Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements
The order immediately withdraws the United States from the Paris Agreement and all other commitments made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and revokes the U.S. International Climate Finance Plan, ending U.S. participation in the international climate finance architecture.
It is the second time the United States has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement and represents the broadest single executive action to date dismantling U.S. international climate policy, affecting financial commitments, diplomatic engagements, and agency-level programs simultaneously.
What this order does
What it orders
The order directs the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to immediately submit formal withdrawal notifications from the Paris Agreement and from every other agreement, pact, or accord made under the UNFCCC. It simultaneously directs the Ambassador, working with the Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury, to immediately cease or revoke all U.S. financial commitments made under the UNFCCC. The U.S. International Climate Finance Plan is revoked and rescinded on the spot, and OMB must issue guidance to rescind all frozen funds tied to it within 10 days. Within 30 days, a broad list of Cabinet secretaries and agency heads must report to White House economic and national security advisers detailing actions taken to revoke policies that advanced the Climate Finance Plan.
Going forward, the Secretaries of State and Commerce and all agency heads involved in international energy agreements must prioritize economic efficiency, American prosperity, consumer choice, and fiscal restraint in all foreign energy policy engagements. The order does not itself change any domestic environmental regulation or statute; those require separate action.
Who it affects
U.S. agencies that administer or fund international climate programs, including the State Department, Treasury, USAID, and Export-Import Bank; foreign nations and multilateral bodies that received or expected U.S. climate finance; and private-sector entities whose projects were tied to U.S. international climate commitments.
Why it matters
Countries and international funds that received U.S. climate finance lose that funding immediately. Federal agencies must halt disbursements and unwind program commitments. U.S. businesses or nonprofits operating under UNFCCC-linked agreements face abrupt policy reversals affecting contracts, grants, and diplomatic frameworks they relied on.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The withdrawal process is triggered the moment the Ambassador delivers written notification to the UN Secretary-General; the order treats U.S. withdrawal as effective upon delivery, not after any waiting period. A certification report back to White House advisers then maps remaining steps. OMB's 10-day guidance on frozen funds and the 30-day multi-agency report are designed to ensure no residual financial flows continue. Going forward, energy-agreement agencies must apply an "America-first" standard in foreign energy diplomacy, but the order creates no enforcement mechanism beyond the reporting and certification chain.
Actions and deadlines
- Submit formal written notification of U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement to the UN Secretary-General
- Submit formal written notification of U.S. withdrawal from all other UNFCCC agreements, pacts, and accords
- Cease or revoke all U.S. financial commitments made under the UNFCCC
- Certify a report to White House advisers describing further actions needed to implement the order's policy objectives
- OMB Director to issue guidance for rescission of all frozen Climate Finance Plan funds
- Designated Cabinet secretaries and agency heads to submit reports detailing actions taken to revoke International Climate Finance Plan policies
- State, Commerce, and relevant energy-agreement agency heads to prioritize economic efficiency and American prosperity in all foreign energy policy engagements