Baker, Thank You
liar. going tomorrow.
Maryland Sen. Van Hollen to visit El Salvador Wednesday to check on "mistakenly" deported MS13 Member
April 15, 2025
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen is traveling to El Salvador on Wednesday.
On Monday, Van Hollen requested to meet with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele while he visited Washington, D.C. this week. The senator also said he was prepared to go to El Salvador if Abrego Garcia is not returned to the United States.
Van Hollen said he hopes to visit Abrego Garcia and "check on his well-being."
"Following his abduction and unlawful deportation, U.S. federal courts have ordered the safe return of my constituent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States," Van Hollen said in a statement. "It should be a priority of the U.S. government to secure his safe release, which is why tomorrow I am traveling to El Salvador. My hope is to visit Kilmar and check on his well-being and to hold constructive conversations with government officials around his release. We must urgently continue working to return Kilmar safely home to Maryland."
In a letter, Van Hollen wrote that he "urgently" wants to meet with Bukele this week. He also said Abrego Garcia should never have been deported, and he should not spend another day at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador.
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-van-hollen-el-salvador-kilmar-abrego-garcia-deported/
Council on Environmental Quality will issue a Permitting Technology Action Plan
President Trump Unleashes Permitting Technology for the 21st Century
The White House
April 15, 2025
Today, President Trump took action to ensure the United States is leveraging modern technology to effectively and efficiently conduct environmental reviews and evaluate permits. Permitting reform is a top priority for the Trump Administration and this action will accelerate the process, improve the transparency and predictability of project timelines, and eliminate unnecessary delays holding back the growth of the American economy.
The Presidential Memorandum signed today calls on the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), in consultation with the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) and relevant permitting agencies, to issue a plan for modernizing the technology used for Federal environmental review and permitting processes for infrastructure projects. This plan will guide agencies as they use technology to digitize permit applications, expedite reviews, enhance interagency coordination on projects, and given sponsors more transparency and predictability on project permitting schedules. This will also help agencies share information with state and tribal officials to make those permitting processes easier for project sponsors.
“By leveraging 21st century technologies, the U.S. can improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and speed of the Federal environmental review and permitting process — and remove the layers of bureaucracy that are stopping growth while improving the quality of the review process. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, CEQ will work diligently to issue a Federal Permitting Technology Action Plan and establish a Permitting Innovation Center that will truly enable agencies to expedite permitting and refocus environmental analysis on the issues of greatest importance,” said the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
“We need to drill more, map more, mine more, and build more — all while innovating faster than our global competitors,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “The Permitting Technology Action Plan will channel our greatest asset, American innovation and technology, to overhaul our current permitting process and power our nation faster, better, cleaner, and more reliably than ever before. Embracing cutting-edge development and modernizing this outdated system will pave the way to American success.”
“With President Trump’s leadership, this administration is taking action to fix a broken system that’s slowing down critical energy projects across the country. Outdated permitting systems are creating costly delays at the exact moment we need to be expanding capacity, strengthening our energy security, and building the infrastructure that powers American industry and lowers costs for families,” said Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “As Secretary of Energy and Vice Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, I welcome this decisive action to modernize permitting technology, cut red tape, and align the full force of the federal government behind getting these essential projects approved and built—because energy dominance isn’t possible without the infrastructure to support it.”
“When President Trump says American farmers and ranchers have been the lifeblood of our economy for centuries, he means it. For too long, our producers have experienced delays and uncertainty as they navigate a complex permitting process that gets in the way of American innovation and stifles energy and timber production. This historic Memorandum will increase efficiency and transparency so farmers, foresters, and producers can get back to the work they do every day to feed, fuel, and clothe our nation,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
“It takes too long to build in America,” said Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy. “Ridiculous red tape and outdated regulations add cost and delays to projects. It has to stop. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are slashing the bureaucracy and getting back to actually building things in America again. We are doing that by harnessing innovative technology to expedite the permitting process.”
