Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel
New Ethics Pledge Requires All Executive Appointees to Sign
What it does
Agencies must ensure every covered appointee signs the ethics pledge and enforce its gift and revolving-door restrictions.
Real-world impact
- Requires new appointees to avoid gifts from registered lobbyists during service.
- Restricts former lobbyists and appointees from working on related matters for two years.
- Creates potential debarment or civil penalties for violations of the pledge.
Topics
Summary
This order requires every executive branch appointee appointed on or after January 20, 2009, to sign an ethics pledge as a condition of employment. The pledge bans gifts from registered lobbyists and imposes several two-year "revolving door" limits that restrict appointees and former lobbyists from working on or lobbying about matters tied to former employers or clients.
Agency leaders must ensure signing, put applicable limits into written ethics agreements, and follow the order's waiver and enforcement rules. The order is intended to reduce conflicts of interest and strengthen public trust in government decisions.
Questions, answered
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