Trump signed EO 14238 directing elimination of USAGM, IMLS, and five other congressionally-created agencies
On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14238, "Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy," directing seven congressionally-created federal agencies — including the United States Agency for Global Media (parent of Voice of America), the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the CDFI Fund — to eliminate all non-statutory functions and reduce statutory functions to the legal minimum. Each agency head was required to submit a compliance report to the Office of Management and Budget within seven days, and OMB was directed to reject funding requests inconsistent with the elimination mandate. Courts subsequently ruled that several of the closures exceeded executive authority, as only Congress can abolish agencies established by statute.
Actors
- Donald Trump (President of the United States)
- Office of Management and Budget
On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14238, "Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy," directing seven congressionally-created federal agencies to eliminate all non-statutory functions and reduce their statutory mandates to the minimum required by law. The agencies targeted were: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM — parent of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund), and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Each agency head was required to submit a compliance report to the Office of Management and Budget within seven days confirming elimination of non-statutory functions and identifying any statutory minimums that must continue. OMB was simultaneously directed to reject future funding requests inconsistent with the elimination mandate.
EO 14238 was a sequel to EO 14217 ("Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy," February 19, 2025), which had targeted an earlier tranche of independent agencies. The seven agencies collectively served millions of Americans: IMLS alone funded public libraries handling over 1.3 billion patron visits annually, the CDFI Fund provided capital access to underserved communities, MBDA was the only federal agency dedicated specifically to minority-owned businesses, and USAGM broadcast to an estimated 360 million people weekly in 63 languages in countries with restricted press freedom.
Courts subsequently ruled that aspects of the closure program exceeded executive authority. Because each of the seven agencies was established by Congress through specific authorizing legislation, only Congress has the power to abolish them — a principle rooted in the separation of powers framework the Constitution establishes. The GAO separately found that funding restrictions flowing from this and related orders violated the Impoundment Control Act, which requires the executive to spend funds appropriated by Congress.
Why we recorded this
The Constitution assigns Congress the exclusive power to establish federal agencies and determine their functions; only Congress can abolish what it creates by statute. EO 14238 directed executive officials to eliminate the non-statutory functions of seven congressionally-created agencies and reduce their statutory mandates to the bare legal minimum — effectively shutting down programs Congress had funded and required, without any legislative action. Courts subsequently ruled that aspects of this closure program exceeded executive authority. The archive records this as a concrete instance of the executive branch dismantling congressionally-mandated government capacity by fiat.
Sources
- Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy — White House primary accessed June 28, 2026
- Executive Order 14238 — Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy (90 FR 13043) — Federal Register primary accessed June 28, 2026
- Executive Order Moves to Dismantle Several Small Agencies — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities secondary accessed June 28, 2026
See also
- Trump signed EO 14217, directing elimination of Inter-American Foundation, USADF, USIP, and Presidio Trust
- Trump signed EO 14242 directing closure of the Department of Education, ordering Secretary McMahon to facilitate shutdown
- Trump signs EO 14251 stripping collective bargaining rights from 40+ federal agencies on pretextual national security grounds
- Trump signed EO 14284 requiring political appointees to certify retention of all probationary federal employees
- Trump signed EO 14317 creating unlimited Schedule G political appointee class, bypassing Senate confirmation and SES caps