“I applaud President Trump for his actions to streamline environmental reviews and permitting processes which will bolster American innovation and grow our economy. Pillar Three of my Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative is permitting reform, cooperative federalism, and cross-agency partnership and under President Trump’s leadership, EPA will leverage technology to maximize efficiency and maintain the quality of review while expediting permits for infrastructure projects. No longer will applicants face years-long, uncertain, and costly permitting processes. Instead, we will safeguard our environment and incentivize investment into our economy creating American jobs,” said Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/04/permitting-technology/
Presidential Actions
Updating Permitting Technology for the 21st Century
Presidential Memoranda
April 15, 2025
The Government does not properly leverage technology to effectively and efficiently evaluate environmental permits, causing significant delay to important infrastructure projects that impact our economic well-being. This will now change. My Administration will apply modern technologies to longstanding problems to deliver outstanding results at 21st-century speeds. To that end, and pursuant to the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct the following:
Section 1. Policy and Purpose. Executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall make maximum use of technology in environmental review and permitting processes for infrastructure projects of all kinds, such as roads, bridges, mines, factories, power plants, and others, to:
(a) eliminate the use of paper-based application and review processes;
(b) accelerate the processing time for projects, with little to no impact on quality of review;
(c) reduce the length and increase the accessibility of documents related to permit applications;
(d) reduce duplicative data submissions;
(e) increase the interagency use of existing analyses including analyses from other agencies relevant to different permit applications for the same projects;
(f) eliminate friction in coordination between agencies in the environmental review and permitting processes;
(g) improve the transparency and predictability of project permitting schedules;
(h) ensure agency legal departments have the support, funding, and technology to provide the most expeditious and best defense of challenged environmental documents and permit decisions;
(i) streamline the overall environmental review and permitting process at the Federal level, with the goal of speeding data gathering and decision-making that can improve timeliness for State, local and tribal decision-making as well; and
(j) maintain a readily available source of information that may be relevant to judicial review of any permits.
Sec. 2. Permitting Technology Modernization. (a) Within 45 days of the date of this memorandum, the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), in consultation with the National Energy Dominance Council and relevant permitting agencies, shall issue a Permitting Technology Action Plan for modernizing the technology used for Federal permitting and environmental review processes for infrastructure projects.
(b) The Permitting Technology Action Plan shall include:
(i) an initial data and technology standard for permit applications and reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., and other applicable permits and authorizations;
(ii) minimum functional requirements for agency NEPA and permitting-related software systems, including systems related to case management, automation to expedite low-level reviews, data-driven document structure, and data collection and reporting to minimize timeline uncertainty for environmental reviews;
(iii) a roadmap for creating a unified interagency permitting and environmental review data system consisting of interconnected agency systems and shared services that includes iterative development of new platforms, tools, and capabilities, key investments and decision points for consolidating digital infrastructure, and resulting outcomes for environmental review and permitting;
(iv) an interagency governance structure for oversight of implementation of the Permitting Technology Action Plan; and
(v) a timeline for agencies to accomplish the activities outlined in the Permitting Technology Action Plan.
(c) Within 90 days of the date of the issuance of CEQ’s Permitting Technology Action Plan, the officials listed in 42 U.S.C. 4370m–1(b)(2)(B)(i)-(xii) and others as determined by the Chairman of CEQ shall adopt and begin implementing the CEQ data and technology standard and minimum functional requirements referred in sections 2(b)(i) and 2(b)(ii) of this memorandum in new and existing agency environmental review and permitting systems to facilitate efficient environmental reviews.
(d) In carrying out the requirements of this section, the Chairman of CEQ shall coordinate with relevant agency Chief Environmental Review and Permitting Officers and Chief Information Officers to provide oversight on the implementation of the data and technology standard.
Sec. 3. Permitting Innovation Center. (a) Within 15 days of the date of this memorandum, the Chairman of CEQ shall establish and lead an interagency Permitting Innovation Center that will design and test prototype tools that could be implemented pursuant to the Permitting Technology Action Plan for NEPA reviews and other environmental permits and authorizations. The Permitting Innovation Center shall facilitate agency adoption of prototype software systems, including for case management systems, application submission and tracking portals, automation of application and review processes, data exchange between agency systems, and acceleration of complex reviews.
(b) The Administrator of General Services, through the General Service Administration’s Technology Transformation Services, shall provide support for the establishment of the Permitting Innovation Center consistent with applicable law.
DONALD J. TRUMP
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/updating-permitting-technology-for-the-21st-century/
Presidential Actions
Preventing Illegal Aliens from Obtaining Social Security Act Benefits
Presidential Memoranda
April 15, 2025
MEMORANDUM FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE SECRETARY OF LABOR
THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
THE COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY
ADMINISTRATION
SUBJECT: Preventing Illegal Aliens from Obtaining Social Security Act Benefits
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct:
Section 1. Responsibility for Determining Eligibility for Public Benefits. (a) As set forth in Executive Order 14218 of February 19, 2025 (Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders), both Federal law (title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193)) and principles of sound administration demand that taxpayer-funded benefits be provided only to eligible persons and not encourage or reward illegal immigration to the United States. This interest is especially compelling with respect to Social Security Act benefits, which demand strict policing of fraud, waste, and abuse to ensure future eligible individuals receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Consequently, this memorandum gives additional direction for implementing Executive Order 14218 with regard to Social Security Act programs.
