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Trump Administration
Executive Order
& Presidential Actions Hub

President Donald Trump opened his second term with hundreds of executive orders and other policy actions. These executive actions will have broad legal and economic impacts on public and private sector entities. Our Federal Government Law & Policy Practice, in collaboration with a broad and experienced network of practice and industry lawyers across the firm, will continue to update this resource with summaries, analysis, and other practical information. Contact GT for questions related to the impacts of these executive orders and actions.

Executive Orders & Actions by Topic






  • Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders, Executive Order, Feb. 19, 2025.
    • Directs the heads of all executive departments or agencies to review and identify programs that are providing or could provide federal benefits to people who are in the country illegally, and to “take all appropriate actions to align such programs purposes of this order and the requirements of applicable Federal law, including the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA).” It also orders the agencies to “refer any improper receipt or use of Federal benefits to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security for appropriate action.


  • Securing Our Borders, Executive Order, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Includes a variety of directives that impact border management and access to asylum, as well as other forms of immigration protections.




  • Clarifying the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States, Executive Order, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Directs the Secretary of Defense to deliver a revision to the Unified Command Plan assigning United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) the mission of sealing the borders of the United States for the purpose of “repelling forms of invasion, including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities.”
  • Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States, Proclamation, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Declares a national emergency at the U.S. southern border due to the presence of threats, including cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers and unvetted military-age males from adversarial countries. It requires the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Armed Forces to determine and order the necessary amount of troops and resources to support the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in its effort to secure the southern border.
  • Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion, Proclamation, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Restricts and blocks the entry of migrants at the southern border and prevents them from requesting asylum. As justification, the proclamation relies on separate public health and safety grounds to prohibit migrants from requesting asylum protections.
  • Restoring America’s Fighting Force, Executive Order, Jan. 27, 2025.
    • Abolishes every Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office within the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security with regard to the U.S. Coast Guard, respectively, including any vestiges of DEI offices, such as sub-offices, programs, elements, or initiatives established to promote a race-based preferences system that subverts meritocracy, perpetuates unconstitutional discrimination, and promotes divisive concepts or gender ideology.

  • Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, Executive Order, Jan. 21, 2025.  
    • Impacts federal contractors and subcontractors by rescinding EO 11246 and its amendments, ending affirmative action for women and minorities. Further, the order directs federal agencies to combat “illegal DEI” practices in the private sector. The EO does not define what constitutes “illegal DEI.”

  • Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation, Memo, Jan. 21, 2025. 
    • Orders the Secretary of Transportation and the FAA to eliminate all DEI initiatives, including those pertaining to hiring and recruitment.

  • Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing. Executive Order, Jan. 21, 2025. 
    • Terminates all “illegal DEI” policies, programs, and activities in the federal government, under whatever name they appear, including hiring, and calls for necessary revisions of employment practices, union contracts, or training policies.
  • Keeping Education Accessible and Ending Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools, Executive Order, Feb. 18, 2025
    • Establishes that discretionary federal funds should not be used to directly or indirectly subsidize or support an educational institution that requires students to have received a COVID-19 vaccine to attend any in-person education program. Further, the EO directs the Secretary of Education to issue guidelines to schools, educational agencies, and higher education institutions outlining the legal obligations of these entities with regards to parental authority, religious freedom, disability accommodations, and equal protection under the law, as relevant to COVID-19 school mandates.

  • Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families, Executive Order, Jan. 29, 2025.
    • Directs the Education Department to issue guidance on how states can support K-12 scholarship programs with federal funding formulas, while further directing the agency to prioritize school choice in department discretionary grant programs that are now the subject of a comprehensive spending review.

  • Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, Executive Order, Jan. 29, 2025.  
    • Blocks federal funding for schools that include what the Trump administration describes as “gender ideology and critical race theory in the classroom,” using language and policy definitions that mirror state laws that seek to regulate classroom lessons about race, gender, and American history.
  • Establishing the National Energy Dominance Council, Executive Order, Feb. 14, 2025
    • Establishes the National Energy Dominance Council. The council will be led by the Secretary of the Interior with the Secretary of Energy serving as Vice Chair. The EO tasks the council to advise the president on a variety of energy related matters, and to consult other agencies, sub-national and Tribal officials, and the private sector to inform their recommendations.

