Monthly EO Report - August 2025
by KafkaEsquire
Executive Order Monthly Report - August
This report is only a summary and editorial regarding the executive orders (“EOs”) signed by the Trump Administration during the last month. 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.
Unlike previous reports, I am going to be keeping these summaries shorter. The goal will be to give you an easy access to the EO’s and a general understanding of what is contained within. Important or especially impactful EO’s will likely have a longer summary.
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 14323 - Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government
Signed: July 30, 2025
Published: August 5, 2025
Summary: The Trump administration believes that the Brazilian government’s actions constitute an emergency to the United States such that he should use his powers under the IEEPA and National Emergency Act to impose tariffs on imports from Brazil. The first issue identified is the recent Brazilian supreme court ruling that holds social media platforms accountable for their user’s posts. Somehow, this ruling in Brazil, on the actions of companies in Brazil, is an attack on the American people. The second issue is that the Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, allegedly abused their judicial authority in various ways. While the allegations seem severe, more likely this attack is due to his role in the investigation and conviction of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and enforcement of Brazilian laws against US corporations. The EO then takes a few paragraphs to spread misinformation about Jair Bolsanaro’s defeat in 20222, and described the Brazilian government’s actions as contributing “to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Brazil.”
For Brazil’s crime of enforcing it’s laws, Trump has imposed a 40% tariff on imports detailed in a 30 page list. They range from Brazil nuts to airplane parts.
Executive Order 14324 - Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries
Signed: July 30, 2025
Published: August 5, 2025
Summary: After going through a long and boring history of the tariffs that Trump has imposed and suspended related to duty-free de minimus shipments (imports of under $800 traditionally not paying any taxes or import fees), the EO states that it is necessary to again adjust the tariff rate of de minimus items.
The rate now to be imposed is as follows:
- Countries with an effective IEEPA tariff rate of less than 16% is to pay $80 per item;
- Countries with an effective IEEPA tariff rate between 16% and 25% is to pay $160 per item;
- Countries with an effective IEEPA tariff rate above 25% is to pay $200 per item.
Signed: July 31, 2025
Published: August 6, 2025
Summary: After a history of the tariffs that Trump has imposed and suspended on Canada due to the “flood of fentanyl” coming across America’s northern border, the EO raises the 25% tariff on Canadian imports to 35%. This is despite less than .1% of the fentanyl coming to America arrives via Canada, according to the US CBP.
Executive Order 14326 - Further Modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates
Signed: July 31, 2025
Published: August 6, 2025
Summary: After yet another history of the tariffs that Trump imposed globally, the EO states that it is adjusting the tariff schedule announced in April, earlier this year. The thirty page schedule adjusts almost all tariffs up by at least 5% with the exception of England and the few other trading partners with the US that have “signed a trade deal” with the Trump administration.
Signed: July 31, 2025
Published: August 6, 2025
Summary: The act establishes a new presidential Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition to advise on how best to encourage healthier children and strengthen the nation's economy, military readiness, academic performance, and national morale. It also reinstated the President’s Fitness Award. Unsurprisingly, it is bereft of any mention of Michelle Obama’s similar program that she was attacked for.
Executive Order 14328 - Establishing the White House Task Force on the 2028 Summer Olympics
Signed: August 5, 2025
Published: August 8, 2025
Summary: This EO is pretty straightforward and establishes a task force for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Signed: August 6, 2025
Published: August 11, 2025
Summary: In a surprise to many, this EO imposes a 25% tariff on Russian goods entering the US. This is based on Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine. It is notable that this justification is very vague and lacks the detail that one might find in EOs regarding the EU or Brazil.
Executive Order 14330 - Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors
Signed: August 7, 2025
Published: August 12, 2025
Summary: This EO, fruitlessly, attempts to relieve regulation around the management of employee retirement and welfare plans. These plans are some of the most heavily regulated areas of the market, and this EO has resulted only in the repeal of some Biden era guidance, and no real change in the duties of those regulating retirement plans.
Executive Order 14331 - Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans
Signed: August 7, 2025
Published: August 12, 2025
Summary: This EO attempts to prevent “politicized or unlawful debanking” or when a financial institution refuses to provide services to a customer based on their political or religious beliefs. With regard to religious beliefs, such protections already exist. This is likely targeted at institutions taking actions against people like Nick Fuentes or Ye. It is unlikely to actually result in any changes, as such “debanking”, even if political, is not inherently unlawful.
Executive Order 14332 - Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking
Signed: August 7, 2025
Published: August 12, 2025
Summary: This EO is a bit of a throwback to when DOGE was firing on all cylinders. Similar to the DOGE EOs, this creates a new office in each relevant agency. This new official is to review and approve the grants being issued by the federal government. This is because the Administration believes that the grants being issued by the government have little oversight and have been used to fund DEI, Marxism, class warfare, anti-American ideologies, developing Covid-19, censorship tools, and supporting illegal immigrants. These assertions are intentionally vague and phrased in the most hyperbolic fashion to ensure support by the MAGA base. In reality the federal grant issuing process is both intensive and highly regulated. Only a person with no actual experience in seeking, writing for, or issuing grants would come to these conclusions.
