Department of Labor
Orders where directed actors are tied to Department of Labor · 26 in Biden · 173 all terms.
Roles directed
Orders
26 shown · Biden
Helping Left-Behind Communities Make a Comeback
This executive order establishes a whole-of-government approach to coordinate federal economic development programs for economically distressed, rural, Tribal, and disaster-affected communities. It directs 11 agencies to improve community engagement, create a unified technical assistance network, and give preference to covered communities in funding opportunities, with specific deliverables due within one year.
Establishment of the Countering Economic Coercion Task Force
This memorandum establishes an interagency Countering Economic Coercion Task Force within the Executive Office of the President, co-chaired by the National Security Advisor and National Economic Council Director, to coordinate U.S. strategy against economic coercion by countries of concern, particularly the People's Republic of China. The Task Force must submit an initial report to Congress within 180 days, followed by interim and final reports, and provide periodic policy recommendations to the President.
Investing in America and Investing in American Workers
This executive order directs federal agencies to prioritize high labor standards—including prevailing wages, project labor agreements, union neutrality, and workforce development—when awarding federal financial assistance under the Investing in America agenda (infrastructure, CHIPS, and clean energy laws). It establishes an interagency task force to coordinate implementation and requires agencies to embed job quality criteria into grant-making processes.
Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government and Promoting Labor-Management Forums
This executive order establishes a White House interagency working group to expand Registered Apprenticeship programs across federal agencies and their grant/procurement processes, while also revoking a 2017 Trump order to restore Labor-Management Forums for federal employee union collaboration. It requires agencies to review procurement and grants for apprenticeship opportunities, develop workforce plans incorporating apprenticeships, and submit implementation plans for labor-management forums within 180 days.
Amending Regulations Relating to the Safeguarding of Vessels, Harbors, Ports, and Waterfront Facilities of the United States
This executive order amends Coast Guard maritime security regulations (33 CFR Part 6) to explicitly include cybersecurity protections for ports, vessels, and waterfront facilities. It grants Captains of the Port authority to control access to digital infrastructure, establish cyber-focused security zones, inspect and remove unauthorized data or systems, and requires reporting of cyber incidents to CISA and the FBI. The order modernizes 1917-era authorities to address malicious cyber campaigns against U.S. maritime infrastructure.
Continuance of Certain Federal Advisory Committees and Amendments to Other Executive Orders
This executive order extends 37 federal advisory committees until September 30, 2025, delegates presidential FACA functions to agency heads, and amends two prior executive orders—expanding the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander commission's outreach role and increasing the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities membership from 25 to 30 while adding similar liaison functions.
Advancing Economic Security for Military and Veteran Spouses, Military Caregivers, and Survivors
This executive order directs federal agencies to improve economic security for military-connected families through enhanced federal hiring and retention of military spouses, caregivers, and survivors; expanded telework and remote work options; support for military spouse entrepreneurs; and expanded child care access including flexible spending accounts by January 1, 2024. It requires development of a government-wide strategic plan within 180 days, updates to hiring authorities beginning in Fiscal Year 2025, and various policy changes to reduce employment barriers tied to military life.
Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All
This executive order establishes a whole-of-government framework to advance environmental justice by requiring federal agencies to identify and address disproportionate environmental and health burdens on underserved communities. It mandates new Environmental Justice Strategic Plans, creates a White House Office of Environmental Justice with a Federal Chief Environmental Justice Officer, expands the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council to 25 cabinet-level and agency members, and establishes new requirements for data collection, community engagement, and toxic chemical release notification.
Promoting the Arts, the Humanities, and Museum and Library Services
This executive order establishes the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities within the Institute of Museum and Library Services to advise on cultural policy, and directs 25 federal agencies and White House offices to coordinate with the NEA, NEH, and IMLS on arts and humanities initiatives. The Committee is advisory, composed of federal agency heads and up to 25 presidential appointees, and terminates after two years unless extended.
Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy
This executive order launches a whole-of-government initiative to advance U.S. biotechnology and biomanufacturing capabilities across health, climate, energy, agriculture, and national security sectors. It mandates numerous agency reports and plans with specific deadlines, establishes a Data for the Bioeconomy Initiative, creates workforce development programs with equity commitments, streamlines biotechnology regulation, strengthens biosafety and biosecurity protections, and tasks intelligence agencies with assessing foreign threats to the U.S. bioeconomy.
Addressing the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
This memorandum directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to coordinate a government-wide response to long COVID, requiring a public report and a National Research Action Plan within 120 days. It mandates interagency collaboration to address health services, research, and disparities for those affected by long-term COVID-19 effects, including mental health and substance use impacts.
