Executive Order Weekly Report - July
Executive Order Weekly Report - July
This report is only a summary and editorial regarding the executive orders (“EOs”) signed by the Trump Administration during the last week. EOs are not legislation or court opinions. They do not carry the weight of law, and are merely statements of policy within the executive branch. That is not to say they cannot be cited in court or legal pleadings, or aren’t relevant to the application of law, only that they are almost never controlling outside of internal executive branch administration.
While I am a licensed attorney, this is not paid legal advice. Nothing in this communication is intended to create an attorney-client relationship. Unless expressly stated otherwise, nothing contained in this article should be construed as a digital or electronic signature, nor is it intended to reflect an intention to make an agreement by electronic means.
Executive Order 14318 - Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure
Signed: July 23, 2025
Published: July 28, 2025
Summary
Section 1 talks about how great the technology in America is, and says that the Administration wants to promote AI data centers and infrastructure to power them. It states that the federally owned land that is available will be used to develop data centers.
Section 2 creates definitions for the EO.
Section 3 orders the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to launch an initiative to provide financial support for qualifying projects.
Section 4 revokes EO 14141.
Section 5 orders agencies to identify exclusions to environmental laws for qualifying projects. It also orders the creation of new exclusions for said qualifying projects.
Section 6 orders that the Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council to expedite qualifying projects for approval.
Section 7 orders that the Administrator of the EPA is to expedite permitting of qualifying projects with regards to environmental regulation.
Section 8 orders that sites identified for qualifying projects be given exemptions from the Endangered Species Act.
Section 9 orders agencies to offer authorization for use of federal lands for qualifying projects.
What It Means
This is one in a long line of industry specific EOs to specifically target federal funds and assets that can be better used by private industries. One should take notice of the heavy use of “Qualifying Projects” as a term throughout, allowing this administration to pick and choose who will receive the federal assistance. Additionally, this is targeted towards centers requiring more than 100 megawatts (though strangely not stated in MWH or any other capacity/time measurement) and a part of a minimum $500 million capital expenditure. This is targeted towards large industries, foreign actors, and the personal friends of the President.
Looking Forward
This EO is likely going to be a channel for the Administration to extract significant wealth from these large players in order to then release public lands and funds to help with these large data center facilities. The land being used will be severely damaged, and likely improved without regard for local environments, water tables, or even local townships. While the terms of this EO are at times vague, it is clear that the intent is for the Administration to try and take advantage of the alleged billions of dollars in investment coming in from nations trying to gain favorable trade deals with this Administration.
Executive Order 14319 - Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government
Signed: July 23, 2025
Published: July 28, 2025
Summary
Section 1 talks about how cool AI is then complains a lot about how horrible DEI is. Then it talks about times AI made pictures of racially inaccurate historical figures. This is then identified as a serious issue the government needs to be involved in.
Section 2 creates definitions for the EO.
Section 3 orders that AI utilized by the government be made unbiased and not incorporate DEI.
Section 4 orders various agencies and executive officials to take steps necessary to implement this EO.
What It Means
This EO is pretty straightforward in that it is a meeting of the conservative fears around DEI and AI. There were briefly some memes in the past about how AI were getting the races/genders of historical figures wrong. It is likely that this spawned a brain virus for a subset of conservatives that think this will somehow cause serious harm to our tech sector or the continuation of the white race. Now this EO has created the two laws of AI for the government, it must be truth seeking, meaning it prioritizes factual information, and it must be ideologically neutral, so it cannot encode partisan or ideological judgments.
Looking Forward
Under the guise of truth and neutrality, this EO will likely try to shape the development of AI to make truth what the Administration wishes it to be and the MAGA platform be considered neutral. Already local, state, and federal governments are implementing AI at a rapid pace. Governments are poised to be the largest clients of AI technology, and this kind of EO can help make sure that the Administration will control what those AIs think. It is hard to overstate how this EO could shape every facet of our interaction with the Government in the future. Once implemented, a MAGA encoded AI will metastasize within the governments it is implemented within to cause harm for generations.
Executive Order 14320 - Promoting the Export of the American AI Technology Stack
Signed: July 23, 2025
Published: July 28, 2025
Summary
Section 1 talks about how cool AI is and how we should export the “full-stack American Ai technology packages”.
Section 2 states that it is the policy of the US to preserve and extend American leadership in AI and to make sure we don’t import any of it.