  • Unleashing American Energy, Executive Order, Jan. 20, 2025
    • Aims to increase domestically produced energy supply and reform demand-side energy policy. It requires a minimum amount of oil and gas lease sales a year on certain submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and limits delays on federal oil and gas leases on such lands.

  • Declaring a National Energy Emergency, Executive Order, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Directs agencies to utilize their statutory emergency powers to accelerate development and authorization of energy projects. Notably, however, the order defines “energy” as “crude oil, natural gas, lease condensates, natural gas liquids, refined petroleum products, uranium, coal, biofuels, geothermal heat, the kinetic movement of flowing water, and critical minerals.” As such, the order does not apply to solar, wind, batteries, or other energy sources not contained in the definition of “energy.”


  • Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential, Executive Order, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Directs federal agencies to rescind or revise restrictions, policies, and environment reviews that limit resource development on federal and state lands in Alaska, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).


  • Putting People over Fish: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern California, Memo, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Requires the Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Interior to resume efforts from the first Trump administration to increase water diversion from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other regions of California. Within 90 days, the Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of the Interior must review progress made and issue a status report with recommendations regarding future implementation to the president.
  • Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, Executive Order, Feb. 19, 2025.
    • Orders the “non-statutory components and functions” of several government entities to be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law. The government entities include the Presidio Trust, the Inter-American Foundation, the United States African Development Foundation, and the United States Institute of Peace.

  • Return to In-Person Work, Memo, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Requires the heads of all department and agencies to, as soon as practicable, terminate remote work arrangements and requires employees to return to in-person work on a full-time basis.
  • Hiring Freeze, Memo, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Directs agencies not to fill any vacant federal positions or create any new roles.
  • One Voice for America's Foreign Relations, Executive Order, Feb. 12, 2025
    • Requires the Secretary of State to reform the recruitment, evaluation, and performance and retention standards of the workforce personnel responsible for the implementation of the President’s foreign policy. The Secretary of State will also reform the Foreign Service Manual to ensure workforce personnel are faithful to the President’s foreign policy. The EO ratifies that all officers or employees responsible for the implementation of U.S. foreign policy do so under the direction and authority of the President.


  • Pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement to Further American Economic and National Security – The White House, Executive Order, Feb. 11, 2025
    • Directs the Department of Justice to pause enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The order requires that the Attorney General, within 180 days of the EO, cease initiation of any new FCPA investigations or enforcement actions, unless the Attorney General determines that an individual exception should be made. Additionally, the Attorney General is directed to issue new guidance on how to enforce the FCPA “that promotes American competitiveness and efficient use of federal law enforcement resources.”

  • Addressing Egregious Actions of The Republic of South Africa, Executive Order, Feb. 7, 2025
    • Freezes assistance to South Africa because of its Expropriation Law that aims to rectify some of the injustices under South Africa’s apartheid era. The Expropriation Act allows the South African government to take land in specific instances where it is not being used, or where it would be in the public interest if it were redistributed.
  • National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-2, Executive Order, Feb. 5, 2025
    • Imposes maximum pressure on Iran to end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program, and stop its support for terrorist groups. Relevant Secretaries are required to impose and enforce sanctions, review previously issued sanctions waivers and general licenses, implement a campaign to drive Iran’s export of oil to zero, lead a diplomatic campaign to isolate Iran, and conduct an export control enforcement campaign to restrict the flow of technology and components.

  • Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, Executive Order, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Pauses all new program-funded commitments and new or incremental obligations. This directive encompasses every level of programming – including at the obligation (e.g., development objective agreements) and sub-obligation levels.
  • Organization of National Security Council and Subcommittees, Memo, Jan. 20, 2025.
    • Aims to reorganize the National Security Council (NSC) to enhance the United States' ability to address complex national security threats effectively. It emphasizes the need for collaborative and integrated interagency solutions to uphold national interests amid evolving security challenges.

  • Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies, Executive Order, Feb. 18, 2025.
    • Changes the White House’s oversight of independent regulatory agencies. Orders the independent regulatory agencies to submit proposed regulations to the White House for review, establishes a White House Liaison position for each agency, and orders an ongoing review by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget  of agencies “obligations for consistency with the President’s policies and priorities,” among other changes.
  • Radical Transparency About Wasteful Spending, Memo, Feb. 18, 2025
    • The memorandum directs the heads of executive departments and agencies to make public, “to the maximum extent permitted by law and as the heads of agencies deem appropriate” the complete details of every terminated program, cancelled contract, terminated grant, or any other discontinued obligation of Federal funds.

  • A Plan for Establishing a United States Sovereign Wealth Fund, Executive Order, Feb. 3, 2025
    • Establishes a sovereign wealth fund to "promote fiscal sustainability, lessen the burden of taxes on American families and small businesses, establish economic security for future generations, and promote United States economic and strategic leadership internationally."
  • GT Alert: OMB Rescinds Memo Pausing Federal Financial Assistance, But White House Asserts Funding Freeze in Executive Orders Remains Effective, Jan. 30, 2025.
    • On Jan. 27, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued Memorandum M-25-13 pausing funding for financial assistance programs that “may be implicated” by President Trump’s recent Executive Orders. On Jan. 28, a U.S. District Court issued an “administrative stay” enjoining “implement[ation] of OMB Memorandum M-25-13 with respect to the disbursement of Federal funds under all open awards.” On Jan. 29, OMB rescinded the Memo, but the White House Press Secretary asserted this change “is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze.
  • M-25-14, Memorandum, Jan. 29, 2025
    • Rescinded M-25-13.
  • M-25-13, Memorandum, Jan. 27, 2025
    • Instructs federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by Trump executive action including, but not limited to, financial assistant for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI” and more. The memorandum also instructed federal agencies to identify and review all federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with President Trump’s policies and requirement.
    • Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization, Executive Order, Feb. 18, 2025
      • Directs the assistant to the president for domestic policy to submit a list of policy recommendations to protect In vitro fertilization (IVF) access and reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment.

    • Establishing the President's Make America Healthy Again Commission, Executive Order, Feb. 13, 2025.
      • Establishes the “Make America Healthy Again” commission, which is chaired by the secretary of Health and Human Services with the assistant to the president for domestic policy serving as executive director. Within 100 days of the executive order, the Commission is required to submit to the president the Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment. Within 180 days of the order, the commission must submit a Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy based on the findings of the assessment. The chair and the executive director of the commission must then recommend further updates, including desired reports.

    • Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation, Executive Order, Jan. 28, 2025.
      • Ends gender-affirming medical treatment for children and teenagers under 19. Declares that the U.S. “will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the transition of a child from one sex to another and will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these procedures. The EO directs all agencies to rescind and amend all policies that rely on guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). The order makes additional directives to the heads of executive departments and agencies, such as the Secretary of HHS, to take immediate actions to prevent the “chemical and surgical mutilation of children.” The order also directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to include provisions in the Federal Employee Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits programs excluding coverage for pediatric transgender surgeries or hormone treatments.

    • Enforcing the Hyde Amendment, Executive Order, Jan. 24, 2025.
      • Revokes two Biden administration orders, which expanded access to women’s reproductive health care, including abortion services. This EO prohibits the use of federal taxpayer dollars for elective abortions.







    • Progress on the Situation at Our Northern Border, Executive Order, Feb. 3, 2025.
      • Determines that the Government of Canada has taken immediate steps designed to alleviate the illegal migration and illicit drug crisis through cooperative actions. Requires more time to assess whether steps are sufficient to alleviate crisis and resolve threat beyond northern border.

    • Progress on the Situation At Our Southern Border, Executive Order, Feb. 3, 2025.
      • Determines that the Government of Mexico has taken immediate steps designed to alleviate the illegal migration and illicit drug crisis through cooperative actions. Requires more time to assess whether steps are sufficient to alleviate crisis and resolve threat beyond southern border.

