COMMENCING THE REDUCTION OF THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

     Section 1.  Purpose.  It is the policy of my Administration to dramatically reduce the size of the Federal Government, while increasing its accountability to the American people.  This order commences a reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary.  Reducing the size of the Federal Government will minimize Government waste and abuse, reduce inflation, and promote American freedom and innovation.

     Sec. 2.  Reducing the Scope of the Federal Bureaucracy.   (a)  The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law:
(i)    the Presidio Trust;
(ii)   the Inter-American Foundation;
(iii)  the United States African Development Foundation; and
(iv)   the United States Institute of Peace.
(b)  Within 14 days of the date of this order, the head of each unnecessary governmental entity listed in subsection (a) of this section shall submit a report to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Director) confirming compliance with this order and stating whether the governmental entity, or any components or functions thereof, are statutorily required and to what extent.
(c)  In reviewing budget requests submitted by the governmental entities listed in subsection (a) of this section, the OMB Director or the head of any executive department or agency charged with reviewing grant requests by such entities shall, to the extent consistent with applicable law and except insofar as necessary to effectuate an expected termination, reject funding requests for such governmental entities to the extent they are inconsistent with this order.
(d)  The Presidential Memorandum of November 13, 1961 (Need for Greater Coordination of Regional and Field Activities of the Government), is hereby revoked.  The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM Director) is directed to initiate the process to withdraw the regulations at title 5, part 960, Code of Federal Regulations, thereby eliminating the Federal Executive Boards.  
(e)  The OPM Director is directed to initiate the process to withdraw the regulations at title 5, part 362, subpart D, Code of Federal Regulations, and to take any other steps necessary to promptly terminate the Presidential Management Fellows Program.  On the effective date of the final regulations promulgated by the OPM Director, Executive Order 13318 of November 21, 2003, is revoked and Executive Order 13562 of December 27, 2010, is amended by:
(i)    striking from section 2 the words “along with the Presidential Management Fellows Program, as modified herein,”;
(ii)   striking section 5;
(iii)  striking from section 6(b) the words “or PMF Programs” and inserting in their place “program”;
(iv)   striking from section 7(b)(iii) the words “the competitive service of Interns, Recent Graduates, or PMFs (or a Government-wide combined conversion cap applicable to all three categories together)” and inserting in their place “the competitive service of Interns or Recent Graduates (or a Government-wide combined conversion cap applicable to both categories together)”; and
(v)    redesignating sections 6, 7, 8, and 9 as sections 5, 6, 7, and 8 respectively.  
(f)  Within 14 days of the date of this order, the following heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall take the following actions with respect to the following Federal Advisory Committees within their respective agencies:
(i) the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall terminate the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid; 
(ii)   the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection shall terminate the Academic Research Council and the Credit Union Advisory Council;
(iii)  the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation shall terminate the Community Bank Advisory Council;
(iv)   the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall terminate the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Long COVID; and
(v)    the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shall terminate the Health Equity Advisory Committee.
(g)  Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall identify and submit to the President additional unnecessary governmental entities and Federal Advisory Committees that should be terminated on grounds that they are unnecessary.  

     Sec. 3.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
 
 
 
THE WHITE HOUSE,
    February 19, 2025.

Five Words To Live By: The Battle Is The Lord’s


Five Words to Live By—The Battle Is the Lord’s

Joshua and Caleb did not deny the existence of the giants in the land. But instead of comparing the giants with themselves... they compared the giants with God.

The spirit of faith acknowledges the problem... but compares it with God.

The nature of our flesh is to be inclined to the visible and palpable—
that which our five senses can observe.
However, God lives in the invisible realm.

Listen to what the Scripture says...

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory— while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen."
 — 2 Corinthians 4:17–18

Our light affliction, which is but for a moment...
 Whatever difficulties you are going through—will only last for a moment.

Our light affliction... is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory...
 This temporary difficulty you're facing now—
is producing for you a weight of glory that is eternal!

The word glory in Hebrew is kavod—which means "heavy."
At the end of your trial, you will come out of it with an added weightiness...
Your presence and your words will carry greater influence.

But does this mean that everyone who goes through trouble will receive this weight of glory?

Listen to what the next verse says:

"For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
 — 2 Corinthians 4:18

Your trouble will work for you—
when your eyes are fixed on the
invisible...
not on the
visible.
When your focus is on
God’s unchanging Word and promises...
not on your ever-changing circumstances.

The things around you—like a negative doctor’s report, or an unfavorable bank account balance—
are visible... and therefore, temporary.

But God... angels... and all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ—
are unseen... and therefore, eternal.

Even though these blessings are invisible—
they produce
visible effects in our lives...
such as healing and provision.

The enemy will always try to draw your attention to the visible.
He will use physical symptoms... worsening circumstances... to discourage you.

But as children of God—
we must learn to live in the realm of the
invisible and eternal.

Let’s not focus only on what is seen and tangible—
but open our eyes to the things of God that are unseen and everlasting.

Because... what is eternal—
will
outlast every visible and temporary difficulty.

Rest! The Lord Has Already Prepared Everything You Need

The Bible says:

"Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works for forty years.
Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said,
“They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.”
So I swore in My wrath,
“They shall not enter My rest.”’"
 — Hebrews 3:7–11

"My works" versus "My ways"—
The people of Israel
saw God’s works...
but they did not know His ways—
His
heart for them... His ways of faith.

"My wrath" versus "My rest"—
The opposite of God’s
wrath... is His rest.

Today, rest is our promised land.

The promised land is not a physical place for us—
it is a
place of rest.

It is where we never have to fear God’s wrath—
because it was fully borne by Jesus at the cross.

It is where we receive every blessing—
not by striving... but by resting in Jesus’ finished work.

When you rest... God fights your battles for you.

Even though the healing has not yet manifested...
or the provision has not yet come...
you can say to God:

"Lord, I thank You... that I can be at rest... because You are fighting this battle."

We please God... by resting.

The Bible warns us:

"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
 — Hebrews 3:12–13

All of us have a tendency to think hard thoughts about God—
thoughts that come from the devil.

That’s why we must encourage one another—
daily... even through texts and social media.

When we do this, we guard our hearts from being hardened by unbelief.

"Now with whom was He angry forty years?
Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest,
but to those who did not obey?
So we see that they could not enter in—because of unbelief.
Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest,
let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it."
 — Hebrews 3:17–4:1

The only thing God tells us to fear...
is that we might fall short of His rest.

God is asking you today—

"Can you be at rest... in the face of your problem?"

 

Rest... for the battle is the Lord’s.