- The White House said that President Donald Trump is slated to sign an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States. The order could impact documents and services offered by federal agencies and those receiving federal funds.
- The Trump administration said it will allow government agencies and organizations that get federal dollars to choose whether or not to offer documents or services in languages other than English.
- The executive order would repeal a Clinton-era mandate, which requires the government and organizations receiving federal funding to offer language assistance to non-English speakers.
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The White House said on Friday, Feb. 28, that President Donald Trump is slated to sign an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States.
What will the order do?
The order could impact documents and services offered by federal agencies, and those receiving federal funds.
The Trump administration said it will allow government agencies and organizations that get federal dollars to choose whether or not to offer documents and services in languages other than English.
What does it change?
The executive order would repeal a Clinton-era mandate requiring the government and organizations receiving federal funding to offer language assistance to non-English speakers.
The White House said hundreds of languages are spoken across the United States, but notes English is the most widely used.
More than 30 states reportedly have passed laws establishing English as their official language.
What does the move follow?
The executive order follows the administration’s removal of the Spanish-language version of the White House website within hours of Trump’s inauguration.
What are Hispanic advocacy groups saying?
Hispanic advocacy groups came out against the change, expressing frustration with the administration.
The president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, Frankie Miranda, told PBS at the time, “If the White House is seriously interested in engaging with Latinos, the second largest group in this country, then they need to make sure that updates can be distributed in Spanish, a preferred language for millions in our community.”
The White House has promised to bring the Spanish-language version back online, but as of Friday, Feb. 28, it remains unchanged.
Trump also removed the Spanish version of the website during his first term, but former President Joe Biden restored it shortly after his inauguration.
How many people speak languages other than English in the US?
The expected order comes as the number of individuals in the United States who spoke a language other than English tripled from 1980 to 2019, growing from 23.1 million people to 67.8 million people, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report.
The findings also revealed that English speakers grew too, going from 187.2 million in 1980 to 241 million in 2019.
