Secretary of Health and Human Services
Executive orders directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services · 61 in Trump 45 · 344 all terms.
Related departments
Orders
61 shown · Trump 45
Terminating Suspensions of Entry Into the United States of Aliens Who Have Been Physically Present in the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and the Federative Republic of Brazil
On January 18, 2021, President Trump terminated COVID-19 travel entry suspensions for aliens who had been physically present in the Schengen Area, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and Brazil, effective January 26, 2021, while keeping restrictions in place for China and Iran. The termination was based on the Secretary of Health and Human Services' recommendation that a new CDC testing requirement for air passengers would sufficiently mitigate risk, coupled with expected cooperation from those jurisdictions.
Expanding Educational Opportunity Through School Choice
This executive order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allow Community Services Block Grant funds to be used for emergency learning scholarships for disadvantaged families whose children lack access to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scholarships can cover private school tuition, homeschooling costs, special education services, and tutoring.
Increasing Economic and Geographic Mobility
This executive order directs federal agencies to review their occupational licensing regulations and policies to reduce barriers to worker mobility, particularly for military spouses and individuals with criminal records. It establishes six principles for state-level occupational licensing reform and creates a reporting system to identify and reward states that adopt less restrictive licensing requirements.
Ensuring Access to United States Government COVID-19 Vaccines
This executive order establishes that Americans have priority access to COVID-19 vaccines developed or procured by the U.S. government, with the most vulnerable populations first in line. Only after determining sufficient supply for all Americans who choose vaccination may the government facilitate international access for allies and partners. An interagency strategy for international distribution must be developed within 30 days.
Modernizing America's Water Resource Management and Water Infrastructure
This executive order establishes a Water Subcabinet co-chaired by the Interior Secretary and EPA Administrator to coordinate federal water resource management across agencies. It mandates reports and recommendations to reduce duplication among hundreds of federal water working groups, improve water storage and quality, modernize infrastructure planning, and address workforce shortages in the water sector through fiscal year 2025 milestones.
Saving Lives Through Increased Support for Mental- and Behavioral-Health Needs
This executive order establishes a Coronavirus Mental Health Working Group to coordinate federal response to pandemic-exacerbated mental and behavioral health issues, including suicide prevention and substance abuse. It directs agencies to encourage grantees to adopt policies supporting safe in-person and telehealth mental health services, and requires a coordinated plan within 45 days.
Protecting Vulnerable Newborn and Infant Children
This executive order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that federally funded hospitals provide emergency medical screening and stabilizing treatment to all infants born alive, including extremely premature infants and those with disabilities, under existing laws (EMTALA, Rehabilitation Act, and Born-Alive Infants Protection Act). It also prioritizes research funding for treatments to improve survival of these infants and training for medical personnel, with enforcement including potential termination of federal funding for non-compliant programs.
An America-First Healthcare Plan
This executive order declares a continuation of healthcare policies emphasizing patient choice, lower costs, and quality care, with specific directives to maintain existing actions and new deadlines for price transparency and surprise billing measures. It requires HHS to work with Congress on surprise billing legislation by year-end 2020, take administrative action if legislation fails, and update Medicare.gov Hospital Compare within 180 days with hospital billing quality information.
Lowering Drug Prices by Putting America First
This executive order directs Medicare to pay no more than the lowest price drug manufacturers charge other wealthy developed nations for the same prescription drugs and biological products. It orders the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement rulemaking plans to test payment models applying these 'most-favored-nation' prices in Medicare Part B (certain high-cost drugs) and Part D (drugs with insufficient competition).
Fighting the Spread of COVID-19 by Providing Assistance to Renters and Homeowners
This executive order directs federal agencies to take steps to prevent residential evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 pandemic, including having CDC consider an eviction moratorium, Treasury and HUD identify rental assistance funds, and FHFA review authorities to prevent housing loss. It does not itself impose a moratorium but rather orders agency consideration and action.
Combating Public Health Emergencies and Strengthening National Security by Ensuring Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, and Critical Inputs Are Made in the United States
This executive order directs federal agencies to prioritize domestic procurement of essential medicines, medical countermeasures, and their critical ingredients to reduce dependence on foreign manufacturing. It mandates supply chain vulnerability assessments, streamlines regulatory approvals for domestic producers, and authorizes use of the Defense Production Act to prioritize these materials. The order includes exceptions for public health emergencies and when domestic procurement would increase costs by more than 25 percent.
Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access
This executive order directs HHS to create a new rural healthcare payment model, develop infrastructure strategies, and report on rural health initiatives within 30 days. It also requires HHS to review and propose regulations within 60 days to extend COVID-19 telehealth and provider flexibilities for rural Medicare beneficiaries beyond the public health emergency.
Access to Affordable Life-Saving Medications
This executive order requires Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to pass through discounted insulin and epinephrine prices to low-income uninsured or underinsured patients as a condition of receiving future federal grants. The policy aims to make these life-saving medications available at the steep discounts FQHCs already receive through the 340B drug pricing program, plus a minimal administrative fee.
Increasing Drug Importation To Lower Prices for American Patients
This executive order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand safe importation of lower-cost prescription drugs, including facilitating waivers for individual drug importation, authorizing insulin re-importation for emergencies, and completing a rulemaking process to allow importation of certain drugs from Canada.
Lowering Prices for Patients by Eliminating Kickbacks to Middlemen
This executive order directs HHS to complete a rulemaking that would eliminate safe harbor protections under the anti-kickback statute for prescription drug rebates paid to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and insurers in Medicare Part D, instead requiring discounts to be applied at the point-of-sale to reduce patient out-of-pocket costs. The Secretary must first confirm that any action would not increase federal spending, Medicare premiums, or total patient out-of-pocket costs.
Lowering Drug Prices by Putting America First
This executive order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement a Medicare Part B payment model that would cap U.S. prices for certain high-cost prescription drugs and biological products at the "most-favored-nation price"—the lowest price adjusted for volume and GDP differences that manufacturers charge in comparable developed OECD countries. The order frames this as ending foreign free-riding on American-funded pharmaceutical innovation and addressing affordability for seniors, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Strengthening the Child Welfare System for America's Children
This executive order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen the child welfare system by improving data collection on foster care and adoption, expanding partnerships with faith-based and community organizations, enhancing support for caregivers and youth, ensuring non-discriminatory placement practices, and streamlining processes to achieve faster permanency for children in foster care.
Suspension of Entry of Immigrants and Nonimmigrants Who Present a Risk to the United States Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak
This proclamation extends and expands a prior COVID-19 immigration suspension, barring entry of certain immigrants and nonimmigrants (H-1B, H-2B, J, and L visa holders) through December 31, 2020, to protect U.S. workers during pandemic-related economic recovery. It amends Proclamation 10014 to extend its expiration date and adds new restrictions on temporary worker categories, with exceptions for lawful permanent residents, certain family members of U.S. citizens, food supply workers, and those deemed in the national interest.
Safe Policing for Safe Communities
This executive order ties certain federal law enforcement grants to state and local agencies meeting credentialing standards on use-of-force policies, including a prohibition on chokeholds except where deadly force is legally permitted. It also directs creation of a national database tracking officer decertifications, convictions, and civil judgments for excessive force; and promotes co-responder programs and training for encounters involving mental health, homelessness, and addiction.
Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus
This proclamation suspends entry into the United States of immigrants and nonimmigrants who were physically present in Brazil during the 14 days before seeking entry, due to widespread COVID-19 transmission. It takes effect May 28, 2020, with exemptions for lawful permanent residents, close family members of U.S. citizens/residents, and other specified categories.
Delegating Authority Under the Defense Production Act to the Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation To Respond to the COVID-19 Outbreak
This executive order delegates Defense Production Act (DPA) authority to the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) CEO to make loans and purchase commitments that expand domestic production of strategic resources and strengthen supply chains needed for the COVID-19 response. The delegation is limited to loans supporting pandemic response/recovery and supply chain resiliency, and expires when CARES Act DPA waiver provisions terminate.
Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth
This executive order directs federal agencies to reduce regulatory barriers for domestic fishing and aquaculture, combat illegal fishing, streamline permitting for offshore aquaculture projects, establish designated aquaculture zones, and develop a comprehensive seafood trade strategy. It creates multiple task forces and deadlines across Commerce, Agriculture, Army Corps of Engineers, and other agencies to expand U.S. seafood production and reduce reliance on imports.
