Finance Directives

Addressing Addiction through the Great American Recovery Initiative

This Presidential Action establishes the White House Great American Recovery Initiative (Initiative) to elevate and coordinate the national response to the addiction crisis, which affects 16.8 percent of the population and costs the United States hundreds of billions annually.

The Initiative will be co-chaired by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery, comprising numerous cabinet-level officials and agency heads.

Its goals include coordinating federal programs, increasing public awareness of addiction as a chronic disease, advising agencies on integrating prevention, treatment, and recovery support across various systems (healthcare, criminal justice, housing), and consulting with state and community partners to advance a national effort toward recovery.

Addressing State and Local Failures to Rebuild Los Angeles After Wildfire Disasters

This Presidential Action asserts that state and local governments in California failed to manage the aftermath of devastating Los Angeles wildfires, causing significant delays in rebuilding despite extensive federal debris removal and financial aid allocation.

The order mandates immediate and decisive federal action to circumvent these perceived state and local bureaucratic obstacles, primarily directing the Secretary of Homeland Security (via FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to consider regulations that preempt local permitting processes and replace them with federal self-certification requirements for builders, all while expediting federal reviews under environmental and preservation laws and requiring accountability audits of prior federal grant usage.

Stopping Wall Street from Competing with Main Street Homebuyers

This Presidential Action, issued under the authority vested in the President, aims to stop large Wall Street institutional investors from outcompeting American families for single-family homes, citing high inflation and interest rates as barriers to the American dream of homeownership.

The order directs several federal agencies, including the Departments of the Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs, to issue guidance preventing the facilitated purchase or disposal of single-family homes to large institutional investors, promoting sales instead to owner-occupants.

Furthermore, it mandates reviews for anti-competitive effects in local markets and calls for legislative recommendations to codify this policy permanently.

Safeguarding Venezuelan Oil Revenue for the Good of the American and Venezuelan People

This Presidential Action, issued under the authority granted by IEEPA and the NEA, declares a national emergency to safeguard "Foreign Government Deposit Funds" held by the U.S. Treasury on behalf of the Government of Venezuela from attachment or other judicial processes.

The President finds that allowing such process would materially harm U.S. national security and foreign policy by interfering with stability efforts in Venezuela and stemming threats like illegal immigration and narcotics flow.

The order directs the Secretary of the Treasury to hold these funds solely in a custodial capacity, under the direction of the Secretary of State, for public or diplomatic purposes, expressly overriding any previous executive orders affecting these specific funds.

Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting

Published: Wed 7th Jan 26

This Presidential Action, issued by the authority vested in the President, aims to revitalize the defense industrial base by compelling major defense contractors to prioritize warfighter capability and readiness over investor returns.

The action immediately prohibits underperforming contractors from issuing stock buybacks or dividends until they meet required standards for timely and quality production.

It directs the Secretary of War to review and identify non-compliant contractors, mandate remediation plans, enforce stricter contract provisions regarding executive compensation and production metrics, and consult on trade advocacy consequences, while also prompting the SEC to review stock buyback regulations.

To Implement the United States-Israel Agreenent on Trade in Agricultural Products and for Other Purposes

This Presidential Action modifies the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) primarily to extend, through December 31, 2026, the duty-free access for specified quantities of certain agricultural products from Israel, consistent with the ongoing United States-Israel Free Trade Area (USIFTA) agreements.

The proclamation also enacts critical technical modifications, rectifying errors found in implementation notices for the USIFTA, the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USSFTA), and the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (USKFTA), alongside updating cross-references affected by recent reciprocal tariff orders related to the European Union.

Protecting American Investors from Foreign-Owned and Politically-Motivated Proxy Advisors

This Presidential Action directs multiple federal agencies to increase oversight, transparency, and competition within the proxy advisor industry, which is dominated by two foreign-owned firms, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co.

The order specifically mandates that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) review and potentially revise rules related to proxy advice and shareholder proposals, focusing on eliminating advice based on non-pecuniary factors like DEI and ESG. Furthermore, it tasks the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with investigating antitrust concerns and requires the Department of Labor to strengthen fiduciary standards under ERISA to ensure proxy advice serves the sole financial interest of retirement plan participants.

Nominations Sent to the Senate

This document is a bulletin from the White House announcing several recent presidential nominations sent to the Senate for confirmation, including individuals designated for leadership positions within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB), and multiple appointments for United States District Judgeships in Arkansas, Texas, and Alaska.