    • Imposing Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Northern Border, Executive Order, Feb. 1, 2025.
      • Places a 25% tariff to be applied in addition to any already applicable duties, fees, or charges. A 1% tariff will be applied to “energy and energy resources” defined as crude oil, natural gas, lease condensates, natural gas liquids, refined petroleum products, uranium, coal, biofuels, geothermal heat, hydropower, and critical minerals.
    • America First Trade Policy, Memo, Jan. 20, 2025.
      • Directs various federal agencies and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to evaluate and address key trade deficits, unfair trade practices, and economic relations with China. Further, it directs federal agencies to review existing trade agreements and propose recommendations by April 1, 2025.
    • Reinstating Service Members Discharged Under the Military’s COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate, Executive Order, Jan. 27, 2025.
      • Allows for reinstatement to be made available to all members of the military who were discharged solely for refusing to comply the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, as administered Aug. 24, 2021, and revoked Jan. 10, 2023. The order further directs that all reinstated service members revert to their former rank and receive full back pay, benefits, bonus payments, or compensation. Lastly, the order allows for the reinstatement of any service member who exited service voluntarily because of the vaccine mandate, provided they submit written and sworn attestation.

    • The Iron Dome for America, Executive Order, Jan. 27, 2025. 
      • Directs implementation of a next-generation missile defense shield for the U.S. to protect against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks. The EO also directs a review of theater missile defense posture to defend U.S. troops deployed abroad and an increase in cooperation on missile defense technology development, capabilities, and operations with partners and allies.

    • Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness, Executive Order, Jan. 27, 2025.
      • Directs the Department of Defense to revise policies to exclude individuals who identify with a gender different from their biological sex from military service, citing concerns over unit cohesion, mental and physical readiness, and overall military effectiveness.
    • Gulf of America Day, 2025, Proclamation, Feb. 9, 2025.
      • Calls upon public officials and all the people of the United States to observe February 9, 2025 as Gulf of America Day.

    • Protecting Second Amendment Rights, Executive Order, Feb. 7, 2025
      • Requires the Attorney General to examine all orders, regulations, guidance, and other actions of executive departments and agencies to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of American citizens. The AG is required to present a proposed plan of action to President Trump through the Domestic Policy Advisor.

    • Establishment of The White House Faith Office, Executive Order, Feb. 7, 2025.
      • Establishes the White House Faith Office, which will have principal responsibility in the executive branch to empower faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship to serve families and communities. The order requires each agency to designate or appoint a Faith Liaison within 90 days of the date of this order.

    • Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias, Executive Order, Feb. 7, 2025,
      • Ensures that any unlawful and improper conduct, policies, or practices that target Christians are identified, terminated, and rectified. Additionally establishes a Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias within the Department of Justice.

    • Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports, Executive Order, Feb. 6, 2025.
      • Bans transgender girls and women from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity. Mandates that Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination in schools, be interpreted as prohibiting the participation of transgender girls and women in female sports. Programs not in compliance with this EO jeopardize federal funding they receive.








    • Regulatory Freeze Pending Review, Memo, Jan. 20, 2025.
      • Directs all federal agencies to place a freeze on new or pending federal rules until the Trump administration has had an opportunity to review them. The regulatory freeze applies to new or pending “rules” which, with some exceptions described further below, include regulations sent to the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) for publication, regulations already sent to the OFR but not yet published, and regulations that have been published in the Federal Register but are not yet effective. The regulatory freeze does not apply to exceptions OMB grants for emergency situations or other urgent circumstances, including rules subject to statutory or judicial deadlines that require prompt action.
    • Revoking Biden Administration Executive Orders and Other Memoranda, Executive Order, Jan. 20, 2025. 
      • Rescinded 68 executive orders and 11 presidential memorandum from the Biden administration. Also ordered heads of federal agencies to "take immediate steps to end Federal implementation of unlawful and radical DEI ideology.”
    • Withdrawal from OECD Global Tax Deal, Memo, Jan. 20, 2025. 
      • Directs the secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the U.S. Trade Representatives, to (i) examine whether foreign countries are taxing U.S. companies in violation of the tax treaties with U.S. or international law, and (ii) provide a list of potentially protective measures or actions the U.S. should take in response to such violations.

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