The current federal landscape

Executive actions

Executive orders and other administrative actions touch on almost every aspect of the federal government and impact state and local governments, companies, nonprofit organizations and individuals across the country.

The Land Trust Alliance is committed to providing its members with tools, resources and information to help them access information about executive actions, secretarial orders and future processes that impact the land trust community.

The Land Trust Alliance shares the below material to provide information about the subject matter covered with the understanding that the Alliance is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional counsel. If a land trust or individual requires legal advice or other expert assistance, they should seek the services of competent professionals.

The proposed regulation would revise the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance “to improve government-wide policies and requirements related to the management of grants, cooperative agreements and other forms of assistance….to improve transparency, accountability and oversight for Federal awards across the Federal Government.”

Comments on the proposed rule are due on or before July 13, 2026. OMB plans to issue the final rule by October 1, 2026, with a goal of having one set of government-wide requirements for awards starting in fiscal year 2027.

The proposed rule would revise several parts of subtitle A of 2 CFR with three stated objectives:

Improving transparency, accountability and oversight for use of Federal funds;
Clarifying the status of 2 CFR regulatory text as an OMB regulation; and
Reducing recipient burden.

It references the Uniform Guidance that was published in 2013 and subsequent updates, and states that the proposal “will simply clarify the regulatory status of subtitle A, and ensure that OMB policy apply uniformly across all agencies on the effective date intended by OMB without the need for redundant and open-ended agency rulemaking process to implement them.”

When the final Uniform Guidance was adopted in 2014, the publication made it clear that the CFR is guidance, not regulation. The proposed regulation, however, states that the description of the CFR as "guidance" is confusing for award recipients and proposes to replace references to "guidance" with "regulation."

Updated April 13, 2026

The General Services Administration recently published proposed changes to certification requirements to its System for Award Management on SAM.gov, the U.S. Government system that serves as the repository for standard information about applicants for and recipients of federal financial assistance. Published in a Federal Register notice on Jan. 28, 2026, and with a public comment period that ended March 30, 2026, these proposed changes would apply to all entities receiving federal financial assistance, including grants, loans and cooperative agreements. The proposed amendment would update the Financial Assistance General Representations and Certifications to align with updated executive branch guidance, including the U.S. Department of Justice July 2025 memo, titled “Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination,” and Executive Order 14173, "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit- Based Opportunity.”

At the close of 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture also announced new USDA General Terms and Conditions for all future awards as well as all significant modifications of existing agreements and awards. The new terms and conditions incorporate both existing federal laws as well as executive orders and administration policy.

We strongly encourage our land trust members that receive federal funding from the USDA or any other agency to review any new certifications and their associated terms and conditions very carefully and consult with their legal counsel regarding requirements for compliance.

Updated June 26, 2026

See also the summary of secretarial orders and actions.

