Helping Left-Behind Communities Make a Comeback

Executive Order 14145 of January 19, 2025

Helping Left-Behind Communities Make a Comeback

By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. Well-designed programs that support
local and Tribal leaders in left-behind communities can
lead to stronger economic outcomes, strengthen regional
assets, and reduce regional inequality. It is the
policy of my Administration to take a whole-of-
government approach to defining, coordinating, and
increasing the accessibility of existing and future
programs that help left-behind communities.

Sec. 2. Definitions. For purposes of this order:

    (a) The term “covered communities” means:

(i) municipalities or other local areas within an economically distressed
region;

(ii) communities in Community Disaster Resiliency Zones;

(iii) regions served by any of the following Federal programs: the Energy
Communities Interagency Working Group Priority Energy Communities, the
Economic Development Administration Regional Technology and Innovation
Hubs, the National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development Distressed Cities and
Persistent Poverty Technical Assistance Program, or the Economic
Development Administration Recompete Pilot Program; or

(iv) rural communities identified by the Secretary of Agriculture and
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

    (b) “Economically distressed region” means a
region described by section 301 of the Public Works and
Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3161),
section 29(j) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3722b(j)(1)), or 49
U.S.C. 6702(a)(1), or that meets the definition of
“persistent poverty county” in section 736 of
Division A of Public Law 117-328.
    (c) “Implementing agencies” means the Department
of the Treasury, the Department of the Interior, the
Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce,
the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and
Human Services, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, the Department of Transportation, the
Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland
Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the
Small Business Administration.
    (d) “Place-based economic development” means
policies and programs administered by the Federal
Government that target defined regions, including
Tribal lands, and use a coordinated approach that
represents the interests of community members and
community-based organizations in covered communities
to:

(i) improve physical infrastructure;

(ii) support workforce development to fill locally and regionally demanded
well-paying jobs;

(iii) connect regions to new economic opportunities;

(iv) increase the capacity of unions, labor organizations, community
organizations, and the general public to negotiate legally binding
agreements

with investors, project developers, and companies to deliver locally
defined benefits to local communities;

(v) increase research and development capacity to accelerate local and
regional innovation; or

(vi) strengthen rural, Tribal and community systems.

Sec. 3. Strengthening Federal Collaboration on Economic
Development. (a) The Secretary of Commerce, acting
through the Assistant Secretary for Economic
Development and in consultation with the Assistant to
the President for Economic Policy, shall, where
appropriate and consistent with applicable law,
coordinate Federal investments with implementing
agencies and develop and implement policy
recommendations, including on meaningful community
engagement, related to place-based economic development
focused on covered communities.

    (b) Within 1 year of the date of this order,
consistent with applicable law, including section 103
of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of
1965 (42 U.S.C. 3133), the Secretary of Commerce,
through the Assistant Secretary for Economic
Development, shall work with implementing agencies to:

(i) improve the quality, frequency, and accessibility of engagement with
State, Tribal, territorial, local, and non-profit organizations in covered
communities;

(ii) support localized, community economic development that helps generate
private investments that benefit left-behind communities, such as workforce
training, resilient physical infrastructure, affordable energy, civic
infrastructure, affordable housing, childcare, and transportation;

(iii) develop an interagency technical assistance network in local
geographies to enable interested communities and organizations to access
information and resources from across the Federal Government through a
single point of entry; and

(v) identify geographies served by overlapping Federal place-based economic
development programs to facilitate coordination of funding opportunities
and post-award implementation, consistent with applicable law.

    (c) Implementing agencies shall, to the extent
appropriate and consistent with applicable law, include
in forthcoming funding opportunities requirements,
application evaluation factors, or incentives that
provide a preference for applications from entities in
and serving covered communities.

Sec. 4. Supporting Award Access in Economically
Distressed Regions. (a) Implementing agencies shall, to
the extent consistent with applicable law, assist
potential grant applicants, including in economically
distressed regions, in understanding and applying for
Federal grants. Implementing agencies' activities may
include:

(i) conducting proactive engagement with communities and organizations to
promote opportunities for Federal assistance;

(ii) providing guidance and technical assistance to applicants; and

(iii) identifying resources across the agencies' technical assistance
programs and offices for support.

    (b) Within 1 year of the date of this order,
implementing agencies shall, to the extent consistent
with applicable law, consider signing a memorandum of
agreement to exchange information, tools, and leading
practices to ensure applicants to under-resourced
programs are made aware of, and may be considered for,
similar programs at other agencies.

Sec. 5. Promoting Disaster Resilience and Long-Term
Economic Development Post-Disaster. In coordination
with the Secretary of Commerce, implementing agencies
that have field offices in economically distressed
regions or Community Disaster Resilience Zones that
have received a major disaster declaration within the
past 3 years shall, as appropriate and consistent with
applicable law:

    (a) seek input from local organizations on needs
for and barriers to long-term economic resilience;
    (b) identify funding opportunities to address long-
term economic development and infrastructure needs; and
    (c) provide targeted support for navigating the
application process for funding opportunities.

Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.

    (Presidential Sig.)

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    January 19, 2025.