TRUMP EXEC ORDERS: “Are executive orders always this controversial?- Many executive orders are fairly mundane. George W. Bush’s orders included instructions to his secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national program to enhance physical activity and participation in sports. He also made adjustments to the pay scale and order of succession in government agencies.
But presidents also have used executive actions to make sweeping changes in national policy, whether in times of war or to get around an uncooperative Congress.
Some notable examples include:
Abraham Lincoln’s 1862 Emancipation Proclamation, which declared slaves free in rebel states during the Civil War.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1942 order authorizing the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Harry S. Truman’s 1948 order to integrate the armed forces.”
– Alexandra Zavis, “Presidents since George Washington have been signing executive orders. How do Trump’s stack up?,” The Los Angeles Times online, Feb. 3, 2017