EO 14402
Promoting Efficiency, Accountability and Performance in Federal Contracting
April 30, 2026
Directs federal agencies to default to fixed-price contracts, as defined in Part 16 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, to the maximum extent consistent with law for all “contracts that tie profit to performance-based metrics when appropriate.” It further states that agency heads must approve non-fixed-price contracts that exceed $10 million for “contracts involving an agency other than the Department of War, the Department of Homeland Security, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” Those agencies have a higher threshold for agency head approval.
EO 14398
Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors
March 26, 2026
States: "It is therefore the policy of the United States to promote economy and efficiency in Federal contracting by preventing racial discrimination.”
The order defines “racially discriminatory DEI activities…(as) disparate treatment based on race or ethnicity in the recruitment, employment (e.g., hiring, promotions), contracting (e.g., vendor agreements), program participation, or allocation or deployment of an entity’s resources.”
The order gives federal agencies 30 days to ensure that contracts and contract-like instruments, including contractors’ subcontracts and subcontractors’ lower-tier subcontracts, include the following clause:
“In connection with the performance of work under this contract, [the contractor/appropriate party (contractor)] agrees as follows:
1. The contractor will not engage in any racially discriminatory DEI activities as defined in Section 2 of (this Executive Order);
2. The contractor will furnish all information and reports, including providing access to books, records and accounts, as required by contracting agency pursuant (this Executive Order), for the purposes of ascertaining compliance with this clause;
3. In the event of the contractor’s or a subcontractor’s noncompliance with this clause, this contract may be canceled, terminated, or suspended in whole or in part, and the contractor or subcontractor may be declared ineligible for further Government contracts;
4. The contractor will report any subcontractor’s known or reasonably knowable conduct that may violate this clause to the contractor department or agency and take any appropriate remedial actions directed by the contracting agency or department or agency;
5. The contractor will inform the contracting department of agency if the subcontractor sues the contractor and the suit puts at issue, in any way, the validity of this clause; and
6. The contractor recognizes that compliance with the requirements of this clause are material to the Government’s payment decisions for purposes of 3729(b)(4) of title 31, United States Code (False Claims Act).”
Memorandum for the Attorney General
August 28, 2025
Directs the attorney general to consult with the heads of executive departments and agencies to determine whether federal grant funds are being used for lobbying activities in support of political candidates or parties and to take appropriate action if necessary. It requires the attorney general to provide a report on the progress of the investigation within 180 days of issuing the memorandum.
EO 14432
Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking
August 7, 2025
Requires agency heads to designate a senior political appointee to be responsible for establishing a process for the review of new funding opportunity announcements and to review discretionary grants to “ensure they are consistent with agency priorities and the national interest.” In addition to review and approval by one or more senior agency appointees, it requires continued coordination with the Office of Management and Budget. In addition, it requires the following:
- Review to ensure that grant requirements are written in plain language and minimize the need for legal or technical expertise for drafting a grant proposal.
- Interagency coordination to ensure the funding opportunity is not duplicative of another agency announcement.
- Review by at least one subject matter expert for all scientific research awards.
- Annual review to ensure awards are consistent with agency priorities and the awardee is making substantial progress.
It prohibits agencies from announcing new funding opportunities until the new process is in place or approved by a designated senior appointee, unless required by law.
- In addition, it outlines “principles” to be used in scoring grant proposals:
- Awards must advance the president’s policy priorities.
- May not be used to fund, promote, encourage, subsidize or facilitate:
  Racial preferences or other forms of racial discrimination.
  Deny the grant recipient of the sex binary in humans or the notion that sex is a chosen or mutable characteristic.
  Illegal immigration.
  Any other initiatives that compromise public safety or promote anti-American values.
The EO prioritizes grants to organizations with lower indirect cost rates and directs agencies to give awards to a broad range of recipients instead of the same awardees. It requires awards to include clear benchmarks to measure progress and success and to prioritize “the institution’s commitment to rigorous, reproducible scholarship over its historical reputation or perceived prestige.”
It calls for revision of the Uniform Guidance and other relevant guidance to streamline application requirements and to “require all discretionary grants to permit termination for convenience, including when the award no longer advances agency priorities or the national interest…”
Finally, it gives each agency head 30 days to submit a report to the director of OMB with information on whether or not the agency’s standard terms and conditions permit termination for convenience, the approximate number of discretionary awards, including the percentage that include termination provisions. Agency heads are further directed to revise conditions of existing grants to “permit immediate termination for convenience, or clarify that such termination is permitted, including if the award no longer advances agency priorities or the national interest.” In addition, it requires agency heads to insert terms and conditions into future agreements that “prohibit recipients from directly drawing down general grant funds for specific projects without affirmative authorization of the agency; and require grantees to provide written explanations or support, with specificity, for requests for each drawdown.”
EO 14222
Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative
Feb. 26, 2025
Requires agency heads to coordinate with DOGE team leads to build a system to record every contract and grant payment with a written justification for each payment. It also requires agency heads to consult with DOGE team leads to review all existing grants and contracts within 30 days and terminate or modify them to “promote efficiency and advance the policies of my [a]dministration.”
Additionally, it freezes all federal employee credit cards, with some exceptions for those engaged in emergency response, and requires extra justification for federal employee travel.

