Presidential DocumentExecutive Order 139952021-01852
Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery
Primary source
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Published
January 26, 2021
Signed
January 21, 2021
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 15 (Tuesday, January 26, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 26, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 7193-7196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01852]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 15 / Tuesday, January 26, 2021 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 7193]]
Executive Order 13995 of January 21, 2021
Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and
Recovery
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, and in order to address the disproportionate
and severe impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-
19) on communities of color and other underserved
populations, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Purpose. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed
and exacerbated severe and pervasive health and social
inequities in America. For instance, people of color
experience systemic and structural racism in many
facets of our society and are more likely to become
sick and die from COVID-19. The lack of complete data,
disaggregated by race and ethnicity, on COVID-19
infection, hospitalization, and mortality rates, as
well as underlying health and social vulnerabilities,
has further hampered efforts to ensure an equitable
pandemic response. Other communities, often obscured in
the data, are also disproportionately affected by
COVID-19, including sexual and gender minority groups,
those living with disabilities, and those living at the
margins of our economy. Observed inequities in rural
and Tribal communities, territories, and other
geographically isolated communities require a place-
based approach to data collection and the response.
Despite increased State and local efforts to address
these inequities, COVID-19's disparate impact on
communities of color and other underserved populations
remains unrelenting.
Addressing this devastating toll is both a moral
imperative and pragmatic policy. It is impossible to
change the course of the pandemic without tackling it
in the hardest-hit communities. In order to identify
and eliminate health and social inequities resulting in
disproportionately higher rates of exposure, illness,
and death, I am directing a Government-wide effort to
address health equity. The Federal Government must take
swift action to prevent and remedy differences in
COVID-19 care and outcomes within communities of color
and other underserved populations.
Sec. 2. COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. There is
established within the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force
(Task Force).
(a) Membership. The Task Force shall consist of the
Secretary of HHS; an individual designated by the
Secretary of HHS to Chair the Task Force (COVID-19
Health Equity Task Force Chair); the heads of such
other executive departments, agencies, or offices
(agencies) as the Chair may invite; and up to 20
members from sectors outside of the Federal Government
appointed by the President.
(i) Federal members may designate, to perform the Task Force functions of
the member, a senior-level official who is a part of the member's agency
and a full-time officer or employee of the Federal Government.
(ii) Nonfederal members shall include individuals with expertise and lived
experience relevant to groups suffering disproportionate rates of illness
and death in the United States; individuals with expertise and lived
experience relevant to equity in public health, health care, education,
housing, and community-based services; and any other individuals with
expertise the President deems relevant. Appointments shall be made without
regard to political affiliation and shall reflect a diverse set of
perspectives.
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(iii) Members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation for their
work on the Task Force, but members shall be allowed travel expenses,
including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons
serving intermittently in the Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707).
(iv) At the direction of the Chair, the Task Force may establish subgroups
consisting exclusively of Task Force members or their designees under this
section, as appropriate.
(b) Mission and Work.
(i) Consistent with applicable law and as soon as practicable, the Task
Force shall provide specific recommendations to the President, through the
Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response and Counselor to the President (COVID-
19 Response Coordinator), for mitigating the health inequities caused or
exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and for preventing such inequities in
the future. The recommendations shall include:
(A) recommendations for how agencies and State, local, Tribal, and
territorial officials can best allocate COVID-19 resources, in light of
disproportionately high rates of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and
mortality in certain communities and disparities in COVID-19 outcomes by
race, ethnicity, and other factors, to the extent permitted by law;
(B) recommendations for agencies with responsibility for disbursing
COVID-19 relief funding regarding how to disburse funds in a manner that
advances equity; and
(C) recommendations for agencies regarding effective, culturally aligned
communication, messaging, and outreach to communities of color and other
underserved populations.
(ii) The Task Force shall submit a final report to the COVID-19 Response
Coordinator addressing any ongoing health inequities faced by COVID-19
survivors that may merit a public health response, describing the factors
that contributed to disparities in COVID-19 outcomes, and recommending
actions to combat such disparities in future pandemic responses.
