Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government

The order directs more than two dozen named federal agencies to establish or maintain Agency Equity Teams within 30 days, each led by a senior official reporting to the agency head. It creates a White House Steering Committee on Equity, chaired by the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, to coordinate government-wide efforts. Agencies must submit annual public Equity Action Plans each September beginning in 2023, documenting barriers underserved communities face and strategies to address them. It sets a 15 percent government-wide procurement goal for small disadvantaged businesses in fiscal year 2025, directs OMB to incorporate equity into federal budget formulation starting with the FY2025 budget, and requires agencies to ensure artificial intelligence and automated systems are designed and used equitably, including protections against algorithmic discrimination.

The order revokes EO 13946 (Targeting Opportunity Zones) and EO 13853 (White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council), reinstating earlier federal facility siting policies. It directs agencies to elevate civil rights offices, increase engagement with underserved communities, and support both rural and urban equitable development. The order does not itself create any enforceable individual rights or benefits.

Federal agencies across the executive branch and their civil rights offices, small disadvantaged businesses competing for federal contracts, underserved communities including people of color, rural residents, people with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals, and recipients of federal grants and funding who must now engage with those communities.

Agencies must publicly document equity strategies and progress each year, creating a recurring accountability record. Small disadvantaged businesses face a new 15 percent federal contracting target that could significantly expand their share of hundreds of billions in annual procurement. Communities historically excluded from federal programs gain new mandated outreach and engagement requirements.

Each named agency must stand up an Equity Team within 30 days; those teams feed into annual Equity Action Plans submitted to the White House Steering Committee each September alongside budget requests, creating a linked planning and accountability cycle. OMB reviews equity plans during budget formulation starting with FY2025. The Steering Committee monitors agency progress and coordinates with existing White House policy councils. OSTP reports on equitable data progress every January and July. Enforcement relies on OMB budget leverage and accountability to agency heads; the order contains no independent sanctions or judicial enforcement hook.