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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 12, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 9499-9501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-02635]



                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 28 / Wednesday, February 12, 2025 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 9499]]

                Executive Order 14205 of February 7, 2025

                
Establishment of the White House Faith Office

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, and to assist faith-based entities, community 
                organizations, and houses of worship in their efforts 
                to strengthen American families, promote work and self-
                sufficiency, and protect religious liberty, it is 
                hereby ordered:

                Section 1. Policy. Faith-based entities, community 
                organizations, and houses of worship have tremendous 
                ability to serve individuals, families, and communities 
                through means that are different from those of 
                government and with capacity and effectiveness that 
                often exceeds that of government. These organizations 
                lift people up, keep families strong, and solve 
                problems at the local level. The executive branch wants 
                faith-based entities, community organizations, and 
                houses of worship, to the fullest extent permitted by 
                law, to compete on a level playing field for grants, 
                contracts, programs, and other Federal funding 
                opportunities. The efforts of faith-based entities, 
                community organizations, and houses of worship are 
                essential to strengthening families and revitalizing 
                communities, and the Federal Government welcomes 
                opportunities to partner with such organizations 
                through innovative, measurable, and outcome-driven 
                initiatives.

                The executive branch is committed to ensuring that all 
                executive departments and agencies (agencies) honor and 
                enforce the Constitution's guarantee of religious 
                liberty and to ending any form of religious 
                discrimination by the Federal Government.

                Sec. 2. Amendments to Executive Orders. (a) Executive 
                Order 13198 of January 29, 2001 (Agency 
                Responsibilities With Respect to Faith-Based and 
                Community Initiatives); Executive Order 13279 of 
                December 12, 2002 (Equal Protection of the Laws for 
                Faith-Based and Community Organizations), as amended by 
                Executive Order 13559 of November 17, 2010 (Fundamental 
                Principles and Policymaking Criteria for Partnerships 
                With Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Organizations); 
                Executive Order 13280 of December 12, 2002 
                (Responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and 
                the Agency for International Development With Respect 
                to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives); Executive 
                Order 13342 of June 1, 2004 (Responsibilities of the 
                Departments of Commerce and Veterans Affairs and the 
                Small Business Administration With Respect to Faith-
                Based and Community Initiatives); and Executive Order 
                13397 of March 7, 2006 (Responsibilities of the 
                Department of Homeland Security With Respect to Faith-
                Based and Community Initiatives), are hereby amended 
                by:

(i) substituting ``White House Faith Office'' for ``White House Office of 
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives'' or ``White House OFBCI'' each time 
it appears in those orders; and

(ii) substituting ``Center for Faith'' for ``Center for Faith-based and 
Community Initiatives,'' and ``Centers for Faith'' for ``Centers for Faith-
based and Community Initiatives'' each time they appear in those orders.

                    (b) Executive Order 13279, as amended by Executive 
                Order 13559, is further amended by striking section 
                2(h) and redesignating sections 2(i) and 2(j) as 
                sections 2(h) and 2(i), respectively.

                Sec. 3. Establishment of the White House Faith Office. 
                (a) There is established within the Executive Office of 
                the President (EOP) the White House Faith Office 
                (Office). The Office shall have lead responsibility in 
                the executive

[[Page 9500]]

                branch to empower faith-based entities, community 
                organizations, and houses of worship to serve families 
                and communities.

                    (b) The Office shall be housed in the Domestic 
                Policy Council and headed by a Senior Advisor to the 
                White House Faith Office, and supported by other 
                positions as the President considers appropriate. In 
                carrying out this order, the Office shall work with the 
                Domestic Policy Council, the Office of Public Liaison, 
                and the Centers for Faith established by Executive 
                Order 13198, Executive Order 13280, Executive Order 
                13342, and Executive Order 13397, as amended by section 
                2(a)(ii) of this order.

                Sec. 4. White House Faith Office Functions. (a) To the 
                extent permitted by law, the Office shall:

(i) from time to time, consult with and seek information from experts and 
various faith and community leaders identified by the White House Faith 
Office and other EOP components, including those from outside the Federal 
Government and those from State, local, and Tribal governments. These 
experts and leaders shall be identified based on their expertise in a broad 
range of areas in which faith-based entities, community organizations, and 
houses of worship operate, including protecting women and children; 
strengthening marriage and family; lifting up individuals through work and 
self-sufficiency, defending religious liberty; combatting anti-Semitic, 
anti-Christian, and additional forms of anti-religious bias; promoting 
foster care and adoption programs in partnership with faith-based entities; 
providing wholesome and effective education; preventing and reducing crime 
and facilitating prisoner reentry; promoting recovery from substance use 
disorder; and fostering flourishing minds;

(ii) make recommendations to the President, through the Assistant to the 
President for Domestic Policy, regarding changes to policies, programs, and 
practices, and aspects of my Administration's policy agenda, that affect 
the ability of faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of 
worship to serve families and communities;

(iii) convene meetings with representatives from the Centers for Faith and 
other representatives from across agencies as appropriate;

(iv) advise on the implementation throughout the Federal Government of 
those aspects of my Administration's policy agenda aimed at enabling faith-
based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship to better 
serve families and communities;

(v) showcase innovative initiatives by faith-based entities, community 
organizations, and houses of worship that serve and strengthen individuals, 
families, and communities throughout the United States;

(vi) coordinate with all agencies to implement training and education 
throughout the country for faith-based entity grantees to build their 
capacity to procure grants;

(vii) support agencies in developing and implementing training and 
education regarding religious liberty exceptions, accommodations, or 
exemptions;

(viii) consult with public and private businesses regarding their policies 
for employee volunteerism, charitable giving, and payroll deductions;

(ix) coordinate with agencies on identifying and promoting grant 
opportunities for non-profit faith-based entities, community organizations, 
and houses of worship, especially those inexperienced with public funding 
but that operate effective programs;

(x) work in collaboration with the Attorney General, or a designee of the 
Attorney General, to identify concerns raised by faith-based entities, 
community organizations, and houses of worship about any failures of the 
executive branch to enforce constitutional and Federal statutory 
protections for religious liberty; and

(xi) identify and propose means to reduce burdens on the free exercise of 
religion, including legislative, regulatory, and other barriers to the full

[[Page 9501]]

and active participation of faith-based entities, community organizations, 
and houses of worship in government-funded or government-conducted 
activities and programs.

                    (b) Agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, 
                provide such information, support, and assistance to 
                the Office as may assist the Office in fulfilling this 
                order.
                    (c) The Directors of each Center of Faith shall 
                oversee their respective agency's efforts to assist the 
                Office in carrying out this order, and shall report on 
                such efforts to agency leadership and the Office. 
                Agencies that lack a Center for Faith shall designate 
                or appoint a Faith Liaison within the agency to oversee 
                the agency's efforts to assist the Office in carrying 
                out this order and to report on such efforts to agency 
                leadership and the Office. All such agencies shall 
                designate or appoint such a Faith Liaison within 90 
                days of the date of this order.

                Sec. 5. Severability. If any provision of this order, 
                or the application of any provision to any person or 
                circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of 
                this order and the application of its provisions to any 
                other persons or circumstances shall not be affected 
                thereby.

                Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the 
head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.
                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    February 7, 2025.

[FR Doc. 2025-02635
Filed 2-11-25; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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