Presidential DocumentExecutive Order 142052025-02635
Establishment of the White House Faith Office
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 12, 2025
Signed
February 7, 2025
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 28 (Wednesday, February 12, 2025)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 12, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 9499-9501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-02635]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 28 / Wednesday, February 12, 2025 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 9499]]
Executive Order 14205 of February 7, 2025
Establishment of the White House Faith Office
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, and to assist faith-based entities, community
organizations, and houses of worship in their efforts
to strengthen American families, promote work and self-
sufficiency, and protect religious liberty, it is
hereby ordered:
Section 1. Policy. Faith-based entities, community
organizations, and houses of worship have tremendous
ability to serve individuals, families, and communities
through means that are different from those of
government and with capacity and effectiveness that
often exceeds that of government. These organizations
lift people up, keep families strong, and solve
problems at the local level. The executive branch wants
faith-based entities, community organizations, and
houses of worship, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, to compete on a level playing field for grants,
contracts, programs, and other Federal funding
opportunities. The efforts of faith-based entities,
community organizations, and houses of worship are
essential to strengthening families and revitalizing
communities, and the Federal Government welcomes
opportunities to partner with such organizations
through innovative, measurable, and outcome-driven
initiatives.
The executive branch is committed to ensuring that all
executive departments and agencies (agencies) honor and
enforce the Constitution's guarantee of religious
liberty and to ending any form of religious
discrimination by the Federal Government.
Sec. 2. Amendments to Executive Orders. (a) Executive
Order 13198 of January 29, 2001 (Agency
Responsibilities With Respect to Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives); Executive Order 13279 of
December 12, 2002 (Equal Protection of the Laws for
Faith-Based and Community Organizations), as amended by
Executive Order 13559 of November 17, 2010 (Fundamental
Principles and Policymaking Criteria for Partnerships
With Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Organizations);
Executive Order 13280 of December 12, 2002
(Responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and
the Agency for International Development With Respect
to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives); Executive
Order 13342 of June 1, 2004 (Responsibilities of the
Departments of Commerce and Veterans Affairs and the
Small Business Administration With Respect to Faith-
Based and Community Initiatives); and Executive Order
13397 of March 7, 2006 (Responsibilities of the
Department of Homeland Security With Respect to Faith-
Based and Community Initiatives), are hereby amended
by:
(i) substituting ``White House Faith Office'' for ``White House Office of
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives'' or ``White House OFBCI'' each time
it appears in those orders; and
(ii) substituting ``Center for Faith'' for ``Center for Faith-based and
Community Initiatives,'' and ``Centers for Faith'' for ``Centers for Faith-
based and Community Initiatives'' each time they appear in those orders.
(b) Executive Order 13279, as amended by Executive
Order 13559, is further amended by striking section
2(h) and redesignating sections 2(i) and 2(j) as
sections 2(h) and 2(i), respectively.
Sec. 3. Establishment of the White House Faith Office.
(a) There is established within the Executive Office of
the President (EOP) the White House Faith Office
(Office). The Office shall have lead responsibility in
the executive
[[Page 9500]]
branch to empower faith-based entities, community
organizations, and houses of worship to serve families
and communities.
(b) The Office shall be housed in the Domestic
Policy Council and headed by a Senior Advisor to the
White House Faith Office, and supported by other
positions as the President considers appropriate. In
carrying out this order, the Office shall work with the
Domestic Policy Council, the Office of Public Liaison,
and the Centers for Faith established by Executive
Order 13198, Executive Order 13280, Executive Order
13342, and Executive Order 13397, as amended by section
2(a)(ii) of this order.
Sec. 4. White House Faith Office Functions. (a) To the
extent permitted by law, the Office shall:
(i) from time to time, consult with and seek information from experts and
various faith and community leaders identified by the White House Faith
Office and other EOP components, including those from outside the Federal
Government and those from State, local, and Tribal governments. These
experts and leaders shall be identified based on their expertise in a broad
range of areas in which faith-based entities, community organizations, and
houses of worship operate, including protecting women and children;
strengthening marriage and family; lifting up individuals through work and
self-sufficiency, defending religious liberty; combatting anti-Semitic,
anti-Christian, and additional forms of anti-religious bias; promoting
foster care and adoption programs in partnership with faith-based entities;
providing wholesome and effective education; preventing and reducing crime
and facilitating prisoner reentry; promoting recovery from substance use
disorder; and fostering flourishing minds;
(ii) make recommendations to the President, through the Assistant to the
President for Domestic Policy, regarding changes to policies, programs, and
practices, and aspects of my Administration's policy agenda, that affect
the ability of faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of
worship to serve families and communities;
(iii) convene meetings with representatives from the Centers for Faith and
other representatives from across agencies as appropriate;
(iv) advise on the implementation throughout the Federal Government of
those aspects of my Administration's policy agenda aimed at enabling faith-
based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship to better
serve families and communities;
(v) showcase innovative initiatives by faith-based entities, community
organizations, and houses of worship that serve and strengthen individuals,
families, and communities throughout the United States;
(vi) coordinate with all agencies to implement training and education
throughout the country for faith-based entity grantees to build their
capacity to procure grants;
(vii) support agencies in developing and implementing training and
education regarding religious liberty exceptions, accommodations, or
exemptions;
(viii) consult with public and private businesses regarding their policies
for employee volunteerism, charitable giving, and payroll deductions;
(ix) coordinate with agencies on identifying and promoting grant
opportunities for non-profit faith-based entities, community organizations,
and houses of worship, especially those inexperienced with public funding
but that operate effective programs;
(x) work in collaboration with the Attorney General, or a designee of the
Attorney General, to identify concerns raised by faith-based entities,
community organizations, and houses of worship about any failures of the
executive branch to enforce constitutional and Federal statutory
protections for religious liberty; and
(xi) identify and propose means to reduce burdens on the free exercise of
religion, including legislative, regulatory, and other barriers to the full
[[Page 9501]]
and active participation of faith-based entities, community organizations,
and houses of worship in government-funded or government-conducted
activities and programs.
(b) Agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law,
provide such information, support, and assistance to
the Office as may assist the Office in fulfilling this
order.
(c) The Directors of each Center of Faith shall
oversee their respective agency's efforts to assist the
Office in carrying out this order, and shall report on
such efforts to agency leadership and the Office.
Agencies that lack a Center for Faith shall designate
or appoint a Faith Liaison within the agency to oversee
the agency's efforts to assist the Office in carrying
out this order and to report on such efforts to agency
leadership and the Office. All such agencies shall
designate or appoint such a Faith Liaison within 90
days of the date of this order.
Sec. 5. Severability. If any provision of this order,
or the application of any provision to any person or
circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of
this order and the application of its provisions to any
other persons or circumstances shall not be affected
thereby.
Sec. 6. 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.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
February 7, 2025.
[FR Doc. 2025-02635
Filed 2-11-25; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 12, 2025.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.