page_title: Timeline of the Donald Trump presidency (2017 Q1)
section_title: Week 9
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of the Donald Trump presidency (2017 Q1) / Timeline / March 2017 / Week 9
caption_attribution_description: President Donald Trump shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Monday, March 20, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Official White House photo by Benjamin Applebaum)
context_page_description: The following is a timeline of the presidency of Donald Trump during the first quarter of 2017. To navigate between quarters, see Timeline of the Donald Trump presidency.
context_section_description: Monday, March 20
  President Trump issues a tweet rejecting allegations of collusion with Russia as "fake news".
  In a House Intelligence Committee hearing, FBI Director James Comey states that their investigation of Russian influence on the presidential election also covers possible links between Russia and Trump campaign figures and that the FBI has no evidence of wiretapping against Trump.
  President Trump meets with philanthropist Bill Gates.
  President Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the White House.
  President Trump holds an evening political rally in Louisville, Kentucky.
  President Trump nominates Judge Amul Thapar to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
  The Senate Judiciary Committee begins hearings on the nomination of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of the United States.
  President Trump signs a memorandum which "delegate to the Secretary of State the functions and authorities vested in the President by" the "Updated Plan for Verification and Monitoring of Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and Fissile Material" section of the National Defense Authorization Act.
  Tuesday, March 21
  President Trump signs a bill which defines the budget and objectives of NASA, including a crewed mission to Mars as early as 2033. The draft 2018 budget expands support of public-private partnerships for deep-space habitation, revives a supersonic flight research program, strengthens NASA's cybersecurity, increases focus on planetary science and robotic exploration, cancels the Europa lander and Asteroid Redirect Mission, terminates four Earth science missions, and eliminates the NASA Office of Education, resulting in an overall 0.8% budget decrease.
  Congressman Devin Nunes, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, secretly visits the White House grounds to observe classified information concerning Trump's allegations of wiretapping.
  Secretary of State Tillerson meets with Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.
  President Trump proclaims March 21 as National Agriculture Day.
  The Department of Labor pushes back the effective date of the Occupational Exposure to Beryllium rule by one month.
  Wednesday, March 22
  President Trump is briefed by Devin Nunes, who also holds a news conference at the White House, on the evidence concerning Trump's wiretapping allegations which he was shown on the White House grounds on the previous day.
  President Trump offers British Prime Minister Theresa May the United States' full support, following a briefing by National Security Advisor McMaster on a fatal terrorist attack carried out near the Palace of Westminster in London.
  Secretary of State Tillerson hosts a summit of 68 nations in Washington to discuss anti-ISIS strategy.
  Secretary of Homeland Security Kelly meets with President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez.
  Thursday, March 23
  The first major Congressional vote on President Trump's planned repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act is postponed until March 24.
  President Trump signs a memorandum and a presidential notice to "continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13664 with respect to South Sudan".
  Secretary of State Tillerson orders U.S. diplomatic missions to identify "populations warranting increased scrutiny".
  Friday, March 24
  With the consent of President Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan indefinitely postpones the first major Congressional vote on the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, due to lack of support from both sides of Congress.
  President Trump and Secretary of Defense Mattis host a group of prior medal recipients at the White House on the eve of National Medal of Honor Day.
  Under Secretary of State Shannon issues a presidential permit to allow the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline by TransCanada Corporation.
  President Trump proclaims March 25 as Greek Independence Day and hosts a celebration in the East Room.
  Secretary of State Tillerson meets with the Foreign Minister of Bahrain, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
  During a visit to the Osceola County, Florida campus of Valencia College, S
caption: President Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "3000", "Image ImageLength": "2000", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image ImageDescription": "President Donald Trump shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi , Monday, March 20, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Official White House photo by Benjamin Applebaum)", "Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 5D Mark III", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 (Macintosh)", "Image DateTime": "2017:05:04 12:20:40", "Image Artist": "Benjamin D. Applebaum", "Image Copyright": "This photograph is provided by THE WHITE HOUSE as a courtesy and may be printed by the subject(s) in the photograph for personal use only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not otherwise be reproduced, disseminated or broadcast, without the written permission of the White House Photo Office. This photograph may not be used in any commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.", "Image ExifOffset": "1100", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1778", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "5776", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/160", "EXIF FNumber": "9/2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "4000", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "4000", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2017:03:20 15:08:30", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2017:03:20 15:08:30", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "915241/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "86797/20000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Partial", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "70", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "85", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "85", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2048", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1365", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1600", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1600", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "3", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "152028002633", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[24, 70, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "0325000074"}