Executive Order Ensuring Commercial, Cost-Effective Solutions in Federal Contracts (April 16, 2025)

President Trump issued an EO requiring federal agencies to prioritize the procurement of commercially available products and services over custom/non-commercial products. Agencies must review current and pending solicitations, justify the use of non-commercial products, and report their compliance to the OMB. The order also enhances oversight in federal procurement by requiring approval from senior procurement officials (in some cases, OMB) before moving forward with certain purchases. The aim is to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and promote cost-effective spending. This EO may impact healthcare by shifting procurement processes for medical products and technology.

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Executive Order Ensuring National Security and Economic Resilience Through Section 232 Actions on Processed Critical Minerals and Derivative Products (April 15, 2025)

President Trump issued an executive order directing an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act on whether U.S. reliance on imported critical minerals threatens national security. These materials are essential for defense, energy, technology, and key economic sectors. The order calls for a review of import sources, supply chains, domestic capabilities, and potential policy actions. The Secretary of Commerce will deliver a final report with recommendations within 180 days. The findings of this investigation may also have implications for healthcare supply chains, as many medical devices and technologies rely on processed critical minerals.

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Executive Order Lowering Drug Prices By Once Again Putting Americans First (April 15, 2025)

President Trump signed an executive order to expand efforts to reduce prescription drug costs for Americans. The order builds on past initiatives and focuses on enhancing the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program to prioritize high-cost drugs and improve transparency. It directs HHS action to reduce prices of expensive medications for seniors, improve innovation and oversight in Medicaid drug payments, and increase competition through faster approval of generics, biosimilars, and over-the-counter conversions. The order also mandates greater transparency in pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) compensation and streamlines drug importation to improve access to lower-cost medicines. Read the factsheet here.

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Executive Order, Amendment to Reciprocal Tariffs and Updated Duties As Applied To Low-Value Imports From the People’s Republic of China (April 9, 2025)

President Trump has issued an executive order amending his original executive order, “Reciprocal Tariffs and Updated Duties as Applied to Low-Value Imports From the People’s Republic of China” in response to China’s retaliatory tariffs. The order increases tariffs on Chinese goods from 34% to 84% and raises duties on low-value imports from China by 90%. The measures are continued efforts to address the trade deficit and protect U.S. national security. The order follows China’s announcement of a 34% tariff on U.S. goods, effective on April 10, 2025. These changes are set to begin on April 9, 2025.

*NOTE: This tariff on China was later raised to 125% by President Trump on April 9, effective immediately, as announced here. President Trump has also announced an effective immediate 90-day pause and a substantial reduction in reciprocal tariffs to 10% for 75 countries that have not retaliated and are in negotiation with the United States.

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Executive Order, Further Amendment to Duties Addressing the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China as Applied to Low-Value Imports (April 2, 2025)

President Trump issued an executive order addressing low-value imports from China, specifically regarding synthetic opioids. It eliminates the de minimis exemption for low-value products from China, effective May 2, 2025, requiring goods valued at or under $800 to be subject to new duties. By ending the tariff exemption, the order targets deceptive shipping practices used to hide illicit substances within small imports. Now, a 30% ad valorem duty or a specific duty ranging from $25 to $50 per item on certain shipments, depending on the date of entry, is effective May 2, 2025. It also mandates that carriers transporting these imports must report shipments and remit duties to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as maintain an International Carrier Bond. The order aims to improve trade imbalances and reduce the influx of synthetic opioids. Read the fact sheet here.

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Executive Order Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits (April 2, 2025 )

President Trump issued an executive order declaring a national emergency regarding trade deficits, introducing a reciprocal tariff policy. Starting April 5, a 10% duty will be imposed on all imports, with country-specific rates to follow on April 9. The order cites the large trade deficit, reaching $1.2 trillion in 2024, which has grown by over 40% in the past 5 years—arguing that it has weakened U.S. manufacturing and created foreign dependencies in industries vital to national security and the domestic economy. The order also allows President Trump to adjust tariffs if trading partners retaliate or reduce them as needed. Exemptions for certain goods apply, including pharmaceuticals, minerals, semiconductors, and energy products. The policy aims to rebalance global trade by use of these tariffs.. Read fact sheet here.

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Executive Order Establishing the United States Investment Accelerator (March 31, 2025)

President Trump issued an executive order outlining specific exclusions from the Federal Labor-Management Relations Statute for certain federal agencies, citing the need to address national security concerns. Excluded agencies include the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other non-health-related agencies. As a result, these agencies are exempt from collective bargaining, grievance procedures, and union participation. The executive order aims to ensure that these agencies, which play significant roles in national security, public health, and emergency response, can operate effectively and without delays that may arise from union negotiations, particularly in critical or urgent situations. Read fact sheet here.

