 

One of the orders, entitled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, requires federal agencies to “terminate” all DEI and DEIA “mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the federal government, under whatever name they appear.”  

The order requires agencies to report to the White House any “federal grantees who received federal funding to provide or advance DEI, DEIA, or ‘environmental justice’ programs, services, or activities” since the start of former President Biden’s term in 2021. It also requires agencies to end “equity-related” federal grants or contracts. 

As a result of this order, many federal agencies have eliminated their DEI programs, placed personnel working on such programs on administrative leave and scrubbed references to DEI from their websites. It is not clear from the executive order what constitutes a “DEI” program, and numerous longer-term programs that provide benefits specifically for underrepresented groups may be impacted.  

Another order, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” targets non-federal government DEI efforts. It calls for “measures to encourage the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI.” It directs federal agencies to identify up to nine entities each – including publicly traded corporations, large non-profits, foundations with assets of $500 million or more, and institutions of higher education with endowments – to be investigated for civil rights violations arising from DEI programs. 

Both orders are the subject of legal challenges. 

Among the numerous orders the Trump administration has issued regarding immigration is one that targets sanctuary jurisdictions.  

The order, entitled Protecting The American People Against Invasion, requires the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to “evaluate and undertake any lawful actions to ensure that so-called ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions, which seek to interfere with the lawful exercise of Federal law enforcement operations, do not receive access to Federal funds.”  

The order also suggests that any jurisdiction identified as a “sanctuary” city or state would be denied any federal funding for any purpose, although the constitutionality of this is unclear.

UPDATE: On April 28, the White House issued a new executive order that takes additional steps targeting sanctuary cities. The order directs the Attorney General to publish a list of sanctuary jurisdictions and “pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures to end . . . violations and bring [sanctuary] jurisdictions into compliance with the laws of the United States.” It further directs all federal agencies to “identify appropriate Federal funds to sanctuary jurisdictions, including grants and contracts, for suspension or termination,” among other provisions. 

On April 24, 2025, a federal judge in California barred the Trump administration from denying or conditioning the use of federal funds to “sanctuary” jurisdictions, saying that portions of President Trump’s executive orders were unconstitutional. The administration is likely to appeal the decision. 

Several of President Trump’s first actions involve the federal workforce. These moves could impact downtowns in a number of ways: efforts to require federal workers to return to the office may result in an increase in foot traffic in places with a large federal presence, even beyond Washington, DC. On the other hand, reductions in the workforce could impact the ability of states and others to engage with federal partners or access federal funding.  

Some of the initial federal workforce executive orders and actions include: 

Return to In-Person Work. This presidential memorandum requires all federal agencies to “take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person . . . on a full-time basis.” This order effectively ends federal telework policies, even those that were in existence prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Converting Civil Servants into Political Appointees. This executive order reinstates a plan from the first Trump administration that critics say will politicize the federal workforce. It allows the President to reclassify certain career positions within the federal government, particularly those in policymaking, leadership or confidential roles, into a new Schedule F. Federal workers in Schedule F. would lose protections typically available under civil service laws, such as job security and procedural rights for promotion and dismissal. This makes it easier for the President to remove these employees. 

Hiring Freeze. Another executive order institutes a freeze on the hiring of federal civilian employees and prevents agencies from creating new positions for at least 90 days. The freeze does not apply to “military personnel of the armed forces or to positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety.” It also prohibits contracting outside the federal government to circumvent the freeze. 

Under the order, White House officials are tasked with “submit[ting] a plan to reduce the size of the federal government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition.”

UPDATE: On April 17, President Trump extended the hiring freeze until July 15, 2025. 

The Trump White House issued executive orders in its first week intended to address the public’s concerns about public safety. 

Among those is an executive order that calls on the Attorney General and other administration officials to determine whether cartels, such as Tren de Aragua (TdA) and La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), should be designated as terrorist organizations, which would enable the government to utilize military and intelligence resources to go after them.  

Another executive order requires the Attorney General to pursue the death penalty for every federal capital crime involving the murder of a law-enforcement officer or a “capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country.”