(b) The Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Commissioner of Social Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security as necessary, shall take all reasonable measures, consistent with applicable law, to ensure ineligible aliens are not receiving funds from Social Security Act programs. Such measures shall include promulgating any necessary guidance or regulations regarding Social Security Act funds and, to the extent appropriate and consistent with law, prioritizing civil or administrative enforcement actions against States, localities, or other similar grantees or subgrantees that do not take adequate measures to verify eligibility, stop payments to deceased or otherwise ineligible payees, or otherwise prevent ineligible aliens from receiving funds from Social Security Act programs.
(c) The Attorney General and the Commissioner of Social Security shall cooperate to detail and credential such Special Assistant United States Attorneys as are necessary to expand the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) full-time fraud prosecutor program to at least 50 United States Attorney Offices by October 1, 2025. Likewise, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall cooperate to establish a similar fraud-prosecutor program utilizing Special Assistant United States Attorneys with regard to programs administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which shall operate in at least 15 United States Attorney Offices by October 1, 2025. Detailees in both programs shall emphasize prosecutions of identity theft and beneficiary-side fraud. To the extent feasible, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services or the Commissioner of Social Security, as applicable, shall prioritize assigning new detailees in both programs to the 10 United States Attorney Offices whose jurisdictions encompass the largest known populations of illegal aliens, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
(d) The risk of beneficiary- or recipient-side fraud and abuse by illegal aliens shall also be reduced through other program-integrity measures.
(i) The Inspector General of the SSA noted in a July 2023 audit that death information regarding millions of deceased number holders is missing from the agency’s files, which obstructs efforts to prevent and detect fraud and improper payments across the Government with respect to executive departments and agencies that rely on SSA’s information. The Commissioner of Social Security shall fully implement the recommendations in the Inspector General of the SSA’s Audit Report A-06-21-51022. The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall cooperate fully with such implementation.
(ii) The same audit report revealed that the SSA does not investigate or attempt to resolve reports of earnings received by individuals age 100 or older if the SSA has not recorded death information for such individuals, even when the reported wage-earner does not match the name or other personally identifiable information in SSA records, which may indicate identity theft, illegal work, tax evasion, or other unlawful activity. The Commissioner of Social Security shall refer promptly to the Inspector General of the SSA all earnings reports for persons age 100 or older when the purported wage-earner’s name does not match SSA’s files. The Inspector General of the SSA shall investigate such matters as appropriate and refer matters to the Department of Justice, other executive departments and agencies, or local prosecutors as warranted.
(iii) Finally, within 60 days of the date of this memorandum, the Commissioner of Social Security shall review whether, and under what conditions, SSA should resume pursuing civil monetary penalties under section 1129 of the Social Security Act. If the Commissioner of Social Security determines that resumption is warranted, he shall either resume such program immediately or pursue regulatory or policy changes that would allow its resumption in a timely manner.
Sec. 2. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this memorandum 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 memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This memorandum 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.
(d) The Commissioner of Social Security is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
DONALD J. TRUMP
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/preventing-illegal-aliens-from-obtaining-social-security-act-benefits/
Presidential Actions
RESTORING COMMON SENSE TO FEDERAL PROCUREMENT
Executive Orders
April 15, 2025
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose. The Federal Government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world –- yet conducting business with the Federal Government is often prohibitively inefficient and costly. More than 40 years ago, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) was implemented to establish uniform procedures for acquisitions across executive departments and agencies (agencies). The “vision” of the Federal Acquisition System, codified at section 1.102 of the FAR, is to “deliver on a timely basis the best value product or service to the customer, while maintaining the public’s trust and fulfilling public policy objectives[,]” but since its inception, the FAR has swelled to more than 2,000 pages of regulations, evolving into an excessive and overcomplicated regulatory framework and resulting in an onerous bureaucracy.
Federal procurement under the FAR receives consistently negative assessments regarding its efficiency. Comprehensive studies such as the 2024 Senate committee report entitled “Restoring Freedom’s Forge” and the 2019 report by the Advisory Panel on Streamlining and Codifying Acquisition Regulations, created by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114-92) and made up of experts in acquisition and procurement policy, conclude that the FAR is a barrier to, rather than a prudent vehicle for, doing business with the Federal Government. Its harmful effects permeate various items paid for by American taxpayers, from commercial products like laptops and office supplies to major defense weapons systems. The management and expenditure of nearly $1 trillion annually in procurements cannot continue on this trajectory. Fortunately, its inadequacies are self-inflicted and can be remedied through a comprehensive reform of the FAR.