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Executive Order: Exclusions From Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs (March 27, 2025)

President Trump issued an executive order outlining specific exclusions from the Federal Labor-Management Relations Statute for certain federal agencies, citing the need to address national security concerns. Excluded agencies include the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other non-health-related agencies. As a result, these agencies are exempt from collective bargaining, grievance procedures, and union participation. The executive order aims to ensure that these agencies, which play significant roles in national security, public health, and emergency response, can operate effectively and without delays that may arise from union negotiations, particularly in critical or urgent situations. Read fact sheet here.

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Executive Order Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement (March 20, 2025)

President Trump issued an executive order to consolidate federal procurement functions within the General Services Administration (GSA) to eliminate waste and inefficiency across government agencies. This consolidation primarily targets common goods and services (office supplies and facilities management) as well as information technology (computers and software). By centralizing procurement through the GSA, individual agencies will no longer independently acquire these goods and services. The goal is to streamline operations and reduce overall costs across various agencies, including CMS, HHS, CDC, and others.

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Presidential Memorandum Strengthening the Suitability and Fitness of the Federal Workforce (March 20, 2025)

President Trump issued a memorandum delegating the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) the authority to make final decisions on federal employees’ suitability based on post-appointment conduct and act. The Director will also propose any necessary changes to regulations in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations to guide these decisions. An action may involve the Director directing the head of an agency to remove an employee who does not meet the suitability standards set by OPM’s rules. Agencies must follow these instructions within 5 business days. The memorandum clarifies that it doesn’t change the legal powers of agencies or create enforceable rights and is consistent with current law.

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Executive Order Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos (March 20, 2025)

President Trump released an executive order aiming to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within federal agencies by eliminating information silos and promoting data sharing. Agency heads are directed to ensure that federal officials have unrestricted access to unclassified data and systems—allowing for the identification of any waste or fraud within 30 days. This includes the sharing and consolidation of records within and between agencies. The federal government will also gain unrestrained access to data from state programs that receive federal funding. This executive may impact any programs run by HHS, CMS, CDC, and other health-related agencies. Read the fact sheet.

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Executive Order Continuing Reduction of Federal Bureaucracy (March 14, 2025)

President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at further reducing the Federal bureaucracy. The order eliminates several non-statutory components of various government entities, including the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI). While not directly focused on healthcare, the reduction of the CDFI could indirectly affect healthcare and public health programs. The CDFI provides financial assistance to community-based organizations, many of which are involved in health-related initiatives.

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Executive Order Designating English as The Official Language of The United States (March 1, 2025)

President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing English as the official language of the United States. By designating English as the sole official language, the order revokes Executive Order 13166 on improving access for persons with limited English proficiency (LEP), but does not require agencies to discontinue multilingual services or documents. Organizations, including healthcare entities, are still allowed to continue multilingual services, but they are not federally mandated to do so. The Attorney General was directed to rescind previous policy guidance and provide updated guidance consistent with applicable law.

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Executive Order Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative (February 26, 2025)

This order directs Agency heads to develop a system to “record every payment issued by the agency pursuant to each of the agency’s covered contracts and grants, along with a brief, written justification for each payment submitted by the agency employee who approved the payment” and to review current contracts and grants and terminate or modify them to “reduce overall Federal spending or reallocate spending to promote efficiency and advance the policies” of the Trump Administration. Contracting policies, procedures, and personnel will also be reviewed.

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Executive Order Making America Healthy Again by Empowering Patients With Clear, Accurate, and Actionable Healthcare Pricing Information (February 25, 2025)

This executive order directs the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to take “all necessary and appropriate action to rapidly implement and enforce the healthcare price transparency regulations issued pursuant to Executive Order 13877,” signed in 2019, “including, within 90 days of the date of this order, action to:

• Require the disclosure of the actual prices of items and services, not estimates
• Issue updated guidance or proposed regulatory action ensuring pricing information is standardized and easily comparable across hospitals and health plans, and
• Issue guidance or proposed regulatory action updating enforcement policies designed to ensure compliance with the transparent reporting of complete, accurate, and meaningful data.”

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Executive Order Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders: (February 19, 2025)

This executive order is aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from accessing from taxpayer-funded resources. This action is in response to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate that the Biden Administration’s “open borders agenda” (which included providing Medicaid-funded emergency services to “qualified aliens”) has cost federal and state taxpayers more than $16.2 billion. The order signals a potential shift in healthcare policies by tightening eligibility and limiting access to taxpayer-funded health services. Read the fact sheet.

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Executive Order Commencing the Reduction of The Federal Bureaucracy (February 19, 2025)

This executive order aims to further decrease the size of the Federal Government to enhance accountability, reduce waste, and promote innovation. It terminates certain federal councils, advisory committees (including the CMS Health Equity Advisory Committee and HHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Long COVID), and the Presidential Management Fellows program, and directs the reduction of function of certain government entities to the minimum presence and function required by law. Within 30 days, a list of additional unnecessary government entities and advisory committees must be submitted to the President for termination. Read the fact sheet.

