Executive Order 13720: Delegation of Certain Authorities and Assignment of Certain Functions Under the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015
President: Barack Obama
Assigned presidential duties under the 2015 trade-preferences law to USTR, Labor and other agencies.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13720 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13720 remains an unrevoked delegation under the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015; the Federal Register disposition table records no revocation. Its delegations operate only to the extent that the underlying statutory authorities remain available, and do not themselves extend an expired trade program. Sources: Office of the Federal Register: current 2016 executive order disposition table; Executive Order 13720: signed text.
What does Executive Order 13720 do?
EO 13720 delegated consultation, review, reporting and implementation functions created by the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015. The assignments covered preference programs, customs, trade adjustment assistance and related matters. The delegation remains unrevoked, but some underlying programs have expired or been amended, so an agency may act only where current statute still supplies authority and funding.
Before and after
Before the order
The 2015 Act assigned numerous administrative functions to the President.
After the order
Named officials could carry out those duties without repeated presidential action.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| USTR | Perform assigned preference and trade functions | Where statute remains active |
| Labor Department | Administer assigned worker-adjustment functions | Subject to current law |
| Treasury and Homeland Security | Handle customs-related assignments | Continuing where applicable |
What happened next
The Trade Preferences Extension Act became law.
EO 13720 delegated functions.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
Public Law 114-27 and the trade statutes it amended control program eligibility, duration and funding. 3 USC 301 authorizes presidential delegation.
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.
- USTR — preference programs (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 15, 2026. How we research →