Executive Order 14192 of January 31, 2025 (Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation), established that the policy of the executive branch is to be prudent and financially responsible in the expenditure of funds and to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people. Reforming the FAR will advance this objective.
Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to create the most agile, effective, and efficient procurement system possible. Removing undue barriers, such as unnecessary regulations, while simultaneously allowing for the expansion of the national and defense industrial bases is paramount. Accordingly, the FAR should contain only provisions required by statute or essential to sound procurement, and any FAR provisions that do not advance these objectives should be removed.
Sec. 3. Definitions. (a) “FAR” means the Federal Acquisition Regulation codified at title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(b) “Administrator” refers to the Administrator of the Office of Federal Public Procurement Policy.
(c) “Agency” means an executive department, a military department, or any independent establishment within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 101, 102, and 104(1), respectively, and any wholly owned Government corporation within the meaning of 31 U.S.C. 9101.
Sec. 4. Reforming the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Administrator, in coordination with the other members of the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council), the heads of agencies, and appropriate senior acquisition and procurement officials from agencies, shall take appropriate actions to amend the FAR to ensure that it contains only provisions that are required by statute or that are otherwise necessary to support simplicity and usability, strengthen the efficacy of the procurement system, or protect economic or national security interests.
Sec. 5. Aligning Agency Supplements to the FAR.
(a) Within 15 days of the date of this order, each agency exercising procurement authority pursuant to the FAR shall designate a senior acquisition or procurement official to work with the Administrator and the FAR Council to ensure agency alignment with FAR reform and to provide recommendations regarding any agency-specific supplemental regulations to the FAR. The Administrator, the FAR Council, and each agency designee under this subsection shall collaborate to identify and appropriately address FAR provisions that are inconsistent with the policy objectives described in section 2 of this order.
(b) Within 20 days of the date of this order, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the Administrator, shall issue a memorandum to agencies that provides guidance regarding implementation of this order. That memorandum shall ensure consistency and alignment of policy objectives and implementation regarding changes to the FAR and agencies’ supplemental regulations to the FAR.
(c) The memorandum issued pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall propose new agency supplemental regulations and internal guidance that promote expedited and streamlined acquisitions. With respect to such proposals, the Administrator shall direct the appropriate agency and its subordinate agencies to adhere to the ten-for-one requirement described in Executive Order 14192.
(d) The Administrator and the FAR Council shall issue deviation and interim guidance, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, until final rules reforming the FAR are published.
Sec. 6. Regulatory Sunset. In amending the FAR under section 4 of this order, the Administrator, in coordination with the FAR Council, shall:
(a) identify all FAR provisions not required by statute that will remain in the FAR;
(b) consider amending the FAR such that any provisions identified in accordance with subsection (a) of this section will expire 4 years after the effective date of the final rule promulgated in accordance with section 4 of this order unless renewed by the FAR Council; and
(c) consider whether any new FAR provision not required by statute that is promulgated after the effective date of the final rule promulgated in accordance with subsection (b) of this section should include a provision stating that it will expire 4 years after its effective date unless renewed by the FAR Council.
Sec. 7. 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, 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.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
April 15, 2025.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/restoring-common-sense-to-federal-procurement/
Presidential Actions
LOWERING DRUG PRICES BY ONCE AGAIN PUTTING AMERICANS FIRST
Executive Orders
April 15, 2025
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose. My first term included numerous significant actions, including some of the most aggressive in recent history, to deliver lower prescription drug prices to American patients. The message was clear: no longer would the executive branch sit idly by as pharmaceutical manufacturers charged patients in our Nation more than those in other countries for the exact same prescription drugs, often made in the exact same places.
These actions included encouraging the development of generic and biosimilar alternatives to higher cost brand name prescription drugs and biologics to harness competitive forces and increase access to affordable medicines. The United States also, for the first time, established a pathway to expand access to lower cost drugs imported from outside of the country. Reform efforts ensured that Government-mandated discounts were passed through to patients instead of being retained by middlemen. New price transparency rules were promulgated to allow patients, doctors, and employers to see the actual cost of prescription drugs before purchase. Insulin copayments were capped for Medicare beneficiaries, and manufacturers, instead of patients and taxpayers, were forced to foot the bill through the provision of larger discounts. I also called on the Congress to come to the table to help craft sustainable solutions that would promote innovation and affordable access for the long-term. When the Congress refused, I proposed the test of an innovative new payment mechanism that would prevent drug manufacturers from charging our patients much higher prices than those found abroad.
Combined, these bold actions were delivering real savings for American patients and set the foundation to dramatically narrow the price disparity between the United States and foreign nations over time.
