in effect
This is Executive Order 14215, “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies,” signed February 18, 2025. It is a presidential directive asserting that the entire executive branch — including so-called “independent regulatory agencies” — must operate under the President’s supervision and control. It directs those agencies to route their regulations and plans through the White House and to align their activities with the President’s priorities.
Independent regulatory agencies (defined by reference to 44 U.S.C. 3502(5)) must now submit all proposed and final “significant regulatory actions” to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review before they can be published in the Federal Register; these submissions must begin within 60 days of the order or when OMB implementation guidance is issued, whichever comes first. The order amends the definition of “Agency” in Executive Order 12866 to include the Federal Election Commission, and directs OMB to set performance standards for agency heads, review and adjust these agencies’ spending (apportionments) to match the President’s priorities, and clear their strategic plans. Each independent agency must create a “White House Liaison” position (General Schedule grade 15, Schedule C excepted service), and agency chairmen must regularly consult with OMB and the White House Domestic Policy and National Economic Councils. It also states that the President and the Attorney General provide the controlling legal interpretations for the executive branch, and that no executive-branch employee may advance a contrary interpretation as the position of the United States unless authorized. The Federal Reserve is largely excluded: the order does not apply to the Fed’s Board of Governors or the Federal Open Market Committee for monetary policy, applying to the Board only for its supervision and regulation of financial institutions.
Independent regulatory agencies and their leaders — such as the FEC, and multi-member commissions and single-headed agencies covered by the cited definitions — are most directly affected, gaining new White House review, consultation, staffing, and budget-oversight requirements. Executive-branch employees generally are affected by the provision making the President’s and Attorney General’s legal opinions controlling on their official conduct, including regulations, guidance, and litigation positions. The order states it creates no legal rights enforceable by any party, and it is to be carried out consistent with existing law and available funding.