Section 3 orders various executive officials to establish and implement the American AI Exports Program to support the development and deployment of US full-stack AI export packages.
Section 4 orders economic executive officials to coordinate the mobilization of federal financing tools in support of priority AI export packages.
What It Means
With the previous two EOs, this EO continues the focus on the AI industry. Here we see the Administration focus on exporting the American AI Full-Stack. While this is somewhat amorphous, it appears this means all products that could be used in the creation of AI or any services and products that are created with AI.
Looking Forward
This EO, as with its sister EOs, will funnel public funds to the AI industry and help this Administration pick winners and losers in the AI industry, to their own benefit.
Executive Order 14321 - Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets
Signed: July 24, 2025
Published: July 29, 2025
Summary
Section 1 talks about how unsafe American cities are because of homeless people. It talks about how insane asylums are actually really good for reducing homelessness.
Section 2 orders the Attorney General and the Secretary of the HHS to reverse policy that impede civil commitment of homeless people, and provide assistance to state and local governments to institutionalize more homeless people.
Section 3 orders various executive officials to prioritize grants for help fight drug use, homelessness, and squatting.
Section 4 orders the Secretary of the HHS to take action to ensure grants for drug recovery are sent to evidence-based programs, and does not include harm reduction or safe consumption programs. It also wants priority to homeless prevention.
Section 5 orders the Secretaries of HHS and HUD to take actions to increase accountability in homelessness assistance and transitional living. It orders a requirement of mental and drug use counseling for the receipt of services of either agency. It also ends safe consumption sites.
What It Means
This EO attempts to narrow the federal assistance programs for homelessness and drug addiction. By doing so it will make funds available to be provided to state and local governments to open mental asylums in the hopes that this will reduce the number of homeless on the streets. It attempts to undercut harm-reduction and safe consumption programs in a misguided attempt at preventing further drug use. It also makes funds available for removal of homeless encampments and to reduce the use of bond in criminal proceedings.
Looking Forward
This EO is regressive in almost everything that it touches. While reducing homelessness and providing mental health assistance is a valiant effort, this EO will do nothing but exacerbate both problems and cause untold harm to the most vulnerable members of our society. Bond, harm reduction, safe consumption, federal housing, mental health counseling now are no longer accepted as ways to combat homelessness. Instead federal programs are to be used to punish and abjure the untouchables according to the Administration.
Executive Order 14322 - Saving College Sports
Signed: July 24, 2025
Published: July 29, 2025
Summary
Section 1 Talks up how cool college sports are for a page and a half. It then says that supporting and expanding college sports is important.
Section 2 attempts to balance college sports program scholarships with regard to revenue and non-revenue generating sports. It also addresses NIL agreements and that they should be used for the interest of increasing scholarships for non-revenue generating sports.
Section 3 orders the Secretary of Labor and NLRB shall determine and implement the appropriate measures to maximize educational benefits and opportunities provided by higher education institutions through athletics.
Section 4 orders the Attorney General and the Chairman of the FTC to stabilize and preserve college athletics by protecting the rights and interests of student-athletes and the scholarships that support them.
Section 5 orders executive officials to coordinate with the US Olympic and Paralympic Committees to help integrate collegiate sports with their teams.
What It Means
This EO capitalizes on the recent flourishing of college sports thanks to NIL contracts for players. It attempts to balance the income being received in this new market, by making opportunities for non-revenue generating sports. Facially it is actually not as bad as it could be.
Looking Forward
This EO could be a rare good deed by this Administration. The college football league is woefully unregulated when it comes to compensation for players, management of funds, and responsibilities of the schools sponsoring the teams. I personally have some experience in the professional sports industry, and know just how messy these things can get. While I am not thrilled that it is this administration stepping in, government regulation of the college sports leagues are overdue for new regulations.
In the last few months, the amount of EO's coming out of the White House have been declining steadily. During non-Trump administrations, it is rare for EOs to be a weekly occurrence. Due to Trump's love of press events, and the current Administration's frustration with the legal processes of our government, EOs are more common during his terms. That being said, at the current rate they are being signed a weekly report is no longer necessary.
With that, the weekly EO report will be instead a monthly EO report. Any EO's that are of particular note may receive their own article before the monthly report. I will be focusing on administrative, editing, and other forms of contributing in the meantime.
Thank you, to all the loyal EO report fans, all 2 of you, let's pray that some day I will get to write one of these that is actually positive in tone.