Executive Orders
Browse 63 executive orders spanning American history.
Showing 63 of 63 orders
Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence
Established new standards for AI safety and security, directed agencies to develop guidelines for AI use, required reporting by developers of powerful AI systems, and addressed AI risks to privacy, civil rights, and the labor market.
Ensuring Robust Consideration of Evolving National Security Risks by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
Directed CFIUS to consider specific national security factors including supply chain resilience, cybersecurity, and sensitive personal data when reviewing foreign investments in U.S. businesses.
Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets
Directed a whole-of-government approach to addressing the risks and harnessing the potential benefits of digital assets and their underlying technology (blockchain). Called for studies on a potential U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors
Raised the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15.00 per hour, superseding Obama's EO 13658 which had set it at $10.10. Included annual inflation adjustments and eliminated the tipped minimum wage for contractor employees.
Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad
Established climate change as an essential element of U.S. foreign policy and national security. Created the National Climate Task Force, set a goal of conserving 30% of federal lands and waters by 2030, and directed the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps.
Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America's Workers
Strengthened Buy American requirements for federal procurement, increased domestic content thresholds, and created a Made in America Office within OMB to oversee waiver requests.
Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government
Directed federal agencies to advance equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved. Required agencies to conduct equity assessments of their programs and policies.
Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation
Directed federal agencies to enforce prohibitions on sex discrimination to include discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, consistent with the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County.
Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis
Directed agencies to review and reverse Trump-era environmental rollbacks, reestablished the social cost of carbon for regulatory analysis, and recommitted to the Paris Climate Agreement.
Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping
Prohibited federal contractors and agencies from conducting training that teaches concepts characterized by the order as 'divisive,' including certain concepts associated with critical race theory. Revoked by President Biden.
Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents
Required agencies to treat guidance documents as non-binding and to publish them in a single searchable database. Intended to curtail the use of guidance documents as de facto regulations.
Imposing Certain Sanctions in the Event of Foreign Interference in a United States Election
Authorized sanctions against foreign persons and entities that interfere in U.S. elections, including through cyber-enabled activities, propaganda, or disinformation campaigns.
Efficient Federal Operations
Revoked Obama's sustainability executive order and replaced it with a focus on efficient federal operations emphasizing cost reduction rather than emissions targets.
Buy American and Hire American
Directed agencies to strengthen enforcement of Buy American laws for government procurement and review immigration programs including the H-1B visa to prioritize American workers.
Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry (Revised)
Revised version of the travel ban removing Iraq from the list and narrowing the scope. After extensive litigation, the Supreme Court upheld a third iteration (Presidential Proclamation 9645) in Trump v. Hawaii (2018). Revoked by President Biden.
Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States
Suspended entry of nationals from seven majority-Muslim countries for 90 days and halted all refugee admissions for 120 days. Known as the first 'travel ban,' it was immediately challenged in courts and blocked by multiple federal judges.
Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade
Set goals for federal agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, and promote sustainability in federal operations.
Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors
Established a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour for workers on federal contracts, later superseded by President Biden's order raising the minimum to $15.00.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Memorandum
While technically a DHS memorandum rather than a numbered executive order, this directive established the DACA program, deferring deportation for undocumented immigrants who arrived as children and met certain criteria. Protected approximately 800,000 Dreamers.
Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review
Supplemented EO 12866 by emphasizing public participation in rulemaking, integration and innovation in regulatory approaches, and retrospective analysis of existing rules.
Classified National Security Information
Established the current framework for classifying, safeguarding, and declassifying national security information. Set automatic declassification timelines and strengthened oversight of the classification system.
Ensuring Lawful Interrogations
Required all interrogations of detainees to follow the Army Field Manual, effectively banning the enhanced interrogation techniques (including waterboarding) used under the Bush administration's CIA program.
Review and Disposition of Individuals Detained at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Ordered the review of all detentions at Guantanamo Bay and directed that the detention facility be closed within one year. The closure was never completed due to congressional opposition.
Presidential Records
Revoked Bush's EO 13233 and restored the presumption of public access to presidential records under the Presidential Records Act, limiting the ability of former presidents to block release of their records.
Interpretation of the Geneva Conventions Common Article 3 as Applied to a Program of Detention and Interrogation
Authorized the CIA's enhanced interrogation program under conditions specified by the order, interpreting Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. Revoked by President Obama who banned enhanced interrogation.
Further Amendment to Executive Order 12958, as Amended, Classified National Security Information
Amended the Clinton-era classification order to expand classification authority and extend the timeline for automatic declassification of documents from 25 to 25+ years in certain categories.
Further Implementation of the Presidential Records Act
Expanded the ability of former presidents and their heirs to block release of presidential records. Controversial for limiting transparency, it was later revoked by President Obama.
Establishing the Office of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council
Created the Office of Homeland Security within the White House and established the Homeland Security Council following the September 11 attacks. The office was a precursor to the Department of Homeland Security established by statute in 2002.
Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency
Required federal agencies to examine services they provide and develop plans to make them accessible to persons with limited English proficiency (LEP).
Federalism
Established fundamental federalism principles and policymaking criteria for federal agencies to follow when formulating and implementing policies that have federalism implications.
Further Amendment to Executive Order 11478, Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal Government
Amended EO 11478 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in the federal civilian workforce.
Classified National Security Information
Overhauled the classification system for national security information, establishing automatic declassification schedules and creating the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP).
Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations
Directed federal agencies to identify and address disproportionately high and adverse health or environmental effects of their programs, policies, and activities on minority and low-income populations.