Also of note, the new official being installed will now have the ability to veto any discretionary awards. This means that should awards be given outside of a legislative mandate for a specific purpose (a disaster recovery grant for instance is not a discretionary grant, where a research or education grant might be), the White House has a direct lever for controlling who receives that money. This, without a doubt, will be another route for corruption and grift to personally enrich the President.
Executive Order 14333 - Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia
Signed: August 11, 2025
Published: August 14, 2025
Summary: The EO declares that the crime in DC is out of control such that it has reached a state of emergency. Under the Home Rule Act, an emergency has been declared and the DC Police have been federalized. This provides the White House direct control of law enforcement within the capital. Under the law, this is not supposed to last beyond 30 days, and looks to be coming to a close. What is not ending is the occupation of the capital by 2,000 National Guard whose deployment has been extended to November 30th, 2025. It’s unclear if the Administration’s actions have had any real effect on crime, other than a possible short term reduction. What is clear is that a break in social trust has pervaded not only DC, but the many cities around the country now wondering if occupation is next for them.
Signed: August 13, 2025
Published: August 19, 2025
Summary: After another lengthy history of the tariff war since April, Trump saves international economic Armageddon by yet again delaying the tariffs imposed on China from being enforced. We now have until November 10th, 2025 for China to finally pick up the phone.
Executive Order 14335 - Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry
Signed: August 13, 2025
Published: August 19, 2025
Summary: This EO joins a collection of previous EOs targeting environmental regulations for a specific industry in mind. This time it orders the Executive Branch to find ways to expedite environmental reviews and ways around environmental regulations that might hinder the space industry’s development.
Signed: August 13, 2025
Published: August 19, 2025
Summary: This EO creates a requirement that the US maintain a 6 month supply of the resources needed for the production of 26 critical and 86 essential medicines. While on its face is a potentially a good idea, it's not clear how these stockpiles will be maintained, distributed, or even benefit the American people. Based on previous management of medical stockpiles by this Administration, it is hard to be optimistic.
Executive Order 14337 - Revocation of Executive Order on Competition
Signed: August 13, 2025
Published: August 19, 2025
Summary: This EO revokes EO 14036 (Promoting Competition in the American Economy). This revoked EO was focused on supporting anti-trust efforts and preventing anti-competitive behavior in the market before it rose to the level of breaking the law. This is one of Trump’s shortest EOs, about half a page, containing no explanation for the EO, nor any kind of replacement. There’s no other explanation of the EO other than this Administration’s apathy, or worse, towards monopolies, anti-trust behavior, and the abuse of the market by powerful corporations.
Executive Order 14338 - Improving Our Nation Through Better Design
Signed: August 21, 2025
Published: August 26, 2025
Summary: This EO orders that the US government update its websites and physical sites that have a major impact on American’s everyday lives to be prettier and more efficient. While facially a good idea, there’s little to actually show what the intent of this EO is. These kinds of design choices are already planned and supported by the federal government. Likely, this will create very Trump coded theming to the various places that the public interacts with the government.
Signed: August 25, 2025
Published: August 28, 2025
Summary: This EO supports EO 14333 ordering various departments to take actions to assist with law enforcement. Notably it orders the Secretary of Defense to begin training, manning, hiring, and equipping a specialized unit within the DC National Guard dedicated to ensure public safety in DC. It then orders for the Secretary of Defense to do the same for each state’s national guard with the intent of preparing them to coordinate with Federal, State, and local law enforcement in quelling civil disturbances and ensuring public safety. If such forces are used this way in the states, it would almost certainly be illegal under the Posse Cometatus Act.
Signed: August 25, 2025
Published: August 28, 2025
Summary: This EO ends cashless bail in DC. It claims that this practice only encourages crime and is an abdication of the government’s duty in protecting the public. This is in stark contrast to the well supported studies showing that cashless bail both does not lead to a significant increase in crime and does save a massive amount of money for the government. This is a clear signal to the “law and order” image that republicans and MAGA try to cultivate, while not actually addressing or respecting either.
Executive Order 14341 - Prosecuting Burning of the American Flag
Signed: August 25, 2025
Published: August 25, 2025
Summary: In a direct attack on 1st amendment rights, the Administration declares that the American flag shall be protected, and will try to prosecute anyone who burns one. It acknowledges that this is currency legal, but goes on to say that they will try to push for a ruling that the burning of an American flag should constitute “fighting words” and thus be a crime. While attacking 1st amendment rights is not new for this Administration, this is one of the most naked and shameless attempts at doing so.
Executive Order 14342 - Taking Steps To End Cashless Bail To Protect Americans
Signed: August 25, 2025
Published: August 28, 2025
Summary: Mirroring EO 14340, this EO orders that any jurisdiction practicing cashless bail be withheld federal funding, in order to end the practice nationally. Whether such impoundment is even possible, is questionable, but continues the practice of causing suffering for the sake of suffering.