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Executive Order Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing The President’s “Department Of Government Efficiency” Deregulatory Initiative (February 19, 2025)

This order directs agency heads, in coordination with their DOGE team leads and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to review all regulations subject to their jurisdiction for consistency with law and Trump Administration policy, prioritizing rules that impose heavy costs. A Unified Agenda will be developed to rescind and/or modify regulations that are inconsistent with law or the Trump Administration’s policy. Read the fact sheet.

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Executive Order Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization (February 18, 2025)

This executive order aims to expand access to IVF for Americans. The order focuses on reducing the financial barriers associated with IVF treatments, which cost between $12,000 and $25,000 per cycle and insurance companies often do not fully cover. The plan directs policy recommendations to ensure reliable access to IVF, lower out-of-pocket costs, and address policies that increase treatment expenses. Read the fact sheet.

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Executive Order Keeping Education Accessible and Ending COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates In Schools (February 15, 2025)

This executive order aims to end COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools, citing that such mandates infringe on personal freedoms and parental authority. It prohibits federal funds from supporting, directly or indirectly, educational institutions that require vaccination for in-person attendance. The Secretary of Education is tasked with issuing guidelines to ensure compliance with legal obligations and developing a plan to eliminate vaccine mandates within 90 days.

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Executive Order Establishing The President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission (February 13, 2025)

President Trump declared that it “shall be the policy of the Federal Government to aggressively combat the critical health challenges facing our citizens, including the rising rates of mental health disorders, obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. To do so, executive departments and agencies (agencies) that address health or healthcare must focus on reversing chronic disease.” The order calls for the establishment of the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission (Commission), chaired by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Chair), with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy serving as Executive Director (Executive Director).

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Executive Order Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation (January 28, 2025)

President Trump has directed the FDA and HHS to take steps against gender-affirming care for minors.  President Trump is seeking to block transgender children from accessing transition-related care. Measures include directing the FDA to investigate companies offering transition-related medical products, urging the DOJ to consider prosecuting healthcare providers, and blocking federal funding for hospitals and entities that provide such care. The order also mandates HHS to review and potentially amend policies related to gender-affirming care and withdraw guidance protecting transgender minors’ privacy. This reflects a broader push to limit transgender healthcare for minors across the United States.

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Executive Order Enforcing the Hyde Amendment (January 24, 2025)

States that it is the “policy of the United States, consistent with the Hyde Amendment, to end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion” and directs the Office of Management and Budget to promulgate guidance to the heads of executive departments and agencies related to implementation of this policy.

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Executive Order Establishing President’s Council Of Advisors On Science And Technology (January 23, 2025)

Reestablishes “the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to unite the brightest minds from academia, industry, and government to guide our Nation through this critical moment by charting a path forward for American leadership in science and technology.”

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Executive Order Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence (January 23, 2025)

Undertaken with the goal of making the United States the “global leader in AI,” the order emphasizes the importance of developing AI systems that are “free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas.”  Read Applied Policy’s analysis here.

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Regulatory Freeze Pending Review (January 20, 2025)

This memorandum directs all executive departments and agencies to freeze the implementation of new rules and regulations until they undergo review by agency heads appointed after January 20, 2025. It also required the immediate withdrawal of any unpublished rules and the postponement of the effective date for rules already published, to allow for a 60-day review period. The goal is to ensure that new regulations align with the administration’s priorities and policies.

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Executive Order Establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (January 20, 2025)

Establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.

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Executive Order Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (January 20, 2025)

President Trump announced his plans to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO on January 20, 2025. The executive order notes that the Secretary of State will also “cease negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement and the amendments to the International Health Regulations, and actions taken to effectuate such agreement and amendments will have no binding force on the United States.”

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Executive Order Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government (January 20, 2025)

This executive order states that it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female and that these sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality. It instructs federal agencies to remove all statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, or other internal and external messages that promote or “otherwise inculcate gender ideology.”

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Executive Order Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship (January 20, 2025)

This order asserts that children may only receive U.S. citizenship if at least one parent is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

This could affect healthcare access for children born in the U.S. to parents without legal status, as they may encounter difficulties in obtaining citizenship and associated healthcare benefits. Several organizations have filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the order (find one example here), and courts in Maryland and Washington have issued temporary injunctions. In a series of filings (here, here, and here) the Trump Administration has asked the Supreme Court to block current injunctions.

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Immediate Pause on Issuing Documents and HHS Public Communications (January 21, 2025)

Acting HHS Secretary, Dorothy Fink, sent out an agency wide memo requiring leaders of its agencies to refrain from publicly issuing any document or communication, including regulations and press releases, until it has been reviewed and approved by a Presidential appointee. There is an exception for emergencies and matters critical to health and safety. The pause was to be in effect through Feb 1, 2025. As of February 7, some communications had resumed.

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