Updated at 11:02 p.m. ET
When President Trump signed the $1.5 trillion tax cut bill on Friday at the White House, he made a bold claim — that his "legislative approvals" were off the charts. "No. 1 in the history of our country," he said, citing 88 as the number of bills he had signed into law.
The actual number of laws Trump signed this year is 96. His claim of historic achievement isn't accurate, either.
But that didn't stop him from repeating the erroneous claim Wednesday during a visit with firefighters in West Palm Beach, Fla.
"We have signed more legislation than anybody," Trump said.
He hasn't. In sheer numbers of bills signed into law during a president's first year in office (Jan. 20-Dec. 31), Trump is behind his six most recent predecessors.
According to tallies by GovTrack, Trump also trails Nixon, Kennedy and Eisenhower.
In making his claim, Trump also boasted that he had exceeded even former President Harry S. Truman's record for the number of bills signed.
"Harry Truman had more legislative approvals than any other president and — a record long held," Trump said. "And we beat him on legislative approvals, for which I get no credit."
One reason he may not be getting credit is that, according to a rough estimate from the Truman Library, Trump isn't even close to Truman's record.
@tamarakeithNPR We don't have an exact figure handy, but around 240-250. According to Statutes at Large, Congress passed 292 bills in that session. Subtracting from January-April, minus few vetoes, gets to that figure.
— Truman Library (@TrumanLibrary) December 22, 2017
Three White House spokespersons did not respond to a request from NPR to explain which record Trump was referring to, given that he trailed so many of his predecessors in the number of bills signed into law.
In any case, tallying laws signed is not necessarily a good way to measure accomplishment.
Political scientists say a far better — though more subjective — measure is significance, because not all bills are created equal. For instance, "S 810: A bill to facilitate construction of a bridge on certain property in Christian County, Missouri, and for other purposes" isn't in the same realm of significance as "HR 3364: Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act."
NPR analyzed all 96 laws signed by Trump this year, categorizing them. More than three dozen modify or extend existing law; 16 repeal rules and regulations using a process known as the Congressional Review Act; a dozen commemorate or honor people and organizations such as by renaming federal buildings; and seven provide temporary government funding or one-time disaster relief funds.
"This tax bill is a big deal," said John Frendreis, professor of political science at Loyola University Chicago. "But I don't think anybody would regard anything else that has come down the line as a significant legislative achievement."
The 96 Laws Trump Has Signed
Takes action needed every year/basic maintenance governing (2)
-
Names something/sites a memorial/encourages flag-flying/makes a statement (12)
- HR 244 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017
- HR 2810 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018
Implements new policy (3)
- S 1094 Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017
- HR 3364 Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
- S 305 Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017
- HR 1 An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018 [This is the GOP tax bill.]
Temporarily funds government, provides one-time disaster relief (7)
- HJRes 99 Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2017, and for other purposes
- HR 601 Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017
- HR 3732 Emergency Aid to American Survivors of Hurricanes Irma and Jose Overseas Act
- HR 3823 Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017
- HR 2266 Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017
- HJRes 123 Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes
- S 1616 Bob Dole Congressional Gold Medal Act
- HR 1370 Continuing Appropriations Act, Department of Defense Missile Defeat and Defense Enhancements Appropriations Act, CHIP and Public Health Funding Extension Act, 2018
Encourages an agency or the president to try something new (13)
- HR 321 Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act
- HR 255 Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act
- HR 534 U.S. Wants to Compete for a World Expo Act
- HR 274 Modernizing Government Travel Act
- HR 366 DHS SAVE Act
- S 327 Fair Access to Investment Research Act of 2017
- S 810 A bill to facilitate construction of a bridge on certain property in Christian County, Missouri, and for other purposes
- S 1141 Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017
- HR 1117 To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to submit a report regarding certain plans regarding assistance to applicants and grantees during the response to an emergency or disaster
- S 190 Power And Security Systems (PASS) Act
- S 920 National Clinical Care Commission Act
- HR 194 Federal Agency Mail Management Act of 2017
- HR 1545 VA Prescription Data Accountability Act 2017
Reauthorizes or modifies existing programs/law (37)
Names something/sites a memorial/encourages flag-flying/makes a statement (12)
- SJRes 1 A joint resolution approving the location of a memorial to commemorate and honor the members of the Armed Forces who served on active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield
- HR 1362 To name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Pago Pago, American Samoa, the Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin VA Clinic
- HR 609 To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs health care center in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the "Abie Abraham VA Clinic"
- S 305 Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017
- HR 375 To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 719 Church Street in Nashville, Tennessee, as the "Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and United States Courthouse"
- HJRes 67 Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to savings arrangements established by qualified State political subdivisions for non-governmental employees
- HR 873 Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act
- HJRes 43 Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule submitted by Secretary of Health and Human Services relating to compliance with title X requirements by project recipients in selecting subrecipients
- HR 2210 To designate the community living center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Butler Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the "Sergeant Joseph George Kusick VA Community Living Center"
- HJRes 83 Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Clarification of Employer's Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness"
- SJRes 34 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to "Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services"
- HJRes 4 Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to drug testing of unemployment compensation applicants
- HJRes 57 Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to accountability and State plans under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
- SJRes 49 A joint resolution condemning the violence and domestic terrorist attack that took place during events between August 11 and August 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia, recognizing the first responders who lost their lives while monitoring the events, offering deepest condolences to the families and friends of those individuals who were killed and deepest sympathies and support to those individuals who were injured by the violence, expressing support for the Charlottesville community, rejecting White nationalists, White supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, and other hate groups, and urging the President and the President's Cabinet to use all available resources to address the threats posed by those groups
- HJRes 58 Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to teacher preparation issues
- HJRes 37 Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration relating to the Federal Acquisition Regulation
- S 1616 Bob Dole Congressional Gold Medal Act
- HJRes 44 Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior relating to Bureau of Land Management regulations that establish the procedures used to prepare, revise, or amend land use plans pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
- HR 2519 The American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act
- HJRes 4 Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Social Security Administration relating to Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007
- HR 2989 Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act
- HJRes 38 Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior known as the Stream Protection Rule
- S 1617 Javier Vega, Jr. Memorial Act of 2017
These resolutions were passed through a previously obscure process known as the Congressional Review Act, which requires only a simple majority for passage in the Senate. Because these measures can't be filibustered in the Senate, they've been an easy way for Republicans, even with only a narrow Senate majority, to reverse Obama-era regulations that hadn't yet taken effect.
Legislative links and text via GovTrack
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