Executive Order 13254: Establishing the USA Freedom Corps
President: George W. Bush
Created the USA Freedom Corps as an interagency service initiative, a presidential council and a White House office to coordinate volunteering, national service, emergency preparedness and international service opportunities.
Status: Revoked. Is Executive Order 13254 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13254 was revoked. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13254 do?
The order assigned these duties: USA Freedom Corps Council — Coordinate and strengthen federal and other service opportunities; USA Freedom Corps Office — Support the council, publicise opportunities and coordinate executive-branch policy.
Verified the Council, interagency initiative and White House Office assignments against the signed order, EO 13286 and the 2008 White House record. No express revocation or current record establishing that the named initiative still operates was located; present implementation remains uncertain.
Before and after
Before the order
Federal service and volunteer programs existed across agencies without the White House council and office created by this order.
After the order
The office coordinated AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Citizen Corps and other programs, supported volunteer.gov and the President’s Volunteer Service Award, and reported on nearly seven years of work in 2008. EO 13286 added the Homeland Security Secretary to the council, and EO 13401 later required agency volunteer-service liaisons. The Bush-era White House office ceased operating after that administration, although several programs continued under agency or statutory authority.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| USA Freedom Corps Council | Coordinate and strengthen federal and other service opportunities | Ongoing during the initiative |
| USA Freedom Corps Office | Support the council, publicise opportunities and coordinate executive-branch policy | Begin within 30 days |
| Executive departments and agencies | Provide information, assistance and program coordination | Subject to law and appropriations |
What happened next
EO 13254 signed.
EO 13254 established the initiative, council and White House office.
EO 13286 added the Homeland Security Secretary to the council.
EO 13401 directed agencies to designate volunteer-community-service liaisons.
The initiative issued its closing-administration account, “Answering the Call to Service.”
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The order coordinated existing programs and encouraged service; it did not compel private citizens to volunteer or create an entitlement. Program statutes, appropriations and agency authorities controlled funding and participation. No order-specific merits judgment was located.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →