Trump to Direct Cuts to Federal Advisory Committees

On February 19, President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order aimed at the reduction or elimination of federal advisory committees.

This order will abolish “unnecessary government entities and federal advisory committees,” or mandate them to minimize their activities and expenses to the bare minimum prescribed by law.

According to a fact sheet shared with The Epoch Times by a White House official, its purpose is to further shrink the size of the Federal Government to improve accountability, cut waste, and encourage innovation.

The order also mandates that a list of “additional unnecessary government entities and advisory committees” be provided to the president by his administration within a 30-day timeframe.

Trump is anticipated to sign the order onboard Air Force One on Wednesday night, aiming to constrain the number of agencies and advisory committees to a statutory minimum.

The order identifies 12 federal advisory committees targeted for termination or reduction: the Presidio Trust, Inter-American Foundation, U.S. African Development Foundation, Federal Executive Boards, Presidential Management Fellows Program, United States Institute for Peace, Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid, Academic Research Council, Community Bank Advisory Council, Credit Union Advisory Council, Health Equity Advisory Committee, and Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Long COVID.

The White House examined the Presidio Trust, responsible for managing significant areas of the Presidio National Park in San Francisco, which is located in the district of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The U.S. African Development Foundation, known for its investments in grassroots African enterprises, was identified as contrary to the president’s “America First” funding agenda.

The administration criticized the Institute for Peace as a “highly-partisan and wasteful entity,” pointing out that its employees have exclusively donated to the Democratic Party.

Several targeted committees, including the Academic Research Council, the Community Bank Advisory Council, and the Credit Union Advisory Council, are linked to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Trump is anticipated to emphasize his goal of restoring “efficiency and accountability in the federal government,” as per White House officials. This order represents ongoing efforts to streamline the federal government and curtail spending and debt, including the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The fact sheet indicates that DOGE’s initiatives to eliminate governmental entities and federal advisory committees “will save taxpayer dollars, curtail unnecessary government spending, and streamline governmental priorities.”

Numerous Democratic lawmakers have accused DOGE and its director, Elon Musk, of instigating a constitutional crisis through their proposals to eliminate appropriations or entire agencies managed by Congress. As an advisory commission, DOGE was instituted by the executive branch and operates under its jurisdiction.