Regulatory Planning and Review
Established the modern framework for presidential oversight of federal rulemaking, requiring cost-benefit analysis of significant regulatory actions and centralized review by OIRA within OMB. The foundational executive order governing the regulatory process.
Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities
Assigned national security emergency preparedness responsibilities to various federal departments and agencies to ensure the continuity of essential government functions during emergencies.
Drug-Free Federal Workplace
Established the goal of a drug-free federal workplace and required agencies to develop programs to achieve this goal, including drug testing for employees in sensitive positions.
Regulatory Planning Process
Required agencies to submit an annual regulatory program to OMB for review, enhancing White House control over the regulatory agenda across the executive branch.
National Security Information
Established a system for classifying, safeguarding, and declassifying national security information. Expanded the scope of information eligible for classification compared to the Carter-era order it replaced.
United States Intelligence Activities
Established a comprehensive framework for U.S. intelligence activities, defining the roles and responsibilities of intelligence agencies. Maintained the ban on assassinations. Remains the foundational executive order governing the intelligence community.
Federal Regulation
Required federal agencies to prepare Regulatory Impact Analyses for major rules and submit them to the Office of Management and Budget for review. Established cost-benefit analysis as a central requirement for federal rulemaking.
Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions
Required federal agencies to consider the environmental effects of their actions in areas outside the United States, its territories, and possessions.
United States Intelligence Activities
Restructured the intelligence community and reaffirmed the ban on assassinations. Superseded Ford's EO 11905 with more comprehensive restrictions on intelligence activities.
United States Foreign Intelligence Activities
Restricted the activities of the U.S. intelligence community and banned political assassinations by the intelligence agencies. Issued in response to revelations by the Church Committee about intelligence abuses.
Providing for Stabilization of Prices, Rents, Wages, and Salaries
Imposed a 90-day freeze on wages, prices, and rents across the United States as part of Nixon's New Economic Policy to combat inflation. Part of the broader decision to end the gold standard convertibility of the dollar.
Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality
Directed federal agencies to monitor, evaluate, and control their activities to protect and enhance the quality of the environment, implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal Government
Established a policy of equal employment opportunity in the federal government and required agencies to maintain affirmative programs of equal employment opportunity.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Prohibited federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and required affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity. Enforced by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).
Amendment of Executive Order No. 10289 Relating to the Performance of Certain Functions Affecting the Department of the Treasury
Delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to issue silver certificates against silver held by the Treasury. Often the subject of conspiracy theories, it was a routine administrative delegation.
Equal Opportunity in Housing
Prohibited discrimination in the sale, leasing, or rental of residential property owned or operated by the federal government or financed through federally backed mortgages. A precursor to the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Establishing the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity
Required government contractors to take affirmative action to ensure employees and applicants are treated without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin. First use of the term 'affirmative action' in executive policy.
Establishment of the Peace Corps
Established the Peace Corps as a new agency within the Department of State, sending trained American volunteers to foreign nations to help with development and promote mutual understanding. Later made permanent by Congress.
Desegregation of Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas
Authorized the use of federal troops to enforce the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, after Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent Black students from entering the school.
Directing the Secretary of Commerce to Take Possession of and Operate Certain Steel Mills
Directed the Secretary of Commerce to seize and operate most of the nation's steel mills to avert a strike during the Korean War. Struck down by the Supreme Court in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952), a foundational case on presidential power.
Desegregation of the Armed Forces
Abolished racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces, mandating equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin. A landmark step in the civil rights movement.
Authorizing the Secretary of War to Prescribe Military Areas
Authorized the Secretary of War to designate military areas and exclude any persons from them. Used as the basis for the forced relocation and internment of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Widely regarded as one of the gravest violations of civil liberties in U.S. history.
Prohibition of Discrimination in the Defense Industry
Prohibited racial discrimination in the national defense industry and established the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC). Issued under pressure from A. Philip Randolph's threatened March on Washington, it was the first presidential action on civil rights since Reconstruction.
Forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates
Prohibited private ownership of gold coins, gold bullion, and gold certificates by U.S. citizens, requiring them to deliver their gold to Federal Reserve Banks. Part of Roosevelt's response to the Great Depression and the devaluation of the dollar.
Preservation of American Antiquities
Under the Antiquities Act of 1906, Roosevelt used executive authority to designate Devils Tower as the first national monument. He would go on to create 18 national monuments, establishing a precedent for presidential conservation that endures today.
Emancipation Proclamation (Executive Order)
While formally a presidential proclamation, this executive action declared that all enslaved persons in Confederate states 'shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.' It transformed the Civil War into an explicit fight for freedom, authorized the enlistment of Black soldiers, and laid the groundwork for the Thirteenth Amendment.
Designation of Customs Collection Districts
Established customs collection districts in areas of the South that had come under Union control during the Civil War, enabling the resumption of federal revenue collection in occupied Confederate territory.
Removal of Federal Deposits from the Bank of the United States
Ordered the Secretary of the Treasury to remove federal deposits from the Second Bank of the United States and distribute them among selected state banks. Part of Jackson's war against the national bank, it led to the Senate's censure of Jackson.
Enforcement of the Embargo Act
Directed enforcement measures for the Embargo Act of 1807, which prohibited American ships from trading in foreign ports. The embargo was intended to pressure Britain and France during the Napoleonic Wars but severely damaged the American economy.
Proclamation of Neutrality
Declared the United States neutral in the conflict between France and Great Britain during the French Revolutionary Wars. Established the foundational precedent of American neutrality in European conflicts that influenced U.S. foreign policy for over a century.