This presidential memorandum addresses a backlog of security clearances for Executive Office of the President personnel.
It directs the White House Counsel to immediately grant interim Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearances to specified individuals for up to six months, granting them access to necessary facilities and technology.
The White House Counsel also has the authority to add to or revoke clearances from this list.
Arguments For
- Intended benefits: Expedites the onboarding of qualified personnel, enabling them to perform critical duties and preventing delays in the functioning of the Executive Office.
- Evidence cited: The memorandum cites a backlog of security clearances created by the prior administration, obstructing the ability of hired personnel to work.
- Implementation methods: The White House Counsel is directed to provide a list of personnel for immediate interim TS/SCI clearance, and to supplement the list as needed (with the authority to revoke clearances as necessary).
- Legal/historical basis: The President's authority is based on the Constitution and laws of the United States.
Arguments Against
- Potential impacts: Granting interim clearances might have increased security risks compared to a thorough vetting process. The six-month limit may prove insufficient, extending the complexity and time constraints of the problem.
- Implementation challenges: The White House Counsel has significant responsibility to manage and update the list of personnel with interim clearances. This process could place great demands on resources and prove susceptible to mistakes.
- Alternative approaches: More investment in the security clearance process, including hiring more personnel or streamlining the existing system, may be more sustainable solutions in the long term.
- Unintended effects: The expedited process might inadvertently overlook potential security risks in personnel selections, increasing potential threats.
January 20, 2025
MEMORANDUM TO THE WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL
SUBJECT: Memorandum to Resolve the Backlog of Security
Clearances for Executive Office of the President
Personnel
The Executive Office of the President requires qualified and trusted personnel to execute its mandate on behalf of the American people. There is a backlog created by the Biden Administration in the processing of security clearances of individuals hired to work in the Executive Office of the President. Because of this backlog and the bureaucratic process and broken security clearance process, individuals who have not timely received the appropriate clearances are ineligible for access to the White House complex, infrastructure, and technology and are therefore unable to perform the duties for which they were hired. This is unacceptable.
This section establishes the context for the memorandum.
It highlights the importance of qualified personnel within the Executive Office and points to a backlog of security clearances under the previous administration as a reason for delays in onboarding personnel.
The inability of these employees to access necessary facilities and technology is presented as an unacceptable problem requiring immediate action.
Therefore, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order:
The White House Counsel to provide the White House Security Office and Acting Chief Security Officer with a list of personnel that are hereby immediately granted interim Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearances for a period not to exceed six months; and
The White House Counsel, as my designee, may supplement this list as necessary; and
The White House Counsel, as my designee, shall have the authority to revoke the interim clearance of any individual as necessary.
This section outlines the President's orders.
The White House Counsel is tasked with providing a list of personnel to receive temporary Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearances for a maximum of six months.
These individuals will gain immediate access to required facilities and technology.
The White House Counsel has the authority to update the list and to revoke interim clearances.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
This concluding section is a standard legal disclaimer.
It states that the memorandum does not create any legally enforceable rights for any party against the United States government or its representatives.
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