E.O.13974
Amending Executive Order 13959Addressing the Threat From Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies
·Donald Trump·86 FR 4875
E.O.13973
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Environmental Protection Agency
·Donald Trump·86 FR 3733
Sets an order of succession within the Environmental Protection Agency, listing seventeen officials—starting with the General Counsel and running through various assistant administrators, the Chief Financial Officer, and regional officials—who would act as Administrator if both the Administrator and Deputy Administrator die, resign, or otherwise become unable to serve. It specifies that anyone already serving in one of these listed positions in an acting capacity cannot become acting Administrator through this order, and that a listed official must otherwise be eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 to serve. The President retains discretion to depart from this order when naming an acting Administrator. It revokes the prior succession order, Executive Order 13763 of January 13, 2017, and states that it creates no enforceable legal rights for any party.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13972
Promoting Small Modular Reactors for National Defense and Space Exploration
·Donald Trump·86 FR 3727
Sets policy to promote small modular and micro nuclear reactors for national defense and space exploration. Directs the Secretary of Defense, within 180 days, to establish a plan demonstrating a Nuclear Regulatory Commission-licensed micro-reactor at a domestic military installation, and to identify further military installation opportunities if successful. Requires the Secretary of Defense, with other agencies, to assess nuclear power for defense space needs, pilot a transportable micro-reactor, and study regulatory, personnel, and technical requirements. Directs the NASA Administrator, within 180 days, to define requirements for using nuclear energy systems in human and robotic space missions through 2040. Requires the Secretary of Energy to complete a HALEU (high-assay, low-enriched uranium) enrichment demonstration and plan its transition to private industry. Directs the Secretaries of State, Defense, Commerce, and Energy and the NASA Administrator to jointly develop a common technology roadmap through 2030, covering foreign capabilities, technology transfer, and related applications, to be submitted to the President before related budget proposals. Defines key terms such as small modular reactor, micro-reactor, and transportable micro-reactor.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13971
Addressing the Threat Posed by Applications and Other Software Developed or Controlled by Chinese Companies
·Donald Trump·86 FR 1249
Acting under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and building on Executive Order 13873's declared national emergency over information and communications technology supply chains, the order finds that Chinese-developed connected software applications pose risks by collecting Americans' personal data. Beginning 45 days after signing, it prohibits transactions by persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction with those who develop or control eight named applications—Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office—or their subsidiaries, once the Secretary of Commerce identifies the specific covered transactions and persons. It also directs the Secretary to keep evaluating other Chinese connected software applications, and to report within 45 days, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence, on recommendations to prevent foreign adversaries from obtaining U.S. user data. It bans evasion or conspiracy to violate these prohibitions, defines key terms, and directs agencies to assist the Department of Commerce in implementing the order.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13970
Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay
·Donald Trump·86 FR 421
Sets updated rates of basic pay and salaries for federal employees and officials across multiple pay systems, based on schedules attached to the order. Covers the General Schedule, the Foreign Service Schedule, Veterans Health Administration pay schedules, the Senior Executive Service, the Executive Schedule, the Vice President and Congress, federal justices and judges, uniformed services members and military cadets and midshipmen, locality-based pay adjustments, and administrative law judges. Directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to implement locality-based comparability payments and publish notice of them in the Federal Register. The military pay schedule takes effect January 1, 2021, while the other pay schedules take effect at the start of the first full pay period on or after that date. Supersedes Executive Order 13901 of December 26, 2019, as of these effective dates.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13969
Expanding Educational Opportunity Through School Choice
·Donald Trump·86 FR 219
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to take steps, consistent with law, allowing funds available through the Community Services Block Grant program to be used by grantees and eligible entities to provide emergency learning scholarships to disadvantaged families for any child lacking access to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scholarships may cover tuition and fees at private or parochial schools, homeschool, microschool, or learning-pod costs, special education and related therapies, or tutoring and remedial education. The order cites disruptions from school closures, including impacts on child welfare, students with special needs, and low-income and minority students, as justification. It states it does not alter existing agency authority or the Office of Management and Budget's budgetary functions, must be implemented subject to available appropriations, and does not create any enforceable legal rights.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13968
Promoting Redemption of Savings Bonds
·Donald Trump·85 FR 83745
Directs the Department of the Treasury to take steps to help owners of matured, unredeemed savings bonds—estimated at more than 75 million bonds worth about $27 billion—locate and redeem them. Instructs Treasury to digitize and make searchable records identifying registered owners and beneficiaries, completing an ongoing pilot project by the end of 2020 and prioritizing bond-issuance years with the highest unredeemed debt. Requires that digitized data be incorporated into the online "Treasury Hunt" search tool within 30 days of being received, consistent with privacy law. Orders Treasury to research why bondholders fail to redeem matured bonds and what barriers they face, and to work with states to gather data, share best practices, and encourage links to Treasury Hunt from state unclaimed-property websites. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to publish a report on implementation actions within six months. States it creates no enforceable legal rights and is subject to available funding.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13967
Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture
·Donald Trump·85 FR 83739
