1. Monthly archive
  2. January 2025

January 2025

Restoring Freedom Of Speech And Ending Federal Censorship

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, an amendment essential to the success of our Republic, enshrines the right of the American people to speak freely in the public square without Government interference.  Over the last 4 years, the previous administration trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms, often by exerting substantial coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, deplatform, or otherwise suppress speech that the Federal Government did not approve.

Return to In-Person Work

Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.

Regulatory Freeze Pending Review

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order all executive departments and agencies to take the following steps:

Hiring Freeze

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order a freeze on the hiring of Federal civilian employees, to be applied throughout the executive branch.  As part of this freeze, no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law.

Application Of Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act To TikTok

I have the unique constitutional responsibility for the national security of the United States, the conduct of foreign policy, and other vital executive functions.  To fulfill those responsibilities, I intend to consult with my advisors, including the heads of relevant departments and agencies on the national security concerns posed by TikTok, and to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans.

Establishing And Implementing The President’s “Department Of Government Efficiency”

This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity. The United States Digital Service is hereby publicly renamed as the United States DOGE Service (USDS) and shall be established in the Executive Office of the President. There shall be a USDS Administrator established in the Executive Office of the President who shall report to the White House Chief of Staff.

Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing

The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military.

Carr Issues Statement on Designation as Chairman of the FCC by President Trump

I am deeply grateful to President Trump and honored by his decision to designate me as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. I have had the privilege of working at the FCC for over a dozen years now, including serving previously as the agency’s General Counsel, and I am humbled by the opportunity to lead the FCC. The FCC has important work ahead—on issues ranging from tech and media regulation to unleashing new opportunities for jobs and growth through agency actions on spectrum, infrastructure, and the space economy.

Trump’s digital populism takes the stage

As Donald Trump became the 47th president of the United States, there was a jarring contrast hovering over the proceedings—between his populist style, embodied by his flurry of action to save TikTok, and the massive government apparatus of which he took control. The TikTok drama represents the crash of two powerful strains in American public life, a conflict that President Trump has a flair for capitalizing on and even encouraging.

© 1994-2026 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.