Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 19 / Thursday, January 30, 2025 / Presidential Documents 8481 

Memorandum of January 20, 2025 

Restoring Accountability for Career Senior Executives 

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies 

Career Senior Executive Service (SES) officials are charged to ‘‘ensure that 

the executive management of the Government of the United States is responsive to the needs, policies, and goals of the Nation and otherwise is of 

the highest quality,’’ as required by section 3131 of title 5, United States 

Code. SES officials have enormous influence over the functioning of the 

Federal Government, and thus the well-being of hundreds of millions of 

Americans. 

As the Constitution makes clear, and as the Supreme Court of the United 

States has reaffirmed, ‘‘the ‘executive Power’—all of it—is ‘vested in a President,’ who must ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.’ ’’ Seila 

Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 591 U.S. 197, 203 (2020). 

‘‘Because no single person could fulfill that responsibility alone, the Framers 

expected that the President would rely on subordinate officers for assistance.’’ 

Id. at 203–04. 

The President’s power to remove subordinates is a core part of the Executive 

power vested by Article II of the Constitution and is necessary for the 

President to perform his duty to ‘‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully 

executed.’’ Because SES officials wield significant governmental authority, 

they must serve at the pleasure of the President. 

Only that chain of responsibility ensures that SES officials are properly 

accountable to the President and the American people. If career SES officials 

fail to faithfully fulfill their duties to advance the needs, policies, and 

goals of the United States, the President must be able to rectify the situation 

and ensure that the entire Executive Branch faithfully executes the law. 

For instance, SES officials who engage in unauthorized disclosure of Executive Branch deliberations, violate the constitutional rights of Americans, 

refuse to implement policy priorities, or perform their duties inefficiently 

or negligently should be held accountable. 

The President must be able to trust that the Executive Branch will work 

together in service of the Nation. My Administration will restore a ‘‘government of the people, by the people, for the people.’’ Therefore: 

(a) Within 30 days of the signing of this memorandum, the Director 

of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in coordination with the 

Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), shall issue SES 

Performance Plans that agencies must adopt; 

(b) Agency heads, who along with their senior staff manage career SES 

officials as one of their core functions, shall use all available authorities 

to reinvigorate the SES system and prioritize accountability; 

(c) Each agency head shall, as necessary and appropriate and consistent 

with the procedural requirements of section 3395 of title 5, United States 

Code, reassign agency SES members to ensure their knowledge, skills, abilities, and mission assignments are optimally aligned to implement my agenda; 

(d) Each agency head should terminate its existing Executive Resources 

Board (ERB), institute a new or interim ERB, and assign senior noncareer 

officials to chair and serve on the board as a majority alongside career 

members; 


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8482 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 19 / Thursday, January 30, 2025 / Presidential Documents 

(e) Each agency head should terminate its existing Performance Review 

Board membership and re-constitute membership with individuals committed 

to full enforcement of SES performance evaluations that promote and assure 

an SES of the highest caliber; and 

(f) Any agency head who becomes aware of an SES official whose performance or continued occupancy of the position is inconsistent with either 

the principles reaffirmed in this Order or their duties to the Nation under 

section 3131 of title 5, United States Code, shall immediately take all appropriate actions, up to and including removal of that official, with the support 

of OPM and OMB. Restoring an accountable government workforce is a 

top priority of my Administration. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

Washington, January 20, 2025 

[FR Doc. 2025–02042 

Filed 1–29–25; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


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