🦅 Executive Branch |
White House |
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On August 28, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies, especially the General Services Administration (GSA), to prioritize classical and traditional styles of architecture—like those inspired by ancient Greece and Rome—for important federal buildings such as courthouses, agency headquarters, and large projects costing over $50 million. The order says these styles should be the default in Washington, D.C., and preferred elsewhere to make buildings look beautiful, dignified, and connected to American history. It affects architects, government officials, and contractors involved in designing and building federal public buildings. The order requires GSA to update its rules, hire experts in classical architecture, and carefully review any plans that use modern styles like brutalism or deconstructivism, including notifying the President 30 days before approving such designs. This matters because it changes how federal buildings will look in the future, aiming to make them more appealing to the general public and symbolically tied to American democracy, according to the order’s reasoning. Read full document →
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The President issued a proclamation declaring the week of August 31 to September 6, 2025, as Overdose Prevention Week. This action uses the President’s constitutional and legal authority to officially recognize a week focused on raising awareness about drug overdoses, especially from opioids like fentanyl. It affects all Americans by encouraging them to participate in events and activities that highlight the dangers of drug overdoses and promote safety. The proclamation also references recent laws and policies, such as the HALT Fentanyl Act that classifies fentanyl-related drugs as highly controlled substances, and efforts to combat drug trafficking at the southern border. This matters because it signals the administration’s priority on addressing the overdose crisis, which the document states caused over 80,000 deaths in the past year, and aims to mobilize public attention and action to reduce harm from drug addiction. Read full document →
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On August 28, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued a formal proclamation declaring September 1, 2025, as Labor Day, a day to honor American workers. This proclamation uses the President’s constitutional and legal authority to officially recognize the holiday and calls on government officials and the public to observe it with events that celebrate the hard work and contributions of workers across the country. While the document praises recent efforts by the administration to support American jobs and manufacturing, it does not create new laws or policies but serves as a symbolic gesture aimed at highlighting the importance of labor and encouraging national recognition of workers’ roles in the economy and society. Read full document →
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On August 28, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued a memorandum directing the Attorney General to investigate whether federal grant money is being wrongly used for political lobbying or supporting political parties, which the memorandum says is against federal law (specifically citing 31 U.S.C. 1352). This action affects federal agencies that give grants and the groups that receive these grants, as they must now be checked to ensure they are not spending taxpayer money on political activities. The President’s order requires a report on the investigation’s progress within 180 days. The memorandum emphasizes that it does not change existing agency powers or create new legal rights and must be carried out according to the law and available funding. This matters because it aims to prevent misuse of government funds for political purposes, which the memorandum describes as wasteful and possibly illegal, though it does not provide evidence that such misuse has been proven. Read full document →
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On August 28, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order that changes which government agencies are not allowed to have labor unions or collective bargaining under federal labor rules. The order says that certain parts of the government, like those working on intelligence, national security, and some specific agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United States Agency for Global Media, should be excluded from these labor protections because of national security concerns. It also adds some units in the Bureau of Reclamation that manage hydropower facilities to this list. This matters because it limits the ability of employees in these agencies to organize or negotiate work conditions through unions, based on the claim that allowing such activities could harm national security. The order relies on a law from the U.S. Code (section 7103(b)(1) of title 5) and changes a previous executive order from 1979. It also extends a deadline related to similar exclusions from another order issued earlier in 2025. Read full document →
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