Executive Order 14238 · Signed Mar 14, 2025

90 FR 13043 · Published Mar 20, 2025 · Effective on signing

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Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy

federal agency reductiongovernment restructuringfederal budgetnonprofit and grant fundingfederal workforce

Signed by President Donald Trump

The order directs seven named federal entities — spanning labor mediation, international broadcasting, cultural institutions, homelessness policy, community finance, and minority business development — to eliminate all non-statutory components and reduce statutory operations to the bare legal minimum.

It immediately and broadly reshapes discretionary federal programming across multiple sectors, directing agency heads to self-certify compliance within 7 days and instructing OMB to cut off funding requests that do not conform.

What this order does

What it orders

The order directs seven federal entities to eliminate all non-statutory components and functions and to reduce their statutory activities to the minimum level the law requires: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the United States Agency for Global Media, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency. The head of each entity must submit a compliance report to the OMB Director within 7 days identifying which functions are legally mandated and to what extent.

OMB and any executive department reviewing these entities' grant or budget requests is directed to reject funding requests inconsistent with the order, except where necessary to effectuate an expected termination. The order operates only within the bounds of applicable law, meaning it cannot itself abolish entities created by statute — full elimination would require congressional action.

Who it affects

Employees of the seven named federal entities facing workforce and program reductions; nonprofits, libraries, museums, small businesses, minority-owned enterprises, homeless service providers, and local governments that receive grants or mediation services from these agencies; and labor and management parties who rely on federal conciliation services.

Why it matters

Grants from the CDFI Fund, IMLS, and MBDA reach low-income communities, public libraries, museums, and minority-owned businesses nationwide. Reduced operations and defunded requests mean fewer grants awarded, diminished services to vulnerable populations, and significant workforce reductions across seven agencies simultaneously.

What must happen and when

How the order is supposed to work

Entity heads have 7 days to self-certify compliance and map which functions are legally required, handing OMB a blueprint of what can be cut versus what must remain. OMB then uses its budget and grant review authority to block non-conforming funding requests, providing the order's primary enforcement lever. No independent enforcement mechanism or severability clause is included; the caveat "consistent with applicable law" means statutory mandates can limit the order's reach, and OMB's discretion at the funding stage is the main implementation chokepoint.

Actions and deadlines

  • Each entity head submits a compliance report to the OMB Director confirming compliance and identifying statutorily required functionsWithin 7 days of signing
  • Eliminate non-statutory components and functions of all seven listed entities to the maximum extent allowed by lawNo deadline specified
  • OMB Director and relevant agency heads reject funding requests inconsistent with this orderNo deadline specified

Agencies directed to act

Federal Mediation and Conciliation ServiceUnited States Agency for Global MediaWoodrow Wilson International Center for ScholarsInstitute of Museum and Library ServicesUnited States Interagency Council on HomelessnessCommunity Development Financial Institutions FundMinority Business Development AgencyOffice of Management and Budget

Authority and reach

Authorities cited

Article II

Constitutional grant of executive power to the President of the United States.

Executive Order

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Executive Order 14238: Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy | EO Reporter