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    Executive Actions Affecting Government Reform

    2025 Presidential Actions
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    These executive order (EO) summaries are based on a cursory review; our lawyers and policy professionals continue to analyze these documents, and the directives they contain. Among other things, some of the directed actions may present significant constitutional questions that could be litigated and subsequently overturned or blocked.


    February 26, 2025

    Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative

    An EO directing agency heads to take various actions aimed at reducing federal spending. Among other measures, the EO directs agency heads to implement centralized systems for recording and justifying agency payments, review contracts and grants, update contracting policy guidance, assess all property leases and place a 30-day freeze on employee credit cards. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 19, 2025

    Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy

    An EO directing several actions to reduce the size of the federal government, including the termination of the Presidential Management Fellows Program and various federal advisory committees. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 19, 2025

    Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Regulatory Initiative

    An EO directing agency heads, among other actions, to identify unconstitutional and unlawful regulations and include their rescission or modification in the Unified Regulatory Agenda. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 19, 2025

    President Trump Announces Appointments to the Council of Governors

    A directive appointing members to the Council of Governors.
     
    February 19, 2025

    President Trump Announces Appointments to the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

    A directive appointing several individuals to the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
     
    February 18, 2025

    Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies

    An EO directing the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish performance standards and management objectives for independent agency heads, ensure alignment of independent agencies’ obligations and apportionments with the President’s policies, and facilitate coordination and consultation on policies and priorities with independent regulatory agencies. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 18, 2025

    Radical Transparency About Wasteful Spending

    A memorandum directing the heads of executive departments and agencies to publicly disclose the details of every terminated program, canceled contract terminated grant, or any other discontinued use of federal funds. A fact sheet on the memorandum can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 12, 2025

    Nominations Sent to the Senate

    A directive nominating multiple individuals to key positions across the federal government.
     
    February 12, 2025

    One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations

    An EO directing the Secretary of State to reform the Foreign Service and the administration of foreign relations to ensure faithful and effective implementation of the President’s foreign policy agenda. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 10, 2025

    Pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement to Further American Economic and National Security

    An EO directing the Attorney General to review and update the guidelines and policies governing investigations and enforcement actions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) within a 180-day period. During this period, no new FCPA investigations shall be initiated, except under approved exceptions. The Attorney General may extend the review for an additional 180 days if deemed necessary. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 10, 2025

    Ending Procurement and Forced Use of Paper Straws

    An EO prohibiting the federal government from procuring paper straws and directing relevant agencies to issue a National Strategy to End the Use of Paper Straws within 45 days. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 10, 2025

    Eliminating the Federal Executive Institute

    An EO eliminating the Federal Executive Institute. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 6, 2025

    Advancing United States Interests When Funding Nongovernmental Organizations

    A memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies directing them to review all funding provided to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and to align all future funding decisions with the goals and priorities of the current administration.
     
    February 6, 2025

    Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias

    An EO establishing a task force within the Department of Justice to eradicate anti-Christian bias. Among other directives, the task force is to identify any policies, practices or conduct by agencies that are determined to be anti-Christian. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    January 31, 2025

    Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation

    An EO requiring that whenever an executive department or agency publicly proposes for notice and comment or otherwise promulgates a new regulation, it shall identify at least 10 existing regulations to be repealed. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    January 31, 2025

    Limiting Lame-Duck Collective Bargaining Agreements That Improperly Attempt to Constrain the New President

    A memorandum prohibiting executive departments and agencies from finalizing collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with employees in the 30 days prior to a change in presidential administrations. It further instructs agency heads to disapprove of any CBA that has not yet been approved and that does not comply with the requirements of the memorandum.
     
    January 29, 2025

    Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday

    An EO establishing a White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday.
     
    January 24, 2025

    Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency

    An EO establishing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council to advise the President on the “ability of FEMA to capably and impartially address disasters” and make recommendations on FEMA reform. The review council will be composed of 20 members, including relevant agency heads and representatives from sectors outside the federal government.
     
