Free Republic

Dear Madam Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) and the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), I hereby report I have issued an Executive Order (the “order”) that declares a national emergency with respect to the recent actions taken by the People’s Republic of China to fundamentally undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy.  The order further declares that Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to justify differential treatment in relation to the People’s Republic of China under the U.S. laws and provisions set forth in the order.  The order directs the...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to improve Hispanic Americans’ access to educational and economic opportunities, it is hereby ordered as follows:Section 1.  Purpose.  The success of Hispanic Americans is integral to the economic future of our country.  As more than 60 million Hispanics live in the United States today, Hispanics are the largest minority group in the country.  Hispanics are also the Nation’s youngest major racial or ethnic group.  Generations of Hispanics constituting different backgrounds and cultures have contributed to building a...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:Section 1.  Continuing the President’s National Council for the American Worker.  To continue the President’s National Council for the American Worker established by Executive Order 13845 of July 19, 2018, as amended, that Executive Order is further amended by revising section 10 to read as follows:  “Termination of Council.  The Council shall terminate on September 30, 2021, unless extended by the President.”.Sec. 2.  Continuing the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. The American Workforce Policy...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and sections 1104(a)(1), 3301, and 7301 of title 5, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:Section 1.  Purpose.  The foundation of our professional merit-based civil service is the principle that employment and advancement rest on the ability of individuals to fulfill their responsibilities in service to the American public.  Accordingly, Federal Government employment opportunities should be filled based on merit.  Policies or practices that undermine public confidence in the hiring...

Today, First Lady Melania Trump joined President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in the Oval Office for the signing of the Executive Order on Strengthening the Child Welfare System for America’s Children.Today’s Executive Order signing is particularly relevant to the mission and values of the First Lady’s Be Best initiative.  Mrs. Trump continues to advocate for supporting child welfare in order to improve the lives and well-being of children and youth in foster care throughout the country. In May, The First Lady joined a call with our nation’s governors where she asked them to designate child...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that the situation with respect to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its illegitimate assertions of jurisdiction over personnel of the United States...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby determine and authorize as follows:Section 1.  Purpose.  The 2019 novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing outbreaks of the disease COVID-19, has significantly disrupted the lives of Americans.  In Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak), I declared, pursuant to the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq., that the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States constituted a national emergency that posed a threat to our national...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:Section 1.  Policy.  (a)  Religious freedom, America’s first freedom, is a moral and national security imperative.  Religious freedom for all people worldwide is a foreign policy priority of the United States, and the United States will respect and vigorously promote this freedom.  As stated in the 2017 National Security Strategy, our Founders understood religious freedom not as a creation of the state, but as a gift of God to every person and a right that is fundamental...

Oval Office 3:47 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  We’re here today to defend free speech from one of the gravest dangers it has faced in American history, frankly.  And you know what’s going as well as anybody.  It’s not good.A small handful of powerful social media monopolies controls a vast portion of all public and private communications in the United States.  And we know what they are; we don’t have to name them.  We’re going to give you a complete listing.  We’re going to give you a signed copy of what I’m going to be signing in...

"What they're doing is tantamount to monopoly, you can say it's tantamount to taking over the airwaves," Trump said. "Can't let it happen. Otherwise, we're not going to have a Democracy, we're not going to have anything to do with a republic." Trump announced that he is directing his administration to "develop policies and procedures to ensure taxpayer dollars are not going in any social media company that repress free speech." Trump said he would delete Twitter if there was a "fair press" in the United States but that he refuses to do so because of the wide reach the...

Sen. Ron Wyden called President Trump's executive order targeting social media platforms a "plainly illegal" attempt to push "unfiltered lies." . . . "I have warned for years that this administration was threatening 230 in order to chill speech and bully companies like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter into giving him favorable treatment. Today Trump proved me right. I expect those companies and every American who participates in online speech to resist this illegal act by all possible means," Wyden said in a statement.

When the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on social media censorship late last month, liberal Democratic congressman Ted Lieu transformed into a hardcore libertarian. “This is a stupid and ridiculous hearing,” he said, because “the First Amendment applies to the government, not private companies.” He added that just as the government cannot tell Fox News what content to air, “we can’t tell Facebook what content to filter,” because that would be unconstitutional. Lieu is incorrect. While the First Amendment generally does not apply to private companies, the Supreme Court has held it “does not disable the government from taking...

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 (“the virus”) was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China, causing an outbreak of the disease COVID-19, which has now spread globally.  The Secretary of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency on January 31, 2020, under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d), in response to COVID-19.  In Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak), I declared that the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States constituted a national emergency, beginning March...

It appears the Governor is realizing his Executive Orders are not laws and they violate people’s Constitutional rights. What is the norm in Illinois when elected officials get exposed for violating the law? Change the law. In this case, change the rules and make criminals out of the very people that are the economic engine in this state. Not only do these new suggested rules invoke criminal penalties, but they also are to last 150 days and are being pushed through in an Emergency provision for such rule changes, meaning the public has little say about it. Let that sink...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and in furtherance of Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak), which declared a national emergency by reason of the threat that the novel (new) coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 poses to our Nation’s healthcare systems, I hereby order as follows:Section 1.  Emergency Authority.  (a)  To provide additional authority to the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to respond to the...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, 5 U.S.C. 3345et seq., it is hereby ordered that:Section 1.  Subject to the provisions of section 3 of this order, the officers named in section 2, in the order listed, shall act as and perform the functions and duties of the office of Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) during any period when both the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary of the Interior have died, resigned, or are otherwise unable to perform the...

Add routine pet checkups to the list of things that will have to wait until the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. On Monday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order prohibiting in-person veterinary services that aren’t essential and encouraging a shift towards telemedicine through the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. The order takes effect 5 p.m. March 31. The prohibition doesn’t apply to lifesaving procedures, treating serious pain, necessary euthanizations or necessary treatment of infectious diseases that can be transmitted between animals and human beings. A licensed veterinarian would make the call on whether a service is essential. The Centers for Disease...

Dear Madam Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days before the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date.  In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13694 of April 1, 2015, is to continue in effect beyond April...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.) (the “Act”), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:Section 1.  Policy.  In Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak), I declared a national emergency recognizing the threat that the novel (new) coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 poses to our Nation’s healthcare systems.  In recognizing the public...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.),  and in furtherance of Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak), which declared a national emergency by reason of the threat that the novel (new) coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 poses to our Nation’s healthcare systems, I hereby order as follows:Section 1.  Emergency Authority.  To provide additional authority to the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to respond to the national emergency declared by...