Unsurprisingly, the Biden Administration reversed, walked back, or neglected many of these initiatives, undoing the progress made for American patients. The Biden Administration then signed into law the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, which included the Medicare Prescription Drug Negotiation Program. While this program has the commendable goal of reducing the drug prices Medicare and its beneficiaries pay, its administratively complex and expensive regime has thus far produced much lower savings than projected. Further, accompanying changes to the Medicare Part D program led to inflated premiums and diminished coverage choices for seniors, prompting a taxpayer-funded bailout of insurance companies offering Part D plans. Finally, the program imposes price controls on small molecule prescription drugs, usually in tablet or capsule form, 4 years earlier than on large molecule biological products. Known as the “pill penalty,” this discrepancy threatens to distort innovation by pushing investment towards expensive biological products, which are often indicated to treat rarer diseases, and away from small molecule prescription drugs, which are generally cheaper and treat larger patient populations.
The American people deserve better. It is time to restore the progress our Nation made in my first term to deliver lower prescription drug prices by putting Americans first and making America healthy again.
con't…
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/lowering-drug-prices-by-once-again-putting-americans-first/
Presidential Actions
ENSURING NATIONAL SECURITY AND ECONOMIC RESILIENCE THROUGH SECTION 232 ACTIONS ON PROCESSED CRITICAL MINERALS AND DERIVATIVE PRODUCTS
Executive Orders
April 15, 2025
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (the “Act”), it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Policy. A strong national defense depends on a robust economy and price stability, a resilient manufacturing and defense industrial base, and secure domestic supply chains. Critical minerals, including rare earth elements, in the form of processed minerals are essential raw materials and critical production inputs required for economic and national security. Critical mineral oxides, oxalates, salts, and metals (processed critical minerals), as well as their derivative products — the manufactured goods incorporating them — are similarly foundational to United States national security and defense.
But processed critical minerals and their derivative products face significant global supply chain vulnerabilities and market distortions due to reliance on a small number of foreign suppliers. These vulnerabilities and distortions have led to significant United States import dependencies. The dependence of the United States on imports and the vulnerability of our supply chains raises the potential for risks to national security, defense readiness, price stability, and economic prosperity and resilience.
Processed critical minerals and their derivative products are essential for economic security and resilience because they underpin key industries, drive technological innovation, and support critical infrastructure vital for a modern American economy. They are key building blocks of our manufacturing base and foundational to sectors ranging from transportation and energy to telecommunications and advanced manufacturing. These economic sectors are, moreover, foundational to America’s national security.
Processed critical minerals and their derivative products are essential for national security because they are foundational to military infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and advanced defense systems and technologies. They are key building blocks of our defense industrial base and integral to applications such as jet engines, missile guidance systems, advanced computing, radar systems, advanced optics, and secure communications equipment.
con't…
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/ensuring-national-security-and-economic-resilience-through-section-232-actions-on-processed-critical-minerals-and-derivative-products/
Presidential Actions
RESTORING COMMON SENSE TO FEDERAL OFFICE SPACE MANAGEMENT
Executive Orders
April 15, 2025
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose. The American people are spread across more than 3.8 million square miles in urban, suburban, and rural areas. To provide the highest quality services in an efficient and cost-effective manner, executive departments and agencies (agencies) must be where the people are.
President Carter signed Executive Order 12072 of August 16, 1978 (Federal Space Management), ordering the Federal Government to prioritize central business districts when siting Federal facilities in urban areas. Intended to improve these districts, President Carter’s order has instead prevented agencies from relocating to lower-cost facilities.
Building on Executive Order 12072, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13006 of May 21, 1996 (Locating Federal Facilities on Historic Properties in Our Nation’s Central Cities), to encourage agencies to locate their facilities in historic properties and districts, especially when located in central business areas. Much like President Carter’s order, President Clinton’s order failed to adequately prioritize efficient and effective Government service.
Revoking these orders will restore common sense to Federal office space management by freeing agencies to select cost-effective facilities and focus on successfully carrying out their missions for American taxpayers.
Sec. 2. Revoking Executive Orders. (a) Executive Order 12072 is hereby revoked.
(b) Executive Order 13006 is hereby revoked.
(c) The Administrator of General Services is directed to initiate the process to amend the regulations at title 41, parts 102-79 and 102-83, Code of Federal Regulations, and to take any other steps necessary in accordance with applicable law to conform Federal office space management policy with this order.
(d) Agencies that acquire or utilize federally owned or leased space under authority other than the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 101 et seq.), as amended, shall conform to the provisions of this order to the extent consistent with applicable law.
Sec. 3. 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.
DONALD J. TRUMP
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/restoring-common-sense-to-federal-office-space-management/