Sets federal design policy favoring classical and other traditional architecture for certain federal buildings, including courthouses, agency headquarters, all federal buildings in Washington, D.C., and other public buildings expected to cost more than $50 million in 2020 dollars. In Washington, D.C., classical architecture becomes the preferred default style absent exceptional justification. Directs the General Services Administration to seek input from future building users and the general public before choosing architects or design styles, and to consider redesigning existing buildings that don't meet the new criteria when feasible. Establishes the President's Council on Improving Federal Civic Architecture, made up of Commission of Fine Arts members, GSA officials, the Architect of the Capitol, and up to 20 outside appointees, to recommend policy updates by September 30, 2021, when the Council is set to terminate unless extended. Requires the GSA Administrator to notify the White House at least 30 days before approving designs, such as Brutalist or Deconstructivist styles, that diverge from the preferred approach, explaining the justification and comparative costs.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13966
Increasing Economic and Geographic Mobility
·Donald Trump·85 FR 81777
Sets federal policy favoring reduced occupational licensing burdens, guided by six principles: active oversight of licensing boards, adopting the least restrictive rules needed to protect public safety, periodic review of existing regulations, allowing people with criminal records to seek preliminary eligibility determinations, honoring out-of-state licenses for qualified, unrestricted applicants, and accommodating military spouses relocating due to permanent change-of-station orders. Directs agency heads, within 90 days and every two years after, to review their authorities and regulations for alignment with these principles and report findings to the Office of Management and Budget, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. Also requires agencies to recommend ways to reward states, territories, and tribes that adopt consistent licensing reforms, with further reports and implementation steps due at 120 and 180 days, coordinated by the Small Business Administration, Commerce, Labor, and Health and Human Services departments. Defines key terms such as occupational license and active supervision, and states it creates no enforceable legal rights.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13965
Providing for the Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government on December 24, 2020
·Donald Trump·85 FR 81337
Closes all federal executive departments and agencies on Thursday, December 24, 2020, the day before Christmas, and excuses employees from duty. Allows agency heads to keep certain offices open and require specific employees to work that day for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need. States that December 24, 2020 will be treated as falling under Executive Order 11582 and related federal pay and leave statutes. Directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to take actions necessary to carry out the order. Notes that implementation is subject to available appropriations and existing law, does not affect other agencies' legal authority or the Office of Management and Budget's budgetary functions, and creates no enforceable rights against the government.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13964
Rebranding United States Foreign Assistance To Advance American Influence
·Donald Trump·85 FR 81333
Directs the Secretary of State, working with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and other agency heads, to begin notice-and-comment rulemaking within 120 days to require that all U.S. foreign assistance be branded and marked as "American aid." Within 30 days, the President will select a single logo representing this branding, which must be prominently displayed on foreign assistance materials, packaging, and communications, with limited exceptions for administrative items, non-project materials, and completed projects. Agencies not already covered by existing branding rules must adopt the single-logo requirement within 120 days and remove their own logos unless legally required to display them. The Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator, may grant written waivers of the logo requirement for political, safety, security, or policy reasons, with limits on who can delegate that authority. The Secretary must report on implementation to the President within 180 days and annually afterward. The order does not create enforceable legal rights and is subject to existing law and available funding.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13963
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Defense
·Donald Trump·85 FR 81331
Sets an order of succession within the Department of Defense, listing eighteen tiers of officials, from the Deputy Secretary of Defense through Assistant Secretaries and General Counsels of the Military Departments, who would act as Secretary of Defense if the Secretary dies, resigns, or otherwise cannot perform the office's duties. Precedence among officials in the same tier is determined by appointment date or, if identical, by the order in which they took their oath. Officials serving only in an acting capacity cannot act as Secretary under this order, and only individuals appointed with Senate confirmation and otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 may serve. The President retains discretion to depart from this order when designating an Acting Secretary. Revokes Executive Order 13533 of March 1, 2010, which previously set the department's succession order. States that it creates no enforceable legal rights for any party.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13962
Ensuring Access to United States Government COVID-19 Vaccines
·Donald Trump·85 FR 79777
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, working through Operation Warp Speed and with support from the Secretary of Defense, to ensure safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines developed or procured by the U.S. government are made available to Americans, with priority given to the most vulnerable populations, and to ensure enough doses exist for all Americans who want vaccination. Once that domestic supply is confirmed, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of State, coordinating with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Export-Import Bank, and other agencies, are to facilitate access to these vaccines for allies and partners abroad. Within 30 days, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs must coordinate an interagency strategy for that international access effort. The order states it does not alter existing agency authorities and creates no enforceable legal rights.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13961
Governance and Integration of Federal Mission Resilience
·Donald Trump·85 FR 79379
Establishes a Federal Mission Resilience Executive Committee, made up of the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence, the President's national security adviser, a deputy chief of staff, and the Office of Management and Budget director, to coordinate the accompanying Federal Mission Resilience Strategy, aimed at improving how the executive branch maintains essential government functions during emergencies. Directs the committee to submit a charter and an implementation plan to the President within 90 days, and policy recommendations within 120 days. Amends Presidential Policy Directive-40 to designate the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, or a designee, as the National Continuity Coordinator. Revises Executive Order 13618 to delegate certain Communications Act authorities to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, revokes that order's section 3, and transfers its committee's responsibilities to the newly created Executive Committee. Directs an existing Joint Program Office to support the new committee's work. Applies to federal executive departments and agencies, including the Executive Office of the President.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13960
Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government
·Donald Trump·85 FR 78939
Sets policy for federal agencies' design, development, acquisition, and use of artificial intelligence, outside of national security and defense contexts. Establishes principles requiring AI use to be lawful, purposeful, accurate, safe, understandable, traceable, monitored, transparent, and accountable. Directs the Office of Management and Budget to publish, within 180 days, a roadmap for related policy guidance. Requires the Federal Chief Information Officers Council to set criteria for agency inventories of AI use cases within 60 days, after which agencies must compile, review, and eventually make public their own inventories, and develop plans to fix or retire AI systems inconsistent with the principles. Also directs the General Services Administration's Presidential Innovation Fellows program to create an AI expertise track, and has the Office of Personnel Management inventory rotational programs to expand AI expertise across agencies. Excludes the Department of Defense, intelligence agencies, embedded commercial AI, and AI research activities. Requires each agency to designate a responsible official within 30 days to oversee implementation.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13959
Addressing the Threat From Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies
·Donald Trump·85 FR 73185
Declares a national emergency over investments that finance companies supporting China's military and intelligence activities, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Prohibits U.S. persons, starting January 11, 2021, from buying or trading publicly listed securities—or related derivative products—of companies designated as "Communist Chinese military companies" by the Secretary of Defense, with additional companies subject to a similar ban 60 days after designation. Allows limited windows for investors to divest existing holdings without penalty. Bans transactions and conspiracies designed to evade these restrictions. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, consulting with the Secretaries of State and Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, to issue regulations, licenses, and rules implementing the order, and to report to Congress on the emergency. Defines key terms including "Communist Chinese military company," "security," "transaction," and "United States person," and lists initially designated companies in an attached annex.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13958
Establishing the President's Advisory 1776 Commission
·Donald Trump·85 FR 70951
Directs the Secretary of Education to establish, within 120 days, the President's Advisory 1776 Commission within the Department of Education to promote what the order calls patriotic education about the American founding. The commission, up to 20 members appointed by the President plus several cabinet-level ex-officio members, is to produce a public report within one year on the founding's core principles, advise on the 250th anniversary of American independence, develop a "Presidential 1776 Award" recognizing student knowledge of the founding, and advise federal agencies on promoting this focus at parks, monuments, and other historic sites and in federal grants. The Department of Education provides its funding and support, and the commission terminates after two years unless extended. The order also directs agencies to monitor and enhance compliance with existing law requiring federally funded schools to hold Constitution Day programs, and instructs the Departments of Education, Defense, and State to prioritize existing programs toward promoting patriotic education.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13957
Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service
·Donald Trump·85 FR 67631
Creates a new Schedule F within the excepted federal civil service for career positions of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character that are not tied to a presidential transition. Amends Civil Service Rule VI to add this schedule and exempts Schedule F positions from standard competitive-service hiring rules and from the adverse-action removal procedures in chapter 75 of title 5, United States Code. Directs the Office of Personnel Management's Director to issue implementing regulations and transition guidance. Requires each executive agency head to review covered positions within 90 and 210 days, and annually thereafter, and either petition the Director to reclassify qualifying positions into Schedule F or, for statutorily excepted positions, publish determinations in the Federal Register. Requires the Director to report annually to the President on petitions granted and denied. Directs agencies to prohibit the same personnel practices barred elsewhere in federal law for Schedule F employees and to seek exclusion of qualifying positions from collective bargaining units where appropriate.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13956
Modernizing America's Water Resource Management and Water Infrastructure
·Donald Trump·85 FR 65647
Establishes an interagency Water Subcabinet, co-chaired by the Secretary of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and including several other cabinet agencies, to coordinate federal water resource management and infrastructure efforts. Directs the Water Subcabinet, within 90 days, to identify and recommend consolidation of existing federal water-related task forces and working groups. Within 120 days, requires it to submit a report recommending actions on water storage and drought resilience, water quality and restoration, drinking water and flood control systems, and water data and forecasting, with lead agencies and milestones through fiscal year 2025, followed by annual status updates. Within 150 days, directs the Subcabinet to recommend priorities for integrated infrastructure planning across agencies funding water projects, and, in consultation with several other departments, to develop recommendations for recruiting, training, and retaining water-sector workers. Specifies that implementation depends on available funding and existing legal authority, and creates no enforceable rights for outside parties.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13955
Establishing the One Trillion Trees Interagency Council
·Donald Trump·85 FR 65643