Memorandum for Heads of Federal Departments and Agencies
April 9, 2026
The chair of the Council on Environmental Quality issued guidance on “how to establish, revise, adopt, and apply categorical exclusions in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.”
The new guidance replaces and rescinds guidance on the same subject issued on November 23, 2010.
Memorandum for Heads of Federal Departments and Agencies
January 21, 2026
The chair of the Council on Environmental Quality issued guidance that replaces previous guidance regarding emergency response actions under the National Environmental Policy Act. The guidance is to be distributed to all agency offices that are or may become involved in response to emergencies.
The guidance outlines the process for determining compliance with NEPA for emergency actions. If an agency determines the action is not subject to NEPA, it must document the inapplicability of NEPA. If the agency determines the action is subject to NEPA, it must determine the appropriate level of NEPA review:
1. Emergency actions covered by a categorical exclusion.
2. Emergency actions requiring an environmental assessment.
3. Emergency actions requiring an environmental impact statement.
It also outlines actions for alternative arrangements for actions with reasonably foreseeable significant effects and actions without reasonably foreseeable significant effects.
EO 14096
Unleashing American Energy
Jan. 20, 2025 (Updated Jan. 8, 2026)
Called for actions to streamline the permitting process of energy infrastructure siting and for a pause on the disbursement of Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding to provide for a 90-day review. Also rescinded several previous executive orders and actions related to climate change, renewable energy and environmental justice. In addition, it directed the Council on Environmental Quality to review the National Environmental Policy Act to provide guidance and propose rescinding the Council on Environmental Quality’s NEPA regulations. On January 21, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget guidance clarified that the pause applied only to funds associated with the Green New Deal.
Federal agency heads, including the secretaries of Energy, Interior and Agriculture, issued secretarial orders and memoranda to implement EO 14154.
On January 8, 2026, the Council on Environmental Quality issued a final rule “removing all iterations of CEQ’s regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 from the Code of Federal Regulations.”
EO 14270
Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy
April 9, 2025
Directs certain agencies to add sunset provisions to regulations that govern energy production. The executive order includes a list of covered agencies and regulations that includes the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. It directs the covered agencies to issue a sunset rule that is effective not later than September 30, 2025, and sets “Conditional Sunset Date of 1 year after the effective date of the sunset rule.”
Section (d) of the order prohibits the covered agencies from extending the conditional sunset date for any covered regulation for longer than five years and directs agencies to offer an opportunity for public input on the costs and benefits of each regulation prior to the expiration date of the rule. If the conditions established in Section (d) are not satisfied, the agencies will treat covered regulations as ceasing to be effective and remove them from the Code of Federal Regulations.
Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, Directing the Repeal of Unlawful Regulations
April 9, 2025
Gives the heads of executive departments and agencies 60 days to identify “certain categories of unlawful and potentially unlawful regulations” and to begin plans to repeal them. It prioritizes existing regulations that may be impacted by the following U.S. Supreme Court decisions:
- Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, 603 U.S. 369 (2024)
- West Virginia v. EPA, 597 U.S. 697 (2024)
- SEC v. Jarkesy, 603 U.S. 109 (2024)
- Michigan v. EPA, 576 U.S. 743 (2015)
- Sackett v. EPA, 598 U.S. 651 (2023)
- Ohio v. EPA, 603 U.S. 279 (2024)
- Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, 594 U.S. 139 (2021)
- Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, 600 U.S. 181 (2023)
- Carson v. Makin, 596 U.S. 767 (2022)
- Roman Cath. Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, 592 U.S. 14 (2020)
It further directs the agency heads to finalize rules repealing the “unlawful regulations” without notice and comment in most cases.
EO 14262
Strengthening the Reliability and Security of the United States Electric Grid
