Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies

               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. Policy and Purpose. The Constitution vests 
               all executive power in the President and charges him 
               with faithfully executing the laws. Since it would be 
               impossible for the President to single-handedly perform 
               all the executive business of the Federal Government, 
               the Constitution also provides for subordinate officers 
               to assist the President in his executive duties. In the 
               exercise of their often-considerable authority, these 
               executive branch officials remain subject to the 
               President's ongoing supervision and control. The 
               President in turn is regularly elected by and 
               accountable to the American people. This is one of the 
               structural safeguards, along with the separation of 
               powers between the executive and legislative branches, 
               regular elections for the Congress, and an independent 
               judiciary whose judges are appointed by the President 
               by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, by 
               which the Framers created a Government accountable to 
               the American people.

               However, previous administrations have allowed so-
               called ``independent regulatory agencies'' to operate 
               with minimal Presidential supervision. These regulatory 
               agencies currently exercise substantial executive 
               authority without sufficient accountability to the 
               President, and through him, to the American people. 
               Moreover, these regulatory agencies have been permitted 
               to promulgate significant regulations without review by 
               the President.

               These practices undermine such regulatory agencies' 
               accountability to the American people and prevent a 
               unified and coherent execution of Federal law. For the 
               Federal Government to be truly accountable to the 
               American people, officials who wield vast executive 
               power must be supervised and controlled by the people's 
               elected President.

               Therefore, in order to improve the administration of 
               the executive branch and to increase regulatory 
               officials' accountability to the American people, it 
               shall be the policy of the executive branch to ensure 
               Presidential supervision and control of the entire 
               executive branch. Moreover, all executive departments 
               and agencies, including so-called independent agencies, 
               shall submit for review all proposed and final 
               significant regulatory actions to the Office of 
               Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the 
               Executive Office of the President before publication in 
               the Federal Register.

               Sec. 2. Definitions. For the purposes of this order:

                   (a) The term ``employees'' shall have the meaning 
               given that term in section 2105 of title 5, United 
               States Code.
                   (b) The term ``independent regulatory agency'' 
               shall have the meaning given that term in section 
               3502(5) of title 44, United States Code. This order 
               shall not apply to the Board of Governors of the 
               Federal Reserve System or to the Federal Open Market 
               Committee in its conduct of monetary policy. This order 
               shall apply to the Board of Governors of the Federal 
               Reserve System only in connection with its conduct and 
               authorities directly related to its supervision and 
               regulation of financial institutions.
                   (c) The term ``independent regulatory agency 
               chairman'' shall mean, with regard to a multi-member 
               independent regulatory agency, the chairman of such 
               agency, and shall mean, with regard to a single-headed 
               independent
               regulatory agency, such agency's chairman, director, or 
               other presiding officer.
                   (d) The term ``head'' of an independent regulatory 
               agency shall mean those appointed to supervise 
               independent regulatory agencies and in whom the 
               agencies' authorities are generally vested, 
               encompassing the chairman, director, or other presiding 
               officer, and, as applicable, other members, 
               commissioners, or similar such officials with 
               responsibility for supervising such agencies.

               Sec. 3. OIRA Review of Agency Regulations. (a) Section 
               3(b) of Executive Order 12866 of September 30, 1993 
               (``Regulatory Planning and Review''), as amended, is 
               hereby amended to read as follows:

                   ``(b) ``Agency,'' unless otherwise indicated, means 
               any authority of the United States that is an 
               ``agency'' under 44 U.S.C. 3502(1), and shall also 
               include the Federal Election Commission. This order 
               shall not apply to the Board of Governors of the 
               Federal Reserve System or to the Federal Open Market 
               Committee in its conduct of monetary policy. This order 
               shall apply to the Board of Governors of the Federal 
               Reserve System only in connection with its conduct and 
               authorities directly related to its supervision and 
               regulation of financial institutions.''.
                   (b) The Director of the Office of Management and 
               Budget (OMB) shall provide guidance on implementation 
               of this order to the heads of executive departments and 
               agencies newly submitting regulatory actions under 
               section 3(b) of Executive Order 12866. Agency 
               submissions by independent regulatory agencies under 
               such section shall commence within the earlier of 60 
               days from the date of this order, or completion of such 
               implementation guidance.

               Sec. 4. Performance Standards and Management 
               Objectives. The Director of OMB shall establish 
               performance standards and management objectives for 
               independent agency heads, as appropriate and consistent 
               with applicable law, and report periodically to the 
               President on their performance and efficiency in 
               attaining such standards and objectives.

               Sec. 5. Apportionments for Independent Regulatory 
               Agencies. The Director of OMB shall, on an ongoing 
               basis:

                   (a) review independent regulatory agencies' 
               obligations for consistency with the President's 
               policies and priorities; and
                   (b) consult with independent regulatory agency 
               chairmen and adjust such agencies' apportionments by 
               activity, function, project, or object, as necessary 
               and appropriate, to advance the President's policies 
               and priorities. Such adjustments to apportionments may 
               prohibit independent regulatory agencies from expending 
               appropriations on particular activities, functions, 
               projects, or objects, so long as such restrictions are 
               consistent with law.

               Sec. 6. Additional Consultation with the Executive 
               Office of the President. (a) Subject to subsection (b), 
               independent regulatory agency chairmen shall regularly 
               consult with and coordinate policies and priorities 
               with the directors of OMB, the White House Domestic 
               Policy Council, and the White House National Economic 
               Council.

                   (b) The heads of independent regulatory agencies 
               shall establish a position of White House Liaison in 
               their respective agencies. Such position shall be in 
               grade 15 of the General Schedule and shall be placed in 
               Schedule C of the excepted service.
                   (c) Independent regulatory agency chairmen shall 
               submit agency strategic plans developed pursuant to the 
               Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 to the 
               Director of OMB for clearance prior to finalization.

               Sec. 7. Rules of Conduct Guiding Federal Employees' 
               Interpretation of the Law. The President and the 
               Attorney General, subject to the President's 
               supervision and control, shall provide authoritative 
               interpretations of law for the executive branch. The 
               President and the Attorney General's opinions on 
               questions of law are controlling on all employees in 
               the conduct of their official duties. No employee of 
               the executive branch acting in their
               official capacity may advance an interpretation of the 
               law as the position of the United States that 
               contravenes the President or the Attorney General's 
               opinion on a matter of law, including but not limited 
               to the issuance of regulations, guidance, and positions 
               advanced in litigation, unless authorized to do so by 
               the President or in writing by the Attorney General.

               Sec. 8. General Provisions. (a) If any provision of 
               this order, or the application of any provision to any 
               person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the 
               remainder of this order and the application of its 
               provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall 
               not be affected thereby.

                   (b) 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.

                   (c) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
               applicable law and subject to the availability of 
               appropriations.
                   (d) 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

               THE WHITE HOUSE,

                   February 18, 2025.