Health and social policy

Executive Order 13995: Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery

President: Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Created the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force and directed agencies to identify and reduce unequal barriers to pandemic care, vaccination, testing and recovery resources.

Status: Revoked.

Is Executive Order 13995 still in effect? No. Revoked January 20, 2025; task force completed its work.

A vaccine vial connects hospitals, an ambulance and different communities across a stylized U.S. map.
Access to pandemic care across communities, illustrated symbolically; not evidence of actual distribution or measured equity outcomes. EO Explained · site-generated editorial illustration · not documentary evidence.

What does Executive Order 13995 do?

HHS was assigned support for a Health Equity Task Force charged with recommendations on access, data and the pandemic response.

Administration position: The order’s findings and policy rationale were the Biden administration’s positions. This guide distinguishes them from implementation records and judicial rulings.
SignedJanuary 21, 2021
Lead officialsHHS Secretary, Health Equity Task Force and pandemic-response agencies
Express timingRecommendations as soon as practicable; final report before termination

Before and after

Before the order

Federal pandemic programs collected uneven demographic data and did not operate under a single health-equity task force.

After the order

The task force delivered recommendations in November 2021 and terminated after completing its report; agencies continued program-specific work until EO 14148 revoked the directive.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
HHSChair and support the Health Equity Task ForceDuring task-force operation
Task ForceRecommend equitable response and data measuresAs soon as practicable / final report
Pandemic-response agenciesAssess and modify plans and strengthen civil-rights enforcementOngoing

What happened next

EO 13995 signed.

The task force delivered its final report and recommendations.

EO 14148 revoked EO 13995.