April 8, 2025
Outlines measures to safeguard and strengthen the reliability and security of the U.S. energy grid in light of increased demand from the new economy including the siting of data centers. Directs the secretary of Energy to identify ways to “streamline, systemize and expedite processes for issuing orders under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act during periods of temporary interruption of energy supply.” It gives the secretary of Energy 30 days to “develop a uniform methodology for analyzing current and anticipated reserve margins for all regions…regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission…”
EO 14260
Protecting American Energy from State Overreach
April 8, 2025
Directs the attorney general to consult with appropriate heads of executive departments and agencies to “identify all state and local laws, regulations, causes of actions, policies and practices…burdening the identification, development, siting, production or use of domestic energy resources that are or may be unconstitutional, preempted by federal law or otherwise unenforceable.”
It further directs the attorney general to:
- Prioritize state laws that address “climate change” or involve “environmental, social and governance” initiatives, “environmental justice,” carbon or “greenhouse gas” emissions, and funds to collect carbon penalties or carbon taxes.
- Take all appropriate action to stop enforcement of state laws and continuation of civil actions determined to be illegal.
- Submit a report to the president regarding actions taken within 60 days of effective date of the order.
Regulatory Relief for Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Energy
April 8, 2025
Exempts certain stationary sources subject to the final Environmental Protection Agency rule, “Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil- Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Review of the Residual Risk and Technology Review,” 89 FR 38508. The final rule was published on July 8, 2024, and made Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, or MATS, more stringent. The order is targeted toward exempting coal-fired power plants from the 2024 final rule until July 8, 2024, and placing these plants under the preexisting MATS rule.
EO 14261
Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241
April 8, 2025
Outlines actions to increase domestic production of coal by designating coal as a mineral as defined in section 2 of Executive Order 14241 effective March 25, 2025, “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production.” Directs the secretaries of interior, agriculture and energy to submit a report to the president identifying coals resources and reserves on federal lands and to assess and address impediments to mining these coal resources to enable mining by private or public actors.
It further directs the secretaries of agriculture and interior and other relevant agencies to take additional actions including:
- Prioritize coal leasing as the primary use of public lands with known coal resources.
- Identify guidance, regulations, programs and policies that transition aware from coal production and electricity generation.
- Rescind any policies or regulations that discourage coal production and coal-fired electricity generation.
- Identify pre-existing categorial exclusions pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act that could further the production and export of coal.
EO 14219
Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Deregulatory Initiative
Feb. 19, 2025
Requires agency heads in coordination with DOGE team leads to review all regulations for consistency with law and administration priorities within 60 days. Upon review agency heads will consult with the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs to develop a “unified regulatory agenda that seeks to rescind or modify these regulations.”
EO 14213
Establishing the National Energy Dominance Council
Feb. 14, 2025
Established the National Energy Dominance Council comprised of cabinet members and other Trump appointees. The council advises the president on using executive authority to make America more energy-dominant and includes a list of things for review, including ways to cut red tape and rapidly approve the construction of energy infrastructure.
EO 14156
Declaring a National Energy Emergency
Jan. 20, 2025
Authorizes the use of emergency authorities to facilitate the generation of domestic energy resources, including on federal lands and through the possible use of eminent domain or the Defense Production Act; expedites the completion of all authorized and appropriated energy infrastructure projects.

National Artificial Intelligence Legislative Framework
March 23, 2026
On March 23, 2026, President Trump released his National Artificial Intelligence Legislative Framework to help win the AI race while addressing concerns with the rapid expansion of AI. The framework calls on Congress to work with the administration on a “comprehensive national legislative framework” that outlines six key objectives:
1. Protecting children and empowering parents.
2. Safeguarding and strengthening American communities.
3. Respecting intellectual property rights and supporting creators.
4. Preventing censorship and protecting free speech.
5. Enabling innovation and ensuring American AI dominance.
6. Educating Americans and developing an AI-ready workforce.
The safeguarding and strengthening American communities objective states that the administration does not believe that ratepayers should “foot the bill for data centers” and calls on Congress to “streamline permitting so data centers can generate power on site, enhancing grid reliability. It notes that state laws conflict across the country, and the framework's success hinges on uniform application.
This framework was a requirement of EO 14365, "Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence," issued on December 11, 2025.
Ratepayer Protection Pledge Proclamation
March 4, 2026
Seven major AI companies — Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI — have signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, committing to “build, bring, or buy all of the energy needed for building and operating data centers, pay the full cost of their energy and infrastructure, no matter what.” The commitment includes an agreement to prevent energy price increases for consumers as a result of data center energy requirements.
EO 14365
Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence
December 10, 2025
Seeks to reduce barriers to advancing artificial intelligence and, in coordination with Congress, work toward a “minimally burdensome national AI standard.” The EO outlines that a national AI standard would “forbid state laws that conflict with the policy set forth in this order.” It directs the Attorney General to establish an AI litigation task force within 30 days of issuing the order. The task force is charged with challenging state AI laws that are deemed inconsistent with the EO.
It gives the Secretary of Commerce 90 days to publish an evaluation of existing state AI laws that “identifies onerous laws that conflict” with the EO. It also gives the Secretary of Commerce 90 days to issue a policy notice outlining conditions under which states would be eligible to access remaining Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program funds. It further directs federal agencies to assess discretionary grant programs to determine whether or not they can impose conditions to prohibit the enforcement of laws deemed inconsistent with the EO during the term of the funding agreement.
Among other things, it also directs the Special Advisor for AI and Crypto and the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to draft a “legislative recommendation establishing a uniform federal policy framework for AI that preempts state AI laws that conflict with the policy set forth in the order.” This includes state laws relating to permitting reforms for the siting of AI data center infrastructure.
EO 14363
Launching the Genesis Mission
November 24, 2025
Calls for the launch of the “Genesis Mission” that is focused on integrating federal scientific data sets into one, unified artificial intelligence platform — the American Science and Security Platform. The secretary of Energy is charged with implementing the EO in coordination with the assistant to the president for science and technology. The new platform will integrate “high-performance computing resources, including DEO national laboratory supercomputers and secure cloud-based AI computing environments, capable of supporting large-scale model training, simulation, and inference.” It directs the Energy secretary to ensure the platform meets national security requirements, including supply chain security and federal cybersecurity standards and best practices. Among other things, it gives the Secretary 60 days to submit a detailed list of “at least 20 science and technology challenges of national importance that the Energy Secretary assesses to have potential to be addressed through the Mission and that span priority domains consistent with National Science and Technology Memorandum 2 of September 23, 2025.” It provides for collaboration with external partners under certain parameters. While this EO may not directly impact our community at this time, it has the potential to change the way our country conducts scientific research and underscores the president’s commitment to building out American AI infrastructure.
EO 14318
Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure
July 23, 2025
Outlines actions to accelerate the siting and buildout of artificial intelligence data centers and the infrastructure to support them, including high-voltage transmission lines. It directs the secretary of Commerce to work with the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and other relevant executive departments and agencies to use loans, loan guarantees, grants, tax incentives and offtake agreements to provide financial support for “Qualifying Projects.” It defines a qualifying project as meeting one of the following:
- Project sponsor commits at least $500 million in capital expenditures.
- Involves an incremental electric load addition of more than 100 MW.
- Protects national security.
- Has been otherwise designated as a qualifying project by the secretary of Defense, the secretary of the Interior, the secretary of Commerce or the secretary of Energy.
It gives relevant agencies 10 days to provide the Council on Environmental Quality with a list of established categorical exclusions pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. It further directs CEQ to coordinate with relevant agencies to establish new categorial exclusions to cover qualified project actions that do not “have a significant effect on the human environment,” and directs the agencies to “rely on any sufficient basis to do so as each agency determines.”
The EO authorizes the executive director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council to consult with project sponsors to expedite the transition of qualified projects to FAST-41 covered projects. It requires the Environmental Protection Agency administrator to assist in expediting permitting on federal and non-federal lands by “modifying regulations promulgated under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, and other relevant law.” It further directs the EPA administrator to identify brownfield and Superfund sites for use by qualified projects and to develop guidance to expedite environmental reviews to site data centers and relevant infrastructure on brownfield and Superfund sites. It also calls on the secretaries of the Interior and Commerce to create efficiencies for consultations under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.