    January 23, 2025

    Declassification of Records Concerning the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

    An EO directing the declassification and release of records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy within 15 days, and those concerning the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. within 45 days. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    January 23, 2025

    Federal Recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

    A memorandum directing the Secretary of the Interior to assist the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina in obtaining full federal recognition through legislation or other available mechanisms.
     
    January 22, 2025

    Nominations Transmitted to the Senate

    A list of nominations for various positions within the administration.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Establishing and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE)

    An EO establishing the US DOGE Service (USDS) within the Executive Office of the President (EOP), directing federal agency leadership to establish a “DOGE Team” within their respective agencies, and directing the USDS Administrator to commence a Software Modernization Initiative to maximize government-wide software, network infrastructure and information technology (IT) systems.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness

    An EO renaming “Denali” as “Mount McKinley” and the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America.”
     
    January 20, 2025

    Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government

    An EO directing federal action to address politically motivated investigations, prosecutions and enforcement actions undertaken by the Biden administration. The EO directs the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with other federal agencies, to review enforcement and intelligence actions undertaken by all federal agencies with enforcement and intelligence authority over the last four years to identify and take remedial action to fulfill the purposes of the EO.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions

    An EO rescinding 78 Biden administration EOs related to social policies, border policies, climate initiatives, public health, immigration and AI, among other topics.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Flying the Flag of the United States at Full-staff on Inauguration Day

    A proclamation ordering that the US flag be flown at full-staff on inauguration days.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Announcement of Cabinet and Cabinet-level Appointments

    The formal nominations of President Trump’s cabinet appointments.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Announcement of Sub-Cabinet Appointments

    The formal nominations of President Trump’s sub-cabinet appointments.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Announcement of Acting Cabinet and Cabinet-level Positions

    The formal appointments for acting cabinet and cabinet-level positions.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Announcement of Chairmen and Acting Chairmen

    The formal designations of federal chairmen and acting chairmen.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture

    A memorandum directing the Administrator of the General Services Administration, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the heads of relevant departments and agencies, to submit proposals to advance federal public buildings as civic locations.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Regulatory Freeze Pending Review

    A memorandum pausing federal rulemaking until approved by a department or agency head appointed or designated by President Trump. The EO additionally pauses pending regulatory actions and orders the withdrawal of rules sent to the Office of the Federal Register but not yet published.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Restoring Accountability for Career Senior Executives

    A memorandum directing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director to coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director to issue Senior Executive Service (SES) Performance Plans for agencies to adopt. The action directs agency heads to terminate their existing Executive Resources Board (ERB) and institute a new or interim ERB, as well as terminate their existing Performance Review Board membership and replace membership with individuals focused on enforcing SES performance evaluations.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Restoring Accountability to Policy-influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce

    An EO reinstating the creation of Schedule F – retitled as Schedule Policy/Career – in the Excepted Service and directing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to issue guidance on additional categories of positions that should be placed in Schedule Policy/Career.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service

    An EO mandating reforms to federal hiring practices to focus on merit, skill and commitment to the constitution. The EO directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to develop and distribute a federal hiring plan to increase efficiency of hiring and recruiting efforts.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Return to In-person Work

    A memorandum directing federal employees to return to full-time, in-person work.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Hiring Freeze

    A memorandum freezing the hiring of federal civilian employees, excluding military and certain other national security and public safety positions, and directing the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to submit a plan to reduce the size of the Federal workforce.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Holding Former Government Officials Accountable for Election Interference and Improper Disclosure of Sensitive Governmental Information

    An EO revoking security clearances held by Biden administration officials who engaged in “misleading and inappropriate political coordination with the 2020 Biden presidential campaign” and John Bolton. The action further directs the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to submit a report to the President assessing inappropriate activity by members of the Intelligence Community (IC) and security clearance holders related to a letter signed by 51 IC officials during the campaign and providing recommendations to avoid inappropriate election interference by IC members, including potential disciplinary actions.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Memorandum to Resolve the Backlog of Security Clearances for Executive Office of the President Personnel

    A memorandum ordering the immediate granting of security clearances to a list of individuals prepared by the Office of White House Counsel and granting that office the authority to revoke interim clearances.