Executive Order 13166: Improving Access to Services for Persons With Limited English Proficiency
President: Bill Clinton
Required federal agencies and federally assisted programs to improve meaningful access for people with limited English proficiency.
Status: Revoked — by EO 14224 in 2025.
Is Executive Order 13166 still in effect? No. EO 14224 revoked it in 2025.
What does Executive Order 13166 do?
EO 13166 required agencies to plan for access to federally conducted services for people with limited English proficiency and directed federal funding agencies to issue Title VI guidance for recipients. EO 14224 revoked the order on March 1, 2025 and directed the Attorney General to rescind guidance issued under it. DOJ states that its 2002 LEP guidance was rescinded, but also says EO 14224 does not require agencies to change the services they provide. Title VI, its implementing regulations and other program-specific legal duties remain independently applicable; the old order is not the source of those statutory duties.
Later evidence reviewed October 2, 2026: EO 14224 revoked EO 13166, and DOJ rescinded its 2002 LEP recipient guidance. DOJ says Title VI duties continue and the 2025 order did not require agencies to change the services they provide.
Before and after
Before the order
Title VI barred national-origin discrimination in federally assisted programs without this government-wide LEP planning framework.
After the order
Agencies built access plans and recipient guidance until EO 14224 withdrew the executive-order mandate.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Federal agencies | Prepare LEP plans and recipient guidance | Executive mandate revoked |
| Attorney General | Coordinate guidance, then rescind EO-based policy documents | Directed in 2025 |
| Agency heads | Decide what multilingual services their missions require | Current discretion subject to law |
What happened next
EO 13166 signed.
Published in the Federal Register.
DOJ published Title VI LEP guidance for federal financial assistance recipients.
EO 14224 revoked EO 13166 and directed review and rescission of guidance issued under it.
DOJ’s implementation notice and later federal guidance reviewed.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
EO 14224 rescinded the executive-order framework and directed review of guidance. Its text did not require agencies to stop multilingual services. Title VI and other statutes, regulations, constitutional requirements and program-specific rules remain independently controlling where applicable.
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.
- GovInfo — EO 13166 (opens in a new tab) Order text
- White House — EO 14224 (opens in a new tab) Order text
- Justice Department — Title VI LEP resources (opens in a new tab) Official record
- eCFR — Title VI regulations (opens in a new tab) Official record
- National Archives — 2000 disposition table (opens in a new tab) Official record
- White House — EO 14224 (opens in a new tab) Order text
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →