What is the purpose of the Executive Order 13988?
Asked by: Cindy Reinger IV | Last update: April 4, 2026Score: 4.1/5 (60 votes)
Executive Order 13988, signed by President Biden in January 2021, aimed to prevent and combat discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation by directing federal agencies to interpret existing sex discrimination prohibitions in laws like Title VII (Civil Rights Act) and Title IX (Education Amendments) to include sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protections in areas like employment, education, housing, and healthcare. It built on the Supreme Court's Bostock decision, applying its reasoning to broader federal law to ensure LGBTQ+ individuals are treated with dignity and have equal access to opportunities.
What does Executive Order 13988 do?
Executive Order 13988, officially titled Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation, was the fourth executive order signed by U.S. President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021.
What was the main purpose of the executive order?
“Executive Orders (EOs) are official documents … through which the President of the United States manages the operations of the Federal Government.” The directives cite the President's authority under the Constitution and statute (sometimes specified).
What did Executive Order 13986 do?
Executive Order 13986 requires non-citizens to be counted in the 2020 census, both for the purposes of enumeration and determining congressional apportionment.
What was the significance of Executive Order 13985?
On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 13985, mandating all federal agencies ensure their missions advance racial equity and support for underserved communities. The State Department established an Agency Equity Team in response to this executive action.
Executive Order 13988 | January 20th, 2021
Is Executive Order 13985 still in effect?
It was rescinded by Donald Trump within hours of his assuming office on January 20, 2025.
Who benefits most from DEI?
While Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives aim to help all underrepresented groups, studies suggest white women have been the primary beneficiaries, gaining significant access to leadership roles (C-Suite), education, and affirmative action benefits, often outperforming women of color in these areas. However, DEI also benefits organizations by boosting innovation, profitability, and talent pools, and it has expanded opportunities for various racial and ethnic groups, including Black individuals in higher education.
Can a president's executive order be overturned?
Presidential executive orders, once issued, remain in force until they are canceled, revoked, adjudicated unlawful, or expire on their terms. At any time, the president may revoke, modify or make exceptions from any executive order, whether the order was made by the current president or a predecessor.
What did executive order 13658 do?
Executive Order (E.O.) 13658 established minimum wages for certain workers at $10.10 per hour. The E.O.
What happens every 10 years with the census?
The U.S. census counts each resident of the country, where they live on April 1, every ten years ending in zero. The Constitution mandates the enumeration to determine how to apportion the House of Representatives among the states.
Can a judge overrule an executive order?
In these cases, courts must determine whether the president has exercised legislative power belonging only to Congress. Courts may strike down executive orders not only on the grounds that the president lacked authority to issue them but also in cases where the order is found to be unconstitutional in substance.
Can a president do anything with an executive order?
The President can issue rules, regulations, and instructions (called executive orders), which have the binding force of law upon federal agencies but do not require approval of the United States Congress. Executive orders are subject to judicial review and interpretation.
What does executive order 13989 do?
The order aims to ensure that those in the Executive Branch will not accept bribes from lobbyists, engage in activities with a former employer, communicate with outsiders about the work they do, accept money from a former employer, and that they make hirings based on a person's qualifications, with the goal of ...
How many genders are accepted in the USA?
It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.
What is the regret rate for transition?
Among those who underwent gonadectomy, rates of regret, as ascertain from retrospective review of documentation in medical charts, were only 0.3% for transgender men and 0.6% for transgender women, with an average time to regret of approximately 11 years.
Did the Republicans refuse to raise the minimum wage?
Washington, DC – Today Senate Republicans blocked the Minimum Wage Fairness Act, a bill to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour over several years.
Who still pays $7.25 an hour?
State Minimum Wages Summary
Five states have not adopted a state minimum wage: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Three states, Georgia, Oklahoma and Wyoming, have a minimum wage below $7.25 per hour. In all eight of these states, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour generally applies.
What is the Executive Order 13658 for 2025?
On September 30, 2024, the Department of Labor published a notice in the Federal Register announcing that, beginning January 1, 2025, the Executive Order 13658 minimum wage rate will increase to $13.30 per hour (Minimum Wage for Federal Contracts Covered by Executive Order 13658, Notice of Rate Change in Effect as of ...
What are 5 things the president can't do?
The U.S. President cannot make laws, declare war, decide how federal money is spent, interpret laws, or appoint key officials like Cabinet members or Supreme Court Justices without Senate approval, highlighting constitutional limits on executive power through checks and balances with Congress.
Who is the only president to never issue an executive order?
The only U.S. President who never issued an executive order was William Henry Harrison, the nation's ninth president, because he died after serving only one month in office in 1841, providing insufficient time to issue any. Nearly every other president, from George Washington onward, has used executive orders, though the frequency and significance vary greatly.
Does the president have the power to overturn a Supreme Court decision?
No, the President cannot directly overturn a Supreme Court decision; only the Court itself (through a new ruling), the Constitution (via amendment), or new legislation by Congress can overturn a major ruling, though Presidents can try to influence future decisions by appointing new justices or challenge rulings through appeals, and historically, some have selectively enforced or ignored certain rulings, as seen with Lincoln and the Dred Scott case.
Does DEI help black people?
For decades, Black leaders have championed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as a means to correct systemic inequalities. Yet, after more than 50 years, DEI has failed Black communities while reinforcing White power structures.
Is there a downside to DEI?
A common flaw with many DEI training programs is they help employees to identify unconscious biases, but then fail to provide actionable steps on how to address these biases. Focusing on awareness alone ignores the structural inequalities that sustain a discriminatory culture in the long run.
Who has benefited the least from DEI?
Women (50%) and minorities (58%) were more likely to say DEI has benefited them, while white men were the least likely to say it improved their careers (39%) and the most likely to report harm (19%).