Executive Order 13234: Presidential Task Force on Citizen Preparedness in the War on Terrorism
President: George W. Bush
Created an interagency task force to recommend how the public could prepare for terrorist attacks and volunteer in support of state and local health and safety officials.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13234 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13234 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13234 do?
The order assigned these duties: Office of Homeland Security and Domestic Policy Council — Co-chair the task force; Task force — Recommend preparedness and volunteer-support measures.
The signed order required recommendations within 40 days and termination 30 days after the report. The official order and cited White House records were checked; no public report confirming submission was located, so actual submission and termination timing remain unresolved.
Before and after
Before the order
Preparedness and national-service programs existed, but no short-term cabinet-level task force had this specific post-September 11 assignment.
After the order
The order required recommendations within 40 days and the Task Force to terminate 30 days after submitting its report. Citizen Corps and USA Freedom Corps later carried related preparedness and service work. EO 13284 added DHS to the membership in 2003, but no public report or current record of this short-term Task Force was located.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Office of Homeland Security and Domestic Policy Council | Co-chair the task force | During its temporary work |
| Task force | Recommend preparedness and volunteer-support measures | Recommendations due within 40 days; Task Force terminates 30 days after report submission |
| Named agencies | Contribute program expertise | During the review |
| Task force | Terminate after completing its report | Recommendations due within 40 days; Task Force terminates 30 days after report submission |
What happened next
EO 13234 signed.
EO 13284 added DHS to the listed membership.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The task force was advisory, temporary and subject to existing powers and appropriations. Its recommendations did not impose duties on the public. The absence of a located public report is not treated as proof none was submitted.
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.
- Bush White House — signed action (opens in a new tab) Official record
- Ready.gov — Citizen Corps (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →