Tracking Trump’s Assault on Science

September 11, 2026

On President Trump’s first day in office for his second term, he issued 26 Executive Orders; by the end of 2025 that total rose to 225 Executive Orders. The frenzied release of these orders is all part of the White House’s “shock and awe” tactic meant to overwhelm opponents and squelch public dissent. This  tactic has become a hallmark of President Trump’s return to office.

The slew of Executive Orders that President Trump signed on January 20, 2025, were wide ranging. As defenders of sexual freedom, we at Woodhull immediately focused in on Executive Order 14168, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” Inspired only by hate and bigotry, President Trump used his first hours in office to deny accepted science on gender and sex, and directly target transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and gender expansive people.

The Order makes it official US policy to recognize only two sexes by claiming an individual’s sex is an “immutable biological classification as either male or female.” In doing so, the Order requires federal agency policies to be revised by replacing the use of “gender” with “sex”. This is all part of a nationwide assault against transgender people and sexual freedom.

To directly oppose the Order, we have responded to federal agencies’ efforts to implement it through agency rule making or revisions to agency policies and practices. We do this by tracking the Federal Register where the government publishes proposed rules and calls for public comment. In responding to government agencies, we emphasize that Executive Order 14168 is not only scientifically inaccurate but extremely harmful to the mental and physical well-being of gender diverse individuals. We also draw attention to our Fact Checked by Woodhull series, in which we have exhaustively research the realities of sex and gender and why public policy must reflect these truths.

Throughout 2026, we have responded to proposed rules from several agencies that explicitly aim to enforce Executive Order 14168. We have also responded to proposed rules or policy changes that would enforce aspects of the Order, even if the Order is not explicitly referenced in the call for public comment. This has included:

• The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)’s proposed changes to its information collection practices by replacing “gender” with “sex” on all ORR forms used within facilities where unaccompanied migrant youth are detained;

• The Department of Education’s proposed shuttering of the Equity Assistance Center Program; and

• The Department of Homeland Security’s proposed collection of immigrants’ DNA to “prove biological sex.”

We have published all our comments on the Woodhull website to both inform the public and to create a record of how Executive Order 14168 is being put into force. Because President Trump relies on his tactic of overwhelm to exhaust and distract us all, it is critical that we stay aware of the big and small ways his policies are eroding civil liberties and threatening human rights. When President Trump signed Executive Order 14168, it made news, but its enforcement by federal agencies has received much less attention. This does not mean it isn’t having an impact, for transgender, intersex, nonbinary, and gender expansive people the Order’s enforcement is disrupting daily life and harming their health, safety, and rights.

Read all our responses to proposed federal rule and policy changes to enforce Executive Order 14168:

• Woodhull’s Comments on the Collection and Use of Biometrics by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

• Standing Up for LGBTQIA+ Youth in Foster Care

• Opposing Discrimination at the FCC

• Defending Gender Diversity at the Department of Education

• Opposing Discriminatory Changes at the Office of Refugee Resettlement

• Opposing Gender Discrimination by the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau

• Fighting to Protect TGNC People from Discrimination at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

• Opposing Gender Discrimination at the FDA

• Fact Checking the Federal Government on “Gender Ideology”

We also encourage everyone concerned about protecting sexual freedom to respond to calls for comment on the enforcement of Executive Order 14168 and other dangerous White House policies. On the Federal Register, you can search current calls for comments by keyword (e.g., “gender” or “sex”) and set up email alerts for future proposed rule and policy changes.

Defending sexual freedom requires us all to stay informed and engaged! On Instagram Live we broke down how you can do this, watch and share here!