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EO 14145Executive OrderBiden · D Quiet signal

Executive Order 14145

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.

Federal Register Open PDF 90 FR 8105

Impact dates

  1. Improve engagement with covered community organizations; support localized economic development; develop interagency technical assistance network; identify overlapping program geographies

  2. Implementing agencies consider signing memorandum of agreement to exchange information, tools, and leading practices

Key directives

  • Secretary of Commerce to coordinate federal investments with 11 implementing agencies on place-based economic development
  • Within 1 year: improve quality, frequency, and accessibility of engagement with state, Tribal, territorial, local, and non-profit organizations in covered communities
  • Within 1 year: develop interagency technical assistance network with single point of entry for federal resources
  • Within 1 year: identify geographies with overlapping federal place-based programs to facilitate coordination
  • Within 1 year: implementing agencies consider signing memorandum of agreement to exchange information and leading practices
  • Implementing agencies to include preference for covered communities in forthcoming funding opportunities
  • Implementing agencies to assist potential grant applicants in economically distressed regions with proactive engagement, guidance, and technical assistance
  • Agencies with field offices in disaster-affected regions to seek local input, identify funding opportunities, and provide targeted application support

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • Policy declaration on whole-of-government coordination for left-behind communities
  • Definitions establish scope of covered communities and implementing agencies

Near term (90d)

  • Agencies begin developing interagency coordination mechanisms
  • Commerce Department starts coordinating federal investments with implementing agencies
  • Field offices in disaster-affected regions begin seeking local input on resilience needs

Long term

  • Interagency technical assistance network operational
  • Memoranda of agreement between agencies on information sharing
  • Systematic preference for covered communities in funding opportunities
  • Improved coordination of overlapping federal place-based programs

Risks & tensions

  • Order explicitly 'subject to availability of appropriations' — funding constraints may limit implementation
  • Non-enforceable: Section 6(c) states no private right of action created
  • Vague 'to the extent appropriate and consistent with applicable law' qualifiers throughout may dilute agency obligations
  • Preference for covered communities in funding opportunities conflicts with merit-based criteria in some existing programs
  • Overlap with existing statutory frameworks (Public Works and Economic Development Act, Stevenson-Wydler Act) creates potential implementation friction
  • No metrics or accountability mechanisms specified for measuring success
Executive Order 14145: Helping Left-Behind Communities Make a Comeback · Executive Orders