Presidential Executive Order on a Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch

"EXECUTIVE ORDER- - - - - - -

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR REORGANIZING THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1.  Purpose.  This order is intended to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the executive branch by directing the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Director) to propose a plan to reorganize governmental functions and eliminate unnecessary agencies (as defined in section 551(1) of title 5, United States Code), components of agencies, and agency programs.

Sec. 2.  Proposed Plan to Improve the Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Accountability of Federal Agencies, Including, as Appropriate, to Eliminate or Reorganize Unnecessary or Redundant Federal Agencies.  (a)  Within 180 days of the date of this order, the head of each agency shall submit to the Director a proposed plan to reorganize the agency, if appropriate, in order to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of that agency. 

(b)  The Director shall publish a notice in the Federal Register inviting the public to suggest improvements in the organization and functioning of the executive branch and shall consider the suggestions when formulating the proposed plan described in subsection (c) of this section..."
Reorganizing the Executive Branch

U.S. Census Bureau Honors Women's History Month

"The roots of National Women’s History Month go back to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909, but it was not until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s History Week to be commemorated annually the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women’s History Month, and the president has issued a proclamation..."
Women's History Month

EEOC Launches Online Inquiry and Appointment System for the Public in Five Offices

"The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that five of its offices have launched a new Online Inquiry and Appointment System. The system will allow individuals to electron­ically submit initial inquiries and requests for intake interviews with the agency. Initial inquiries and intake interviews are typically the first steps for individuals seeking to file a charge of discrimination with EEOC.

The EEOC receives about 200,000 inquiries per year through the mail, in person, and by phone. About 90,000 of those inquiries become formal charges of discrimination filed with the agency, making the charge-filing process the agency's most common interaction with the public. This new online system is part of the EEOC's ACT Digital initiative to improve service to the public, streamline the administrative process, and reduce the use of paper submissions and files.

The EEOC launched the new Online Inquiry and Appointment System on March 13 in the following five offices: Charlotte, Chicago, New Orleans, Phoenix and Seattle. People living or working within 100 miles of these EEOC offices will be able to use the online system to submit an inquiry and schedule an intake interview. Individuals can access the Online Inquiry and Appointment System at https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/Portal/ or from EEOC's website at https://www.eeoc.gov/employees/online_inquiry.cfm. The agency plans to evaluate the public's experience with the new system in these five offices prior to a nationwide rollout later this fiscal year..."

EEOC Online Inquiry

Federal Debt and the Statutory Limit, March 2017

"The debt limit—commonly referred to as the debt ceiling—is the maximum amount of debt that the Department of the Treasury can issue to the public and to other federal agencies. That amount is set by law and has been increased over the years in order to finance the government’s operations. Currently, there is no statutory limit on the issuance of new federal debt because the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-74), enacted in November 2015, suspended the debt ceiling through March 15, 2017. On March 16, the limit will be reset to reflect cumulative borrowing through the period of suspension...."
Federal debt

News and Transcript Resources: Fact Sheet

"Searching for news items can sometimes be challenging. Despite the apparent ease of free online resources like Google News, there is a significant amount of news coverage (especially older or fee-based content) that is not freely available online, and which may be difficult to find. Although dozens of databases exist that contain news articles and transcripts, their content is often available only with a paid subscription, and they may be overwhelming to navigate if the user is not familiar with them. In addition, access to subscription news databases in congressional offices varies, depending on the congressional chamber, the individual office, or a committee’s subscription selections.

This fact sheet is designed to assist congressional offices with locating current and recent news articles and transcripts. It contains brief descriptions of Library of Congress (LOC) news resources (available in the Congressional Research Service [CRS’s] and other Library Reading Rooms), selected subscription news resources, broadcast news transcript resources, radio and television news resources, directories for online news sites, and contact information for further assistance. It also includes locations of where subscription databases can be accessed (e.g., House and Senate offices, House and Senate Libraries, CRS La Follette Reading Room); some House and Senate offices or committees may also subscribe to these or other paid databases..."
News and transcript resources

500 Cities: Local data for better health

"The 500 Cities project is a collaboration between CDC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the CDC Foundation. The purpose of the 500 Cities Project is to provide city- and census tract-level small area estimates for chronic disease risk factors, health outcomes, and clinical preventive service use for the largest 500 cities in the United States. These small area estimates will allow cities and local health departments to better understand the burden and geographic distribution of health-related variables in their jurisdictions, and assist them in planning public health interventions. Learn more about the 500 Cities Project...."
Cities health data

Attorney General Sessions Directs Federal Prosecutors to Target Most Significant Violent Offenders

"Attorney General Jeff Sessions today directed federal prosecutors nationwide to engage in a focused effort to investigate, prosecute and deter the most violent offenders. 

This builds on the announcement last week of the creation of the U.S. Department of Justice Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety, which is central to the Attorney General’s commitment to combatting illegal immigration and violent crime, such as drug trafficking, gang violence and gun crimes, and to restoring public safety to all of the nation’s communities.

“Turning back our nation’s recent rise in violent crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice, and it requires decisive action from our federal prosecutors,” said Attorney General Sessions.  “I’m urging each of them to continue working closely with their counterparts at all levels, and to use every tool we have to put violent offenders behind bars and keep our citizens safe.”

