President Issues Executive Order 'Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy'

By Denise Rivette

Tonight, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order listing a number of actions to be performed to deliver on his promise to reduce the federal bureaucracy.

First on the chopping block were the “non-statutory components and functions” of the Presidio Trust(a federal agency whose mission is to “steward and share the beauty, history, and wonder of the Presidio for everyone to enjoy forever”); the United States African Development Foundation(“provides grant capital, capacity building assistance, and convening opportunities to develop, grow and scale African enterprises and entrepreneurs who improve lives and livelihoods”); and the United States Institute of Peace (“established by Congress in 1984 as an independent institution devoted to the nonviolent prevention and mitigation of deadly conflict abroad”).

Also included the above cuts was the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) which “responds to rising community challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean that impact the United States, including economic instability and increased food insecurity, poverty, violence, and civil society restrictions.” Their website claims that IAF benefits taxpayers through:

• region-wide reductions in migration as a result of fostering rootedness directly in communities facing pressures to migrate,

• improved stability and governance in fragile contexts that allows for stronger cooperation with the United States, and

• increased trade with Latin American and Caribbean partners that strengthens U.S. markets.

The Executive Order goes on to state “The Presidential Memorandum of November 13, 1961 (Need for Greater Coordination of Regional and Field Activities of the Government), is hereby revoked,” thus eliminating the Federal Executive Boards. According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), “A nationwide network, the FEBs, are composed of the highest-ranking members of federal agencies across the nation. These leaders champion efforts to enhance government efficiency and foster community engagement. They ensure the swift dissemination of cross-agency information, facilitate cross-agency leadership and career development, share best practices, advance agency priorities in local communities, and achieve cost savings through collaborative resource sharing. The Boards strengthen federal agency connections to one another and to local communities, demonstrating a commitment to streamlined operations and responsive public service.”

Next the Executive Order orders the Director of the OPM to take the steps necessary to promptly terminate the Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF). According to the PMF website, the PMF Program has gone through several changes over its 40+ year history, but its “essential mission remains the same: to recruit and develop a cadre of future government leaders from all segments of society.”

Finally, he directed the following actions take place:

1. The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall terminate the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid.

2. The Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection shall terminate the Academic Research Council and the Credit Union Advisory Council.

3. The Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation shall terminate the Community Bank Advisory Council.

4. The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall terminate the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Long COVID.

5. The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shall terminate the Health Equity Advisory Committee.

6. Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall identify and submit to the President additional unnecessary governmental entities and Federal Advisory Committees that should be terminated on grounds that they are unnecessary.

You can read the entire order below.