UPDATE: On April 28, the White House issued a new executive order intended to “empower . . . State and local law enforcement to firmly police dangerous criminal behavior and protect innocent citizens.” The order directs the Attorney General to provide “legal resources and indemnification to law enforcement officers who unjustly incur expenses and liabilities for actions taken during the performance of their official duties to enforce the law.”  

The order also directs federal agencies to take steps to “maximize the use of Federal resources” for training, pay and benefits, and legal protections for state and local law enforcement, and to modify, rescind or conclude federal consent decrees and agreements to which a state or local law enforcement agency is a party. 

Following comments he made while touring disaster sites about potentially eliminating FEMA, President Trump issued an executive order that establishes a “Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council’ to make recommendations about “improvements or structural changes to promote the national interest and enable national resilience.” 

While the Review Council would not be required to recommend eliminating FEMA, it could recommend that the Federal role in large disasters be reduced to providing funding to state-run disaster programs.

UPDATE: In March, President Trump issued a second executive order that states that it is U.S. policy “that State and local governments and individuals play a more active and significant role in national resilience and preparedness” and requires agencies to update their regulations and procedures to facilitate a stronger role for state and local governments in disaster preparedness and response. 

The housing crunch hurts nearly everyone, from families receiving public assistance to workers and young people who can’t afford market rate prices. IDA is working to advance policies that support the development of affordable and “missing middle” housing in and near city centers.  

Content and Resources:

• IDA Issue Backgrounder: Workforce Housing 
• News: Workforce Housing Tax Credit Legislation Introduced 
• IDA Publication: Middle Housing: Playing a New Game 
• IDA Publication: Housing Attainability: How UPMOs Can Support A Diversity of Housing in Their Districts 

Crime, and the public’s perception of it, impacts the ability of America’s downtowns to recover from the pandemic. IDA supports federal policies that enable each community to tailor solutions to address their unique needs. 

Content and Resources: 

• Issue Brief:  Fighting Organized Retail Crime
• Issue Brief: Making Downtowns Safe for Everyone
• IDA Issue Backgrounder: Public Safety 
• Letter: IDA Backs Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act 
• IDA Publication: Public Safety Initiatives   
• IDA Publication: Downtown Districts at the Table: Planning for Safety and Security

Homelessness touches Americans from all walks of life. IDA is working to increase investments that help communities across the country not only get people off the streets, but into permanent housing.  

Content and Resources: 

• Issue Brief: Ending Homelessness
• IDA Issue Backgrounder: Homelessness 
• IDA-Backed Legislation: Housing ACCESS Act 
• IDA Publication: Evolving Homeless Services 
• IDA Publication: Homelessness in Urban Districts: Principles & Implications for Place Managers 

As downtowns across America confront a post-pandemic world of remote working and reduced demand for office space, IDA is working to help urban place management organizations adapt and foster vibrant city centers. 

Content and Resources:

• Take Action: Ask your members of Congress to cosponsor the Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act!
• Press Release: New Bill Will Revitalize America’s Downtowns While Boosting Affordable Housing
• Issue Brief:  Affordable Housing Conversions 
• One Pager: Learn More about the Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act
• Opinion: Why Saving Downtown is Key to our COVID-19 Economic Recovery-Roll Call 
• IDA Issue Backgrounder: Placemaking

As IDA works to advance its federal policy agenda, one of its most powerful assets is its members. Contacting your elected representatives is a great way to build support for pro-downtown policies and educate our nation’s leaders on the importance of urban placemaking. There are several easy ways in which IDA members can engage their House and Senate representatives. Click here to find out more about contacting your Representatives.  

Each year, members of Congress direct federal monies to specific projects in their communities, from transportation enhancements to public safety initiatives. Learn how urban place management organizations (UPMO) can apply for and secure federal funding for projects that make your downtowns vibrant places to live, play and work. IDA’s guide to congressionally directed spending provides step-by-step instructions, including key deadlines and tips on how to make the best case for funding. Download the handbook here.