In a memo to federal prosecutors in the department’s 94 United States Attorney’s Offices, the Attorney General made clear that prosecuting violent criminals is a high priority and prosecutors should work closely with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners to target the most violent offenders in each district.  Working together, law enforcement at every level should determine which venue – federal or state – would best get those identified immediately off our streets and punished appropriately for their crimes. .."
Violent offenders

Statement by Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly on Southwest Border Security

"Today, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is releasing illegal border crossing data through the month of February and the numbers show an unprecedented decline in traffic. From January to February, the flow of illegal border crossings as measured by apprehensions and the prevention of inadmissible persons at our southern border dropped by 40 percent.

The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends. Since the Administration’s implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years. This change in the trend line is especially significant because CBP historically sees a 10-20 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February.  Instead, this year we saw a drop from 31,578 to 18,762 persons - a 40 percent decline..."
Southwest border security

Fact Sheet: Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry To The United States

"The Executive Order signed on March 6, 2017, allows for the proper review and establishment of standards to prevent terrorist or criminal infiltration by foreign nationals. The United States has the world’s most generous immigration system, yet it has been repeatedly exploited by terrorists and other malicious actors who seek to do us harm. In order to ensure that the U.S. Government can conduct a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the national security risks posed from our immigration system, the Executive Order imposes a 90-day suspension of entry to the United States of nationals of certain designated countries—countries that were designated by Congress and the Obama Administration as posing national security risks with respect to visa-free travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.

The U.S. Government must ensure that those entering this country will not harm the American people after entering, and that they do not bear malicious intent toward the United States and its people. The Executive Order, together with the Presidential Memorandum, protects the United States from countries compromised by terrorism and ensures a more rigorous vetting process. This Executive Order ensures that we have a functional immigration system that safeguards our national security.

This Executive Order, as well as EO 13767 and EO 13768, provide the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with additional resources, tools, and personnel to carry out the critical work of securing our borders, enforcing the immigration laws of our Nation, and ensuring that individuals from certain designated countries who pose a threat to national security or public safety cannot enter or remain in our country.  Protecting the American people is the highest priority of our government and this Department..."
Foreign terrorist entry

Q&A: Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry To The United States

"Q1. Who is subject to the suspension of entry under the Executive Order?
Per the Executive Order, foreign nationals from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, who are outside the United States and who did not have a valid visa at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 27, 2017, and do not have a valid visa on the effective date of this order are not eligible to enter the United States while the temporary suspension remains in effect. Thus any individual who had a valid visa either on January 27, 2017 (prior to 5:00 PM) or holds a valid visa on the effective date of the Executive Order is not barred from seeking entry...."
Foreign terrorist and safety

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016

"Promoting human rights and democratic governance is a core element of U.S. foreign policy. These values form an essential foundation of stable, secure, and functioning societies. Standing up for human rights and democracy is not just a moral imperative but is in the best interests of the United States in making the world more stable and secure. The 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (The Human Rights Reports) demonstrate the United States’ unwavering commitment to advancing liberty, human dignity, and global prosperity.

This year marks the 41st year the Department of State has produced annual Human Rights Reports. The United States Congress mandated these reports to provide policymakers with a holistic and accurate accounting of human rights conditions in nearly 200 countries and territories worldwide, including all member states of the United Nations and any country receiving U.S. foreign assistance. The reports cover internationally recognized individual civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments..."
Human Rights Report

Ground Water Awareness Week

"Much of the water we use comes from the ground. Learn more about ground water, the threats to its safety, and how to protect its sources during Ground Water Awareness Week.

Clean water is one of the world's most precious resources. People use water every day for many activities, such as drinking, bathing, recreation, agriculture, cooling, manufacturing, and medical uses. Although water plays an essential role in everyone's life, many people don’t realize that much of their water comes from the ground.

National Ground Water Awareness Week, an annual observance sponsored by the National Ground Water Association (NGWA), is March 5–11, 2017. This observance highlights how important ground water is to people’s health and the environment..."
Ground water

Loud Noises Damage Hearing

"Loud noises can cause permanent hearing loss. And once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. Hearing loss is costly. The cost for the first year of hearing loss treatment in older adults is projected to increase more than 500% from $8 billion in 2002 to an estimated $51 billion in 2030. Hearing loss from loud noise can be prevented. About 70% of people exposed to loud noise never or seldom wear hearing protection.

CDC supports the World Health Organization's World Hearing Day, an annual event held on March 3rd. World Hearing Day was designated at the First International Conference on Prevention and Rehabilitation of Hearing Impairment in Beijing, China in 2007. The day aims to raise awareness and promote ear and hearing care across the world..."
Noise and hearing

Put Your Best Fork Forward!

"Eat more fruits and vegetables.

March is National Nutrition Month and this year's theme is "Put Your Best Fork Forward!" Part of leading a healthy life means eating a healthy diet and being physically active.

A recent CDC study highlights when, where, and how U.S. adults and children are eating a healthy diet. Those who are not getting enough fruits and veggies can take small steps towards meeting recommended amounts, including adding more fruit to your usual breakfast routine or adding vegetables to your meals..."
Nutrition

Spending on Infrastructure and Investment

"he federal government spends hundreds of billions of dollars every year on infrastructure and other investments, either directly or through grants to state and local governments. During testimony that CBO’s Director gave at the beginning of February on the outlook for the federal budget and the economy, some Members of Congress asked about issues related to infrastructure and investment. Because answers during Congressional hearings need to be brief, this blog post provides additional information about those issues and highlights some of CBO’s related work..."
Infrastucture spending