Executive Order
Implementing Schedule Policy/Career in the Excepted Service
June 3, 2026
The EO includes a list of 8,000 senior policy-influencing positions that are being reclassified into Schedule Policy/Career — a classification established under E.O. 14171, Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce (January 20, 2025). It also makes changes to the Civil Service Rules and Regulations, as well as previous executive orders to implement E.O. 14171. It includes a list of positions by agency that are being reclassified into Schedule Policy/Career.
Office of Personnel Management Office Final Rule; Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service
February 6, 2026
The final rule implements EO 14171, Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce, issued on January 20, 2025. It creates a new schedule policy/career as an excepted service schedule for “career positions of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy advocating character...while clarifying that Schedule C appointments are exclusively for noncareer (i.e. political) appointments with confidential or policy responsibilities.” The new classification exempts these career employees from some job protections and would “allow agencies to quickly remove employees from critical positions who engage in misconduct, perform poorly, or obstruct the democratic process by intentionally subverting Presidential directives.”
Guidance on Senior Executive Service Reassignments from the Director of the Office of Personnel Management
December 1, 2025
In a memorandum to the heads of federal departments and agencies, the director of the Office of Personnel Management shared direction from President Trump to “reassign agency Senior Executive Service members to ensure their knowledge, skills, abilities and mission assignments are optimally aligned to implement my agenda.” The guidance encourages agency heads to review the SES and consider reassignments to “ensure effective implementation of President Trump’s priorities and agency missions.”
Memorandum for Chief Human Capital Officers
November 24, 2025
Directs federal agencies to review senior executive service, senior level and scientific/professional positions to ensure “effective utilization of existing SES, SL and ST allocations in light of mission needs, budget requirements and program performance.” Agencies are required to submit the “Executive Allocations-Agency Adjustment Template” that should include information on whether SES, SL and ST positions are appropriately classified and designated, and the number of positions the agency plans to abolish.
EO 14356
Ensuring Continued Accountability in Federal Hiring
October 15, 2025
Outlines new policies and procedures around the federal hiring process. Gives agency heads 30 days to establish a strategic hiring committee comprised of the deputy agency head, chief of staff and other senior officials to ensure the agency hiring policies are consistent with the national interest, agency needs and the priorities of the Trump administration. The Strategic Hiring Committee must provide written notice of all approved hires to the Office of Personnel Management. The order gives agency heads 60 days to prepare annual staffing plans to ensure “new career appointments in the upcoming fiscal year are in the highest-need areas and aligned with priorities of my Administration.” Plans are to be developed in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management. All hiring shall be consistent with the Merit Hiring Plan issued on May 29, 2025, in accordance with Executive Order 14170, Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service. The order exempts certain parts of the federal government including the Office of the President, political appointees and military personnel. It further requires the directors of OMB and OPM to submit a joint report on the implementation of the EO within 180 days.
EO 14317
Creating Schedule G in the Excepted Service
July 17, 2025
Creates a new “Schedule G” classification for non-career federal employees who are appointed by the president and expected to leave federal service at the end of the term. Schedule G employees will be non-career employees helping to implement the president’s policy agenda.
Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies; Ensuring Accountability and Prioritizing Public Safety in Federal Hiring
July 7, 2025
Outlines hiring procedures for federal civilian employees through October 15, 2025. States that every position filled or new position created must be done in a manner consistent with the Merit Hiring Plan issued by the Office of Personnel Management on May 29, 2025, and in accordance with Executive Order 14170 dated January 20, 2025. The Merit Hiring Plan prohibits the collection of diversity, equity and inclusion data, establishes OPM and agency talent teams, and shifts hiring focus from degree-based to skill-based. The OPM talent team mission is to “drive the planning, execution and ongoing monitoring” of the hiring plan across all agencies. The mission of agency talent teams includes improving examinations, facilitating the writing of job announcements and facilitating hiring.
EO 14284
Strengthening Probationary Periods in the Federal Service
April 24, 2025
Repeals civil service rule that requires employees in certain federal positions to serve a probationary period and replaces it with a new rule that would require “certification that the probationer will be an asset to the Government,” and states that a “probationer’s” employment would automatically terminate at the end of the probation period unless certified.
Memorandum for the Head of Executive Departments and Agencies; Extension of Hiring Freeze
April 18, 2025
Extends the federal hiring freeze imposed by Executive Order 14170 to July 15, 2025. The freeze prohibits all executive departments and agencies from filling vacant positions or creating a new position unless required by law. The hiring freeze does not include military personnel, immigration enforcement, national security or public safety as well as the Executive Office of the President. It grants the Office of Personnel Management the authority to make additional exceptions as necessary.
EO 14217
Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy
Feb. 19, 2025
Eliminates multiple federal entities including all Federal Executive Boards and the Presidential Management Fellows Program.
EO 14215
Ensuring Accountability for all Federal Agencies
Feb. 18, 2025
Puts into place “[p]residential supervision and control of the entire executive branch” including independent agencies. States that the president and the attorney general, subject to the president’s supervision and control, "shall provide authoritative interpretations of law for the executive branch.”
EO 14210
Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative
Feb. 11, 2025
Outlines additional actions targeted at reducing the federal workforce. It states that for every new federal hire, four federal employees must leave the workforce. In addition, under this EO agency heads must consult with a Department of Government Efficiency team lead before hiring any new staff.