Delegating Additional Authority Under the Defense Production Act With Respect to Health and Medical Resources To Respond to the Spread of COVID-19
This executive order delegates broad authorities under the Defense Production Act to the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security to expand domestic production of health and medical resources for COVID-19 response. It includes loan guarantees, voluntary agreements with private companies, and prioritization and allocation powers, while waiving certain statutory requirements during the national emergency.
Preventing Hoarding of Health and Medical Resources To Respond to the Spread of COVID-19
This executive order delegates presidential authority under the Defense Production Act to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prevent hoarding of health and medical resources needed for the COVID-19 response, including the power to designate materials as scarce and prescribe accumulation limits. The Secretary must consult FEMA when exercising this authority and periodically review whether designations remain necessary.
Prioritizing and Allocating Health and Medical Resources to Respond to the Spread of COVID-19
This executive order delegates presidential authority under the Defense Production Act to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prioritize and allocate health and medical resources—including personal protective equipment and ventilators—for responding to COVID-19. It overrides the usual delegation structure in Executive Order 13603 for these specific resources.
Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus
This proclamation suspends entry into the United States of immigrants and nonimmigrants who were physically present in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland during the 14 days before entry, effective March 16, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. It expands prior COVID-19 travel restrictions (Proclamations 9984, 9992, and 9993) to these two countries due to sustained person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2, with exceptions for lawful permanent residents, close family members of U.S. citizens/residents, and other categories.
Expanding State-Approved Diagnostic Tests
This memorandum directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to facilitate state requests for flexibility to authorize in-state laboratories to develop and perform COVID-19 diagnostic tests, building on an earlier FDA-State of New York coordination model. It establishes a policy of offering states regulatory flexibility in public health emergency response.
Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak
This proclamation declares a national emergency concerning the COVID-19 outbreak, effective March 1, 2020, authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive or modify certain Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, and HIPAA Privacy Rule requirements under section 1135 of the Social Security Act for the duration of the public health emergency. The declaration also requires congressional certification and advance notice when exercising this authority.
Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus
This proclamation suspends entry into the United States of all aliens physically present in the 26-country Schengen Area during the 14 days before attempted entry, effective March 13, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, due to COVID-19 transmission risks. It expands prior travel restrictions from China and Iran, with exceptions for lawful permanent residents, close family members of U.S. citizens/residents, certain visa holders, and others.
Making General Use Respirators Available
This March 11, 2020 memorandum directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to take all appropriate steps to facilitate emergency use of general use respirators by healthcare personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic, using authorities under the Public Health Service Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. It also directs the Secretary of Labor to consider steps to increase respirator availability.
Delegation of Authority to Re-establish the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic- Resistant Bacteria
This memorandum delegates authority to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to re-establish the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Secretary may direct the Council's duties per Public Law 116-22 and determine its membership at their discretion.
Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus
This proclamation suspends entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants who were physically present in Iran during the 14 days before seeking entry to the United States, expanding similar restrictions previously applied to China. It takes effect March 2, 2020, with exceptions for lawful permanent residents, close family members of U.S. citizens/residents, certain visa categories, and others, and amends the earlier China-focused Proclamation 9984.
Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus and Other Appropriate Measures To Address This Risk
This proclamation suspends entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants who were physically present in mainland China during the 14 days before attempted U.S. entry, effective February 2, 2020, with exceptions for lawful permanent residents, close family members of U.S. citizens/residents, and certain other categories. It directs agencies to implement visa restrictions, prevent boarding of covered travelers, and facilitate medical screening and quarantine.
Combating Human Trafficking and Online Child Exploitation in the United States
This executive order establishes combating human trafficking and online child exploitation as an executive branch priority, creating a dedicated Domestic Policy Council position, directing improved prevalence estimates, enhancing interagency coordination for prosecution, and mandating proposals to overcome information-sharing barriers for detecting child sexual abuse material online. It also directs victim protection efforts including housing strategies and prevention education partnerships with schools.
Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2020
This determination sets the FY2020 refugee admissions cap at 18,000, the lowest level in modern U.S. history, with specific regional allocations and transfer authority. It also designates certain in-country populations (Cuba, Eurasia/Baltics, Iraq, Northern Triangle countries, and exceptional embassy-identified cases) as eligible for refugee processing without requiring flight to a third country.
Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Will Financially Burden the United States Healthcare System, in Order To Protect the Availability of Healthcare Benefits for Americans
This proclamation suspends entry of immigrants who cannot demonstrate they will be covered by approved health insurance within 30 days of entry or possess financial resources to pay for foreseeable medical costs. It applies to immigrant visa applicants with exceptions for certain visa categories, minors, and national-interest cases, and requires reports on healthcare financial burdens from immigrant admissions.
Protecting and Improving Medicare for Our Nation's Seniors
This executive order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to expand Medicare Advantage (MA) plan choices, reduce regulatory burdens on providers, accelerate coverage of innovative medical technologies, and inject market-based pricing into Medicare. It explicitly opposes the Medicare for All Act of 2019 and frames its policies as protecting seniors' existing choices while improving program sustainability through competition and value-based payment.
Enhancing State and Local Involvement in Refugee Resettlement
This executive order requires both state and local governments to provide written consent before refugees can be resettled in their jurisdictions through the federal Reception and Placement Program. It directs the Secretaries of State and Health and Human Services to create implementation processes within 90 days, with limited exceptions where the Secretary of State can override non-consenting jurisdictions after consulting other agencies and notifying the President.
Modernizing Influenza Vaccines in the United States to Promote National Security and Public Health
This executive order establishes a National Influenza Vaccine Task Force co-chaired by Defense and HHS to modernize U.S. influenza vaccine production away from egg-based methods toward faster, scalable cell-based and recombinant technologies. It mandates a 5-year national plan and directs multiple agencies to estimate costs, expand manufacturing capacity, and accelerate development of broadly protective vaccines.
Collecting Information About Citizenship Status in Connection With the Decennial Census
After the Supreme Court blocked a citizenship question on the 2020 census, this EO directs all federal agencies to share administrative records with the Commerce Department to compile citizenship data through alternative means. It establishes an interagency working group to maximize data sharing and tasks the Commerce Secretary with considering a citizenship question for the 2030 census.
Advancing American Kidney Health
This executive order directs HHS to launch multiple initiatives to transform kidney care in the U.S., including new Medicare payment models to incentivize early treatment and home dialysis, regulatory changes to increase organ donation and transplantation, support for living donors through expanded reimbursement, and accelerated development of artificial kidneys through FDA engagement and the KidneyX public-private partnership.
Improving Price and Quality Transparency in American Healthcare To Put Patients First
This executive order directs federal agencies to increase healthcare price and quality transparency through new regulations requiring hospitals to post prices, expand patient access to cost estimates before care, develop common quality measures across government health programs, and increase access to de-identified health data. It also seeks to expand health savings account flexibility and address surprise medical billing.
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, 2019
This proclamation declares May 2019 as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, encouraging Americans to prioritize physical activity. It also directs the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition to develop a national strategy with HHS to increase youth sports participation, with focus on inclusive access for underserved groups.
Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities
This executive order directs federal agencies to tie higher education grant funding to campus free speech protections and mandates new transparency tools for student borrowers. It requires the Education Department to launch a loan information website by January 1, 2020, expand the College Scorecard with program-level earnings and debt data, and report on risk-sharing options for student loans.
National Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End Suicide
This executive order establishes a presidential task force to create a comprehensive national roadmap (PREVENTS) aimed at ending veteran suicide through improved coordination between federal, state, local, tribal, and private-sector partners. It mandates development of a community integration proposal, a national research strategy, and an implementation plan within one year, with the task force continuing for two years afterward to monitor progress.
Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence
This executive order establishes the American AI Initiative, a coordinated federal strategy to maintain U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence through increased R&D investment, expanded access to federal data and computing resources, workforce development, and protection of AI technologies from foreign acquisition. It directs agencies to prioritize AI in budgeting, issues multiple deadlines for reports and guidance on data access, regulation, standards, and security, and creates governance structures through the National Science and Technology Council Select Committee on AI.
Establishing the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council
This executive order establishes the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, chaired by the Secretary of HUD, to coordinate across federal agencies to promote investment in economically distressed communities and qualified opportunity zones created by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The Council is tasked with assessing agency actions, streamlining regulations, and producing multiple reports with recommendations for statutory and regulatory changes.
Establishment of the Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud
This executive order establishes a Department of Justice Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud to coordinate investigation and prosecution of fraud against the government and public, replacing a similar Obama-era task force. It brings together senior DOJ officials and invites participation from numerous federal agencies to address financial crimes, cyber-fraud, and consumer protection.
Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility
This executive order directs federal agencies to review welfare programs and regulations to promote work requirements, reduce bureaucracy, and increase state flexibility in administering public assistance. It establishes nine 'Principles of Economic Mobility' and mandates specific agency reviews and reports within 90 days.
Ending "Catch and Release" at the Border of the United States and Directing Other Enhancements to Immigration Enforcement
This memorandum directs multiple cabinet secretaries to report on efforts to end 'catch and release' immigration practices at the border. It requires reports on detention capacity, asylum processing, sanctions against non-cooperative countries, and additional resources needed to expedite immigration enforcement.
Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry
This executive order establishes a Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry, co-chaired by the Attorney General, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and a White House innovation advisor. The Council is tasked with developing evidence-based recommendations to reduce crime, lower recidivism, and improve reentry outcomes through coordination across 11 federal agencies, with initial and full reports due within 90 days and one year respectively. The order revokes a 2016 Obama memorandum on reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals and automatically terminates after three years.
President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition
This executive order revokes a 2010 Obama-era council and reestablishes the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national strategy to expand youth sports participation, encourage physical activity, and promote nutrition—particularly in underserved communities.
Combatting the National Drug Demand and Opioid Crisis
This memorandum declares combating the opioid crisis as U.S. policy and directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to consider declaring a public health emergency under the Public Health Service Act. It also instructs agency heads to use emergency and other authorities to reduce opioid-related deaths and community devastation.
Promoting Healthcare Choice and Competition Across the United States
This executive order directs federal agencies to consider regulatory changes expanding access to association health plans, short-term limited-duration insurance, and health reimbursement arrangements as alternatives to ACA-compliant coverage. It also requires biennial reports on barriers to healthcare competition and choice.
Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States
This executive order directs a comprehensive assessment of U.S. manufacturing capacity, defense industrial base, and supply chain resiliency to identify vulnerabilities and recommend policy changes. The Secretary of Defense must deliver a report within 270 days evaluating critical materials, manufacturing gaps, workforce skills, foreign supply dependencies, and contingency risks.
Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty
This executive order establishes religious freedom as a priority across the executive branch, directs Treasury to avoid penalizing religious organizations for political speech, and orders three Cabinet secretaries to consider amending regulations for conscience objections to the ACA preventive-care mandate. It also tasks the Attorney General with issuing guidance on religious liberty protections in federal law.
Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America
This executive order establishes an Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity, chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture with 21+ agency heads as members. The Task Force must identify and recommend legislative, regulatory, and policy changes to promote agriculture, economic development, and quality of life in rural America, submitting a report within 180 days. It also revokes the Obama-era White House Rural Council (EO 13575).
Implementing Immediate Heightened Screening and Vetting of Applications for Visas and Other Immigration Benefits, Ensuring Enforcement of All Laws for Entry Into the United States, and Increasing Transparency Among Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government and for the American People
This memorandum directs the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, in consultation with the Attorney General, to immediately implement enhanced screening and vetting protocols for visa and immigration benefit applications. It mandates rigorous enforcement of all existing grounds of inadmissibility, requires new rules to supersede conflicting prior rules, and establishes detailed public reporting requirements on visa issuance, immigration status adjustments, and refugee program costs.
Organization of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council
This National Security Presidential Memorandum reorganizes the National Security Council (NSC) and Homeland Security Council (HSC), establishing their membership rosters, the Principals Committee, Deputies Committee, and Policy Coordination Committees. It elevates the White House Chief Strategist to regular attendance at NSC/PC meetings, merges NSC and HSC staff under a single Executive Office of the President structure, and replaces the Obama-era Presidential Policy Directives and Presidential Study Directives system with National Security Presidential Memoranda.
The Mexico City Policy
This memorandum revokes the 2009 Obama-era memorandum that had rescinded the Mexico City Policy, and reinstates the 2001 Bush-era version. It directs the Secretary of State to expand the policy's restrictions to all global health assistance across departments and agencies, and to ensure no U.S. funds support organizations involved in coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization programs.
Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal
This executive order directs federal agencies to use all available legal authority to waive, delay, or exempt parties from provisions of the Affordable Care Act that impose fiscal or regulatory burdens, while also encouraging state flexibility and interstate healthcare markets. It was issued on President Trump's first day in office with the stated goal of minimizing economic burdens pending congressional repeal of the ACA.