On March 14, the President issued several new directives, including one that eliminates specific federal organizations to the extent possible and another repealing more of the previous administration’s executive orders.
Executive orders (EOs) are signed directives that presidents use to manage the federal government’s executive branch. Presidents relay how they want the federal government to be managed through (EOs). They provide instructions to federal agencies or request reports on certain government functions. Presidents use executive orders to pursue agendas they can’t initially get through Congress.
Franklin D. Roosevelt issued 3,727 Executive Orders during his four terms in office, followed by Woodrow Wilson’s 1,803! They aren’t as uncommon as modern-day Americans may think. The last four presidents issued the following number of executive orders:
- George W. Bush 291
- Barack Obama 27
- Donald Trump 220 (first term)
- Joe Biden 160
- Donald Trump 87 (second term) to date
Reducing the Scope of the Federal Bureaucracy
The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental organizations are scheduled to be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law. The intent is to reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to their minimum presence and function:
- Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
- United States Agency for Global Media
- Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution
- Institute of Museum and Library Services
- United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
- Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
- Minority Business Development Agency
The head of these organizations must submit a report complying with this directive to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget by March 21. The report must explain which components or functions of the governmental entity, if any, are statutorily required and to what extent.
Funding requests and grants requested by the above-listed organizations are to be reviewed and terminated to the extent they are inconsistent with this order.
Executive Order Repeals
The current administration rescinded 78 presidential orders and memoranda issued by former President Biden on January 20. Further reviews identified 18 additional orders that were repealed on March 14, 2025. They range from increasing the minimum wage for federal contractors, numerous green initiatives, advancing worker empowerment, and others.
To date, 96 of the previous administration’s Executive Orders have been canceled, with potentially more to come. This is why administrations must codify in law what they desire to survive subsequent administrations’ executive actions. This is difficult without an administration controlling both houses and the presidency.
More to Come…
Additional executive orders are likely coming, especially now that the continuing resolution (CR), which funds the government through September 30, was passed in the Senate last night. This CR funds many of the new administration’s downsizing initiatives.
It allows federal operations to continue for another six months until September. H.R. 1968 also changes current spending levels, increasing defense spending by $6 billion and cutting domestic spending by $13 billion.
The bill gives the new administration more leeway to spend federal dollars. It prevents any member of Congress from attempting to terminate President Trump’s recent declaration of national emergencies over immigration and the U.S. border.