(c) Data Collection. To address the data shortfalls
identified in section 1 of this order, and consistent
with applicable law, the Task Force shall:
(i) collaborate with the heads of relevant agencies, consistent with the
Executive Order entitled ``Ensuring a Data-Driven Response to COVID-19 and
Future High-Consequence Public Health Threats,'' to develop recommendations
for expediting data collection for communities of color and other
underserved populations and identifying data sources, proxies, or indices
that would enable development of short-term targets for pandemic-related
actions for such communities and populations;
(ii) develop, in collaboration with the heads of relevant agencies, a set
of longer-term recommendations to address these data shortfalls and other
foundational data challenges, including those relating to data
intersectionality, that must be tackled in order to better prepare and
respond to future pandemics; and
(iii) submit the recommendations described in this subsection to the
President, through the COVID-19 Response Coordinator.
(d) External Engagement. Consistent with the
objectives set out in this order and with applicable
law, the Task Force may seek the views of health
professionals; policy experts; State, local, Tribal,
and territorial health officials; faith-based leaders;
businesses; health providers; community organizations;
those with lived experience with homelessness,
incarceration, discrimination, and other relevant
issues; and other stakeholders.
(e) Administration. Insofar as the Federal Advisory
Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), may apply to
the Task Force, any functions of the President under
the Act, except for those in section 6 of the Act,
shall be performed by the Secretary of HHS in
accordance with the guidelines that have been issued by
the Administrator of General Services. HHS shall
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provide funding and administrative support for the Task
Force to the extent permitted by law and within
existing appropriations. The Chair shall convene
regular meetings of the Task Force, determine its
agenda, and direct its work. The Chair shall designate
an Executive Director of the Task Force, who shall
coordinate the work of the Task Force and head any
staff assigned to the Task Force.
(f) Termination. Unless extended by the President,
the Task Force shall terminate within 30 days of
accomplishing the objectives set forth in this order,
including the delivery of the report and
recommendations specified in this section, or 2 years
from the date of this order, whichever comes first.
Sec. 3. Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response. To
address the inequities identified in section 1 of this
order, it is hereby directed that:
(a) The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of
Labor, the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development, the Secretary of Education, the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,
and the heads of all other agencies with authorities or
responsibilities relating to the pandemic response and
recovery shall, as appropriate and consistent with
applicable law:
(i) consult with the Task Force to strengthen equity data collection,
reporting, and use related to COVID-19;
(ii) assess pandemic response plans and policies to determine whether
personal protective equipment, tests, vaccines, therapeutics, and other
resources have been or will be allocated equitably, including by
considering:
(A) the disproportionately high rates of COVID-19 infection,
hospitalization, and mortality in certain communities; and
(B) any barriers that have restricted access to preventive measures,
treatment, and other health services for high-risk populations;
(iii) based on the assessments described in subsection (a)(ii) of this
section, modify pandemic response plans and policies to advance equity,
with consideration to:
(A) the effect of proposed policy changes on the distribution of
resources to, and access to health care by, communities of color and other
underserved populations;
(B) the effect of proposed policy changes on agencies' ability to
collect, analyze, and report data necessary to monitor and evaluate the
impact of pandemic response plans and policies on communities of color and
other underserved populations; and
(C) policy priorities expressed by communities that have suffered
disproportionate rates of illness and death as a result of the pandemic;
(iv) strengthen enforcement of anti-discrimination requirements pertaining
to the availability of, and access to, COVID-19 care and treatment; and
(v) partner with States, localities, Tribes, and territories to explore
mechanisms to provide greater assistance to individuals and families
experiencing disproportionate economic or health effects from COVID-19,
such as by expanding access to food, housing, child care, or income
support.
(b) The Secretary of HHS shall:
(i) provide recommendations to State, local, Tribal, and territorial
leaders on how to facilitate the placement of contact tracers and other
workers in communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic, recruit
such workers from those communities, and connect such workers to existing
health workforce training programs and other career advancement programs;
and
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(ii) conduct an outreach campaign to promote vaccine trust and uptake among
communities of color and other underserved populations with higher levels
of vaccine mistrust due to discriminatory medical treatment and research,
and engage with leaders within those communities.
Sec. 4. 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 or 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.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 21, 2021.
[FR Doc. 2021-01852
Filed 1-25-21; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 26, 2021.
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