Trump came into the Oval Office with pen blazing. In his first week and a half in office he has signed seven executive orders, so far, in addition to 11 memoranda. He’s also fleshed out his cabinet nominees, many of whom have already been confirmed. Some of these actions have clear business implications, some less so. Personally, it’s been a while since my civics class in eighth grade, so first, a quick rundown on what it all means. Then, we’ll dig into the top three actions and their implications. Understanding the Executive Branch Yes, there are three branches of government, as we all learned in middle school civics. The legislative branch (Congress) makes the laws; the executive branch (the president, and everyone who reports to him) ‘enforces’ the law; and the judicial branch (the courts) interpret the law. When we talk about executive orders, we are talking about the mechanics of how the executive branch works. The executive branch isn’t just the president; it’s the entire, vast, sprawling federal bureaucracy.