1.) They’ve crushed a rule that forced energy companies to reveal when they were bribing foreign governments.
Trump’s very first CRA bill was an anti-anti-corruption measure, blocking an Obama effort to force oil companies to disclose payments to foreign governments; Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had personally lobbied against the rule as CEO of ExxonMobil, telling lawmakers that undisclosed payments were vital to Exxon’s business in Russia.
2.) They made it easier for coal companies to dump waste into streams and rivers and conduct mountaintop removal mining.
3.) They removed a rule that said anyone who had been declared mentally incapable of managing their own assets should not be able to buy a gun.
4.) They removed requirements that defense contractors obey labor laws.
5.) They limited the ability of the government to restrict the use of federal lands.
6.) The killed accountability on state education targets for elementary and secondary schools.
7.) While they were at it, they killed rules on teacher training.
8.) They made it easier for states to drug test people before they could get unemployment pay.
9.) They made it legal to shoot hibernating bears and wolves in National Wildlife Refuges (yeah, they really did).
10.) They weakened rules that employers have to keep track of employee injuries and illness.
11.) They made it legal for communications companies to sell your Internet history without your permission.
The highest-profile CRA bill so far gave internet service providers permission to track and sell their customers’ data without permission; a YouGov poll found 74 percent of the public wanted Trump to veto it, while 11 percent thought he should sign it, but he signed it without fanfare last Monday night.
Those are just the things that they’ve already signed. CRA bills currently in the works include a fresh attempt to hurt Planned Parenthood, relaxing rules around oil and gas production, and making it harder for employees to seek representation for labor issues.
So far Trump has vetoed not a single bill brought to him, so expect Congress to keep these flowing. Because of the rules around the CRA, these bills can pass through the Senate on a simple majority. As long as Republicans can find an Obama rule to attack, they will keep these coming.
Of course, there’s always the chance that Trump will forget to sign them.