ExecutiveOrdersEO
EO 13958Executive OrderTrump 45 · R

Executive Order 13958

Establishing the President's Advisory 1776 Commission

This executive order creates a 20-member advisory commission to promote patriotic education about America's 1776 founding, requiring a report within one year and prioritizing federal grants toward civics programs. It also directs agencies to monitor Constitution Day compliance in federally funded schools and affirms federal non-interference in local curriculum control.

Federal Register Open PDF 85 FR 70951

Impact dates

  1. Constitution Day compliance monitoring (annual, September 17)

  2. Commission automatic termination unless extended

  3. Commission report to President due, publicly disseminated

  4. Secretary of Education establishes 1776 Commission

Key directives

  • Secretary of Education shall establish 1776 Commission within 120 days of order date
  • Commission shall produce report for President within 1 year, publicly disseminated
  • Commission shall advise on 250th anniversary of American Independence (Semiquincentennial)
  • Commission shall develop 'Presidential 1776 Award' for student knowledge
  • Agencies shall ensure patriotic education at national parks, battlefields, monuments, museums, installations, landmarks, cemeteries
  • Agencies shall prioritize American founding in federal grants and initiatives
  • Relevant agencies shall monitor and enhance Constitution Day compliance (September 17) under Public Law 108-447
  • Education, Defense, and State Departments shall prioritize resources for patriotic education through specified programs
  • Commission terminates 2 years from order date unless extended by President

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • EO establishes commission structure and membership criteria
  • agencies directed to monitor Constitution Day compliance

Near term (90d)

  • Secretary of Education must establish 1776 Commission within 120 days

Long term

  • Commission report due within 1 year
  • Commission terminates after 2 years unless extended
  • ongoing prioritization of founding-related federal grants

Risks & tensions

  • Commission's 2-year term and advisory-only status limit structural permanence; easily reversed by successor administration
  • Framing of 'patriotic education' vs. 'poor scholarship' injects ideological dimension into historical interpretation
  • Vague 'as appropriate and consistent with applicable law' qualifiers weaken enforceability of grant-prioritization directives
  • Federal non-interference in local curriculum (rejection of Common Core) coexists with federal advisory role, creating tension
  • Constitution Day compliance mechanism relies on existing Public Law 108-447; EO adds monitoring but no new enforcement tools
Executive Order 13958: Establishing the President's Advisory 1776 Commission · Executive Orders