DOJ Accelerates Implementation of Trump's 2025 'English Only' Executive Order for Government Agencies

DOJ Accelerates Implementation of Trump’s 2025 ‘English Only’ Executive Order for Government Agencies Win McNamee/Getty Images The Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued guidelines requiring all agencies to conduct business only in English. The new guidelines direct that “Agencies should strive to operate solely in English,” according to the Washington Sun. The directive was issued to fulfill Trump’s executive order issued last year that declared English as the official language of the country, reversing a old policy forcing the federal government to employ a list of other languages to widen access for those who are not proficient in English. RELATED VIDEO — Transportation Sec. Duffy: We’re Shutting Down 110 Trucking Schools Certifying Non-English Speakers: President Bill Clinton issued his Executive Order 13166 in the year 2000 that required the federal government to provide information in multiple languages for people with limited proficiency in English. But in 2025, President Trump overruled Clinton’s order and with his own Executive Order 14224, he ordered that English was the official language of the federal government and ordered all business to be done in English. The order does not prevent federal agencies from offering information in other languages. But the new guidance notes that from now on, government materials should be issued only in English, including official correspondence, regulations, public notices and announcements, forms and applications, websites, outreach and educational materials, internal government communications, and artificial intelligence tools. Some federal agencies had already begun to implement Trump’s 2025 order, but the DOJ directive will accelerate that process. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, for one, had already begun transitioning to English several months ago. WATCH: Wow! Ungrateful Non-English Speaker Who’s Resided in the U.S. Since 1989 Demands Amnesty: For instance, this week the General Services Administration ended support for the Spanish translation for USA.gov and the page now redirects to the English version of the site. The Spanish version launched in 2003, during the George W. Bush administration. There are some government services that are required by law to be delivered in multiple languages. Neither Trump’s Executive Order nor the DOJ directive will impact those requirements. However, there is no overarching law requiring all government services to be issued in multiple languages. “States and other entities that receive federal funds are covered by the nondiscrimination provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which has been interpreted by DOJ and federal courts to require language access,” civil rights attorney Michael Mulé told the Washington Sun. Voters have been called to offer their opinions on English-only ballot measures in several states. According to Ballotpedia, 13 states have offered English-only ballot measures and all but one approved the idea. The one exception is Idaho’s ballot measure because it has not yet come to a conclusion. Those states are California, Nebraska, Hawaii, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Alabama, Alaska, Utah, Arizona, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Follow Warner Todd Huston Facebook at: Facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston, or at X/Twitter @WTHuston