Feb. 21 Federal Update: Social Current Publishes Executive Order Tracker 

Social Current has published an executive order tracker to assist in navigating the executive orders issued by President Trump. The tracker briefly reviews key executive orders and memoranda signed by President Trump and actions his administration is directed to take.  

U.S. Committee on Oversight Holds a Hearing on Welfare Programs  

The U.S. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on Feb. 11 to discuss social safety net programs, including nutrition, housing, and health care assistance. Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and Michael Linden, the senior policy fellow for the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, emphasized the programs’ substantial impact on improving families’ quality of life. 

Robert Rector, the senior research fellow for the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Health and Welfare, warned of the potential of welfare programs to disincentivize marriage and encouraged strengthening work requirements. Patrice Onwuka, the director of the Independent Women’s Forum’s Center for Economic Opportunity, spoke about the cost of the programs and recommended reforming eligibility and participation. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Feb. 13 after the Senate voted in favor of his confirmation, largely along party lines, as 52 Republican senators voted in favor.  

During the swearing-in ceremony, President Trump stressed Kennedy’s commitment to rebuilding trust in America’s public health system through transparency. President Trump also spoke of his Make America Healthy Again Commission, which will be chaired by Kennedy and investigate the rise of chronic illnesses among youth.  

In addition to transparency, Kennedy emphasized returning “gold-standard science” to the National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and “ending the corruption, … getting rid of the people on those panels that have conflicts of interest.”

Brooke Rollins Confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture 

Brooke Rollins was sworn in as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture on Feb. 13 after the Senate voted in favor of her confirmation, with 72 senators voting in favor. Following her confirmation, Rollins issued a statement expressing her firm commitment to American farmers, ranchers, and the agriculture community. 

President Trump Signs Executive Order to Establish the Make America Healthy Again Commission  

On Feb. 13, President Trump signed an executive order to establish the Make America Healthy Again Commission. The commission was created to address critical health challenges, including rising rates of mental health disorders, obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. The order mandates increased research, transparency of findings, and flexibility for health insurance coverage to provide benefits supporting disease prevention. The commission’s focus will initially center on understanding and addressing the childhood chronic disease crisis. 

President Trump Signs Executive Order to End COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools 

On Feb. 15, President Trump signed an executive order that maintains discretionary Federal funds shouldn’t be directed toward any educational agency or school, including institutions of higher education, that requires  COVID-19 vaccination for students to attend any in-person education program. 

The order also directs the Secretary of Education to issue guidelines to educational agencies and schools regarding their legal obligations to parental authority, religious freedom, disability accommodations, and equal protection under the law and their impact on coercive COVID-19 school mandates. 

U.S. Department of Education Releases a Dear Colleague Letter Directing Schools to End Racial Preferences 

The U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter on Feb. 15 to notify educational institutions receiving federal funds that they must stop using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor for, but not limited to: 

• Admissions  
• Hiring, promotion, and compensation 
• Scholarships and prizes 
• Administrative support 
• Sanctions and discipline  

The letter stated that institutions that fail to comply risk being investigated and losing federal funding. The Department of Education will begin assessing compliance with the directive no later than March 1.  

Sector Updates from the Judiciary  

Executive Order Restricting Access to Gender Affirming Care Temporarily Blocked  
Two federal courts, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, temporarily blocked an executive order restricting gender affirming care for transgender individuals younger than age 19. The temporary restraining order was issued on Feb. 13 and will remain in place nationally until the 27 unless extended. While the orders are in place, medical institutions cannot have federal funding revoked.  

DEI Executive Orders Temporarily Blocked 
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a partial, nationwide preliminary injunction for two executive orders: “Ending Radical Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” The court determined that the order is too vague to be enforced as they fail to define key terms, including “DEI” and “equity-related.”   

The court ruled that the Trump administration is not allowed to terminate “equity-related” grants or contracts. The language of the executive orders is too vague for recipients of government grants to know how to bring their grants into compliance. Without clear reasoning or guidelines, the termination of grants may be arbitrary and discriminatory. 

The administration also cannot require federal contractors and grant recipients to certify that they do not engage in any “equity-related” programs. 

U.S. Appeals Court Continues to Pause SAVE Program for Student Loans 
The Eight Circuit Court of Appeals returned a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan to the district court. Payments will remain frozen as litigation continues.  

The SAVE Program allows borrowers to enroll in income-driven repayment plans that lower their monthly federal student loan bills. The rule also cancels loans after 10 years of payments for those who borrowed $12,000 or less, increasing by 1 year for every additional $1,000 of the borrower’s original balance. Approximately 7.5 million borrowers have enrolled in the SAVE program. 

The lawsuit was brought by a coalition of several Republican states: Missouri, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, Ohio, and Oklahoma. The states maintained that the U.S. Department of Education and former President Joe Biden lacked the authority to pursue a student debt relief program designed to lower monthly payments and accelerate loan forgiveness. 

The Eight Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the U.S. Department of Education exceeded its authority. They maintained the Higher Education Act provision that allows for income-based loan repayment plans to adopt debt forgiveness cannot be transferred to the scale provided by President Biden’s SAVE Plan. The court asserted that the text of the Higher Education Act does not align with the SAVE Plan and Congress’ explicit terms for creating repayment plans. 

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