Advancing Economy, Efficiency, and Effectiveness in Federal Contracting by Promoting Pay Equity and Transparency
This executive order directs the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to consider issuing proposed rules that would limit or prohibit federal contractors from using job applicants' salary history in employment decisions, aiming to promote pay equity and transparency in federal procurement. It parallels anticipated OPM rules for federal employees and requires consideration of accountability measures for contractors and subcontractors.
Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects
This executive order requires project labor agreements (PLAs)—pre-hire collective bargaining agreements with labor unions—for federal construction projects costing $35 million or more. It revokes a prior Obama-era EO on the same topic and mandates implementing regulations, contracting officer training, and public reporting on exceptions.
Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts
This executive order reinstates worker protections for federal service contract employees by requiring successor contractors to offer a right of first refusal to qualified workers from the predecessor contract. It also encourages continuity of work location and revokes a 2019 Trump-era order that had eliminated these protections.
Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
This executive order establishes an Infrastructure Implementation Task Force within the Executive Office of the President to coordinate implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It directs agencies to prioritize efficient spending, domestic manufacturing, high labor standards, equitable investment through the Justice40 Initiative, climate resilience, and coordination with state/local/Tribal/territorial governments.
White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans
This executive order establishes a White House Initiative within the Department of Education to advance educational equity and economic opportunity for Black Americans through interagency coordination, evidence-based policy, and a Presidential Advisory Commission. It revokes a 2012 Obama-era initiative on the same topic, expanding the scope to explicitly include economic opportunity and workforce development alongside K-12 and higher education.
White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities
This executive order establishes a White House Initiative within the Department of Education to advance educational equity, excellence, and economic opportunity for Native American students and strengthen Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). It creates a new interagency structure co-chaired by the Secretaries of Education, Interior, and Labor, revokes a 2011 Obama-era order on the same topic, and mandates specific deliverables including memoranda of agreement and annual progress reports.
Promoting Competition in the American Economy
This executive order establishes a whole-of-government competition policy to combat excessive market concentration across the economy. It creates a White House Competition Council and directs dozens of specific actions by agencies including the FTC, DOJ, USDA, HHS, DOT, FCC, and others to address anti-competitive practices in labor markets, agriculture, healthcare, telecommunications, transportation, and technology.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce
This executive order establishes a government-wide initiative to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the federal workforce. It mandates strategic planning, data collection, paid internships, partnerships with minority-serving institutions, and specific equity measures for employees with disabilities, LGBTQ+ employees, and formerly incarcerated individuals.
Climate-Related Financial Risk
This executive order directs federal agencies to assess and disclose climate-related financial risks across government programs, financial markets, and pensions. It mandates development of a government-wide climate risk strategy, requires financial regulators to evaluate systemic climate risks, and reinstates flood risk standards for federally funded projects.
Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors
This executive order raises the minimum wage for workers on federal contracts to $15.00 per hour, effective January 30, 2022, with annual inflation adjustments beginning January 1, 2023. It also establishes a phased increase for tipped workers and revokes a 2018 exemption for recreational services on federal lands.
Worker Organizing and Empowerment
This executive order establishes a White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, chaired by the Vice President and comprising 23+ cabinet and agency officials, to identify and recommend federal policies that promote union organizing and collective bargaining. It revokes two Trump-era workforce councils and directs the new task force to submit recommendations within 180 days.
Ensuring a Data-Driven Response to COVID-19 and Future High-Consequence Public Health Threats
This executive order directs federal agencies to improve data collection, sharing, and publication of COVID-19-related information to support evidence-based pandemic response and build stronger public health infrastructure for future threats. It mandates senior data leads across multiple departments, requires reviews of public health data systems and federal hiring capabilities for data roles, and tasks OMB with issuing guidance on open data and de-identification.
Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery
This executive order establishes a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force within HHS to address disproportionate pandemic impacts on communities of color and underserved populations. It directs federal agencies to assess and modify pandemic response plans for equitable resource allocation, strengthen data collection, and conduct targeted outreach for vaccine trust.
Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel
This executive order mandates mask-wearing on domestic public transportation and at airports, and establishes policies for COVID-19 testing and quarantine requirements for international travelers entering the United States. It directs multiple federal agencies to implement these public health measures consistent with CDC guidelines and to submit implementation plans within specified timeframes.
Protecting Worker Health and Safety
This executive order directs the Department of Labor to strengthen COVID-19 workplace protections through revised OSHA guidance, potential emergency temporary standards, enhanced enforcement, and multilingual outreach. It also extends coordination to state-level worker protection programs and explores protections for workers not covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act.