EO
Advancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience
June 25, 2026
States: “It is the policy of the United States to promote continued advances in precision agriculture technologies; significantly increase Federal investment in regenerative agriculture practices, research, and education; and spur private-sector innovation in farm modernization by reducing red tape and strengthening public-private partnerships.”
Directs the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency “to prioritize registration actions related to substances that can be used as alternatives to older active ingredients; provided, that the Administrator shall undertake all registration actions, including human health and ecological risk assessments, as expeditiously as possible as required by statute.”
Directs the agriculture secretary to “maximize the funding of the current Regenerative Pilot Program and evaluate ways to expand the reach of the program, including by sharing the results of the program with a broad audience of stakeholders. This expansion shall include using existing authorities to create public-private partnerships that can bring new capacity to producers interested in adopting regenerative practices.”
EO 14394
Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Home Construction
March 13, 2026
Directs federal agencies “to reduce regulatory barriers to building homes and to steward taxpayer dollars in a manner that promotes affordable housing.” To achieve this objective, the executive order directs:
- The secretary of the Army and the Environmental Protection Agency administrator to “review and revise requirements related to stormwater, wetlands, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water to reduce housing construction and ownership costs, streamline regulatory and agency decision-making processes, reduce property tax burdens and increase insurability as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.”
- The secretaries of Commerce, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to “within their respective authorities, consider eliminating unduly burdensome rules and reforming programs that constrain residential development and impede housing affordability, especially the construction of affordable single-family homes as well as suburban and exurban neighborhoods…”
- The secretaries of Agriculture, Energy, and Housing and Urban Development, and the Director of FIFA, to “within their respective authorities, take appropriate action to reform and, where appropriate, eliminate unduly burdensome or costly energy-efficiency, water-use, or alternative energy requirements regarding housing, including manufactured housing, to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with applicable law.”
- The chairs of the Council on Environmental Quality and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to guide the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.
- Gives the secretary of Housing and Urban Development 60 days to coordinate with the assistant to the president for domestic policy to “develop and promulgate a series of regulatory best practices for State and local governments to promote housing construction and affordability…”
- The secretaries of Treasury and Housing and Urban Development “evaluate administration actions to better align programs and incentives with the Opportunity Zone tax incentives…”
EO 14330
Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors
August 7, 2025
Builds on a 2020 information letter issued by President Trump to encourage “the proliferation of investment strategies under which a portion of retirement plan participants’ interests are allocated to alternative assets, as is the case for institutional investors.” It defines “alternative assets” as including private market investments, direct and indirect interests in real estate, digital assets, commodities, project financing, infrastructure development and longevity risk-sharing pools.
It gives the secretary of Labor 180 days to reexamine the past and present fiduciary duty guidance under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 “in connection with making available to participants and asset allocation funds that include investments in alternative assets.” It further directs the secretary of Labor to clarify the department’s “position on alternative assets and the appropriate fiduciary process associated with offering asset allocation funds containing investments in alternative assets under ERISA” and to propose rules, regulations or guidance to clarify these duties. It directs the secretary of Labor to consult with the secretary of the Treasury and the Securities and Exchange Commission as appropriate.
EO 14315
Ending Market Distorting Subsidies for Unreliable, Foreign-Controlled Energy Sources
July 7, 2025
Gives the secretary of Treasury 45 days after enactment of the reconciliation bill to “strictly enforce the termination of clean electricity production and investment tax credits under sections 45Y and 48E of the Internal Revenue Code for wind and solar facilities.” It further directed the secretary of Treasury to issue guidance to prevent accelerating the construction of projects to meet deadlines in the bill. It also gave the secretary of the Department of the Interior 45 days to “review regulations, guidance, policies and practices under Interior’s jurisdiction to determine whether any provide preferential treatment to wind and solar facilities in comparison to dispatchable energy sources and to eliminate any such practices. The secretary of the Treasury issued new guidance on August 15, 2025, and the secretary of the Interior issued a secretarial order implementing this EO on July 29, 2025.
EO 14314
Making America Beautiful Again by Improving our National Parks
July 3, 2025
