| Designating English as the Official Language of the United States | |
 | |
| Type | Executive order |
|---|---|
| Number | 14224 |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Signed | March 1, 2025 |
| Federal Register details | |
| Federal Register document number | 2025-03694  |
| Publication date | March 6, 2025 |
| Document citation | 90 FR 11363 |
Executive Order 14224,[1] titled Designating English as the Official Language of the United States, is an executive order signed by Donald Trump on March 1, 2025, declaring English the official language of the United States.[2] The order does not include specific rights and is largely symbolic.
This designation is an executive action directed at federal agencies and is not a federal statute, which would require an act of Congress. It repeals Executive Order 13166, ending the requirement for federal agency heads to make foreign language accommodations. Still, agencies are not prohibited from using languages other than English.
Changes to federal guidance on non-English accommodations
EO 14224 repeals Executive Order 13166, issued by President Bill Clinton on August 11, 2000. The Clinton order required agencies of the federal government to make plans to implement Department of Justice guidance ensuring people with limited English proficiency would have improved access to federal services on a non-discriminatory basis, to the degree needed and without an undue burden on the agencies. The Trump order instructed agency heads to make accommodations as they "deem necessary to fulfill their respective agencies' mission"; agencies are not prohibited from using other languages.[3]
Legal authority
The U.S. Congress has never passed legislation designating an official language at the federal level, and the U.S. Constitution does not specify an official language.[4][5] The most recent legislative attempt was the 2006 Inhofe Amendment, which would have declared English the "national language". Although the amendment passed in the U.S. Senate, it failed to win enough votes in the U.S. House of Representatives. Law professor Ofer Raban wrote that in the absence of a congressionally approved law, with this order the President "appears to rely on his constitutional authority (including his authority over federal executive agencies)".[6]
See also
- English-only movement
- List of countries and territories where English is an official language
- List of executive orders in the second presidency of Donald Trump
- Official language
References
- ^ "Designating English as the Official Language of the United States". Federal Register. March 6, 2025. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
- ^ Broadwater, Luke (March 1, 2025). "Trump Signs Order to Designate English as Official Language of the U.S." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 2, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ Meckler, Laura; McDaniel, Justine (August 20, 2025). "Education Department quietly removes rules for teaching English learners". The Washington Post.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "FYI: English isn't the official language of the United States". CNN. May 20, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
- ^ Faingold, Eduardo D. (2018). Language Rights and the Law in the United States and Its Territories. Lexington Books. p. 8.
The United States has never had an official language and attempts to declare English its official language have been unsuccessful in the U.S. Congress.
- ^ Walker, Chris (March 3, 2025). "Trump Issues Legally Shaky Order Asserting English as Official Language of US". Truthout. Archived from the original on March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
External links
- Full text of the executive order via whitehouse.gov
- Full text of the executive order in the Federal Register