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to increase revenue and improve recreational experience at national parks by increasing the entrance fees and recreation pass fees for nonresidents for national park units that charge fees. It also directs the Secretary of the Interior to work with the Secretary of Agriculture to increase prices of the America the Beautiful Pass, the National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass, and any site or multi-entry passes sold to nonresidents. The revenue generated shall be used, among other things, “to improve the infrastructure of, or otherwise enhance enjoyment of or access to, America’s Federal recreation areas” and encourage international tourism. It also directs the secretary to review and rescind rules and regulations that “restrict recreation in national parks.”
EO 14313
Establishing the President’s Make America Beautiful Again Commission
July 3, 2025
Establishes the Make America Great Again Commission, chaired by the secretary of the Interior and led by the assistant to the president for domestic policy, serving as the executive director. The commission is comprised of the secretary of Defense, the secretary of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, the assistant to the president and chief of staff, the assistant to the president for economic policy, the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, and other members of the administration invited at the discretion of the chair and executive director. The commission is charged with advising the president on “how best to responsibly conserve America’s national treasures and natural resources,” with a focus on developing recommendations for improving conservation efforts, recovering fish and wildlife populations through collaboration, not regulation, and increasing access to public lands.
Memorandum for the Secretaries of Interior, Commerce, the Army and the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator; Protecting the Great Lakes from Invasive Carp
May 9, 2025
This memorandum voices support for preventing the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes and calls on the state of Illinois to move forward with the land acquisition necessary to construct the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, which was authorized as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020. It appears to provide the assurance sought by the state of Illinois that the federal government will fulfill its commitment to provide $274 million toward this project. It urges the federal agencies to streamline environmental review and permitting so that construction can begin by July 1, 2025.
EO 14253
Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History
March 27, 2025
Directs the secretary of the Interior to identify any public monuments, memorials, statues, markers or similar properties that were removed or changed to “perpetuate false construction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology.” It further directs the secretary to take action to reinstate the monuments, memorials, statues, markers or similar property and to ensure they “do not contain descriptions, depictions or other content that inappropriately disparage American past or living…and focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people…” In addition, it directs the secretary to provide funding to improve the infrastructure of Independence National Historic Park and to complete the work by July 4, 2026. Finally, it directs the vice president to consult with the president’s special assistant to remove improper ideology from Smithsonian properties.
EO 14241
Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production
March 20, 2025
Gives agency heads involved in the permitting of mineral production ten days to give the chair of the National Energy Dominance Council a list of all mineral production projects seeking approval have been submitted to the agency. Upon receipt of the list, the chair has ten days to identify priority projects for immediate approval or expedited permitting. The project shall then be submitted to the executive director of the Permitting Council and published on the Permitting Dashboard. Further requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide a list of all federal lands with mineral deposits and reserves and to prioritize mineral production on these lands. Allows the agencies to provide loans and other assistance to mineral production project sponsors.
EO 14236
Additional Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions
March 14, 2025
Rescinds an additional eighteen executive orders and presidential memorandums issued by former President Biden including actions to advance the human rights of LGBTQI persons around the world; reform federal funding and support for Tribal Nations to focus on Tribal responsibilities and promote the Tribal self-determination; and spur domestic production of things such as solar panels and heat pumps.
EO 14225
Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production
March 1, 2025
Gives the secretaries of Interior and Agriculture 30 days to work through the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to issue new or updated guidance regarding tools to increase timber production and decrease timber supply uncertainty. It directs the secretaries of the Interior and Commerce departments to work through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the assistant administrator for fisheries to complete a strategy in 60 days to speed the approval of forestry projects under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and to examine existing authorities to delegate section 7 consultation of the ESA to other agencies. It directs all relevant agencies to eliminate, to the maximum extent permissible by law, all undue delays to timber production.
EO 14148
Initial Recissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions
Jan. 20, 2025
Rescinds 14 of President Biden’s executive orders relating to climate change and environmental justice, including EO 14008, "Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” which contained a commitment to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030, also known as “30x30."

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