Executive Order 13958: Establishing the President's Advisory 1776 Commission
President: Donald J. Trump
Directed Education to establish a 1776 Commission on United States founding history and to prioritize specified civic-education resources.
Status: Revoked. Is Executive Order 13958 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13985 revoked Executive Order 13958 on January 20, 2021. EO 14190 reestablished the 1776 Commission under a new order on January 29, 2025.
What does Executive Order 13958 do?
EO 13958 directed the Education Secretary to establish an advisory 1776 Commission focused on founding history and principles. The administration connected its creation to the forthcoming 250th anniversary of independence and its stated concern about civic education. The operative instructions sought an advisory report and federal educational priorities, not a legally binding national school curriculum. Official source.
The commission could include no more than 20 presidentially appointed members, serving two-year terms, along with designated ex officio federal officials. A presidentially designated chair and vice chair would work with an executive director selected by Education in consultation with the domestic-policy adviser. Education supplied funding and administrative support within available appropriations. The design made the body an executive advisory committee rather than an independent legislature or school board. Official source.
Its tasks included reporting on founding principles within a year, advising agencies about patriotic education at federal locations and advising on the national anniversary. Education, Defense and State were separately told to prioritize existing civic-education resources. Relevant agencies also had to monitor institutions’ compliance with the existing Constitution Day education requirement. The commission’s report could recommend an interpretation of history, but the order did not itself make that interpretation compulsory in state classrooms. Official source.
Before and after
Before the order
Existing federal programs already supported American history, civics and educational exchanges. Congress had also required federally funded educational institutions to hold a Constitution program on September 17. The order created a new advisory body and redirected priorities inside these existing frameworks rather than creating the Constitution Day duty. Official source.
After the order
Education was given 120 days to establish the body, and the report was due within one year. The original commission had a two-year termination date unless extended, but EO 13985 revoked its founding order much sooner. Trump’s EO 14190 reestablished a commission in 2025 and assigned new organizational duties; that revival should be distinguished from treating the revoked 2020 order as continuously operative. Official source.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Education Secretary / Department of Education | Establish and support the commission, designate its executive director with the domestic-policy adviser, perform applicable advisory-committee functions and prioritize existing civics programs. | Establishment within 120 days; continuing support. |
| President | Appoint up to 20 members and designate chair and vice chair. | Terms two years; no appointment deadline specified. |
| 1776 Commission / chair / vice chair / executive director | Produce founding-principles report, convene meetings, advise federal educational efforts and anniversary preparations. | Report within one year; original termination two years after signing unless extended. |
| State Secretary / Defense Secretary / Interior Secretary / HUD Secretary | Serve as ex officio members or designate senior officials; State and Defense also prioritize listed civic-education resources. | During commission operation; no separate deadline. |
| Domestic-policy adviser | Consult on selection of the executive director. | During designation. |
| Relevant agencies | Monitor and enhance compliance with statutory Constitution Day programs at federally funded institutions. | Ongoing; September 17 education requirement comes from existing law. |
| Intergovernmental-affairs adviser | Serve as an ex officio commission member or designate a senior official. | During commission operation. |
| Domestic-policy adviser | Serve as an ex officio commission member in addition to consulting on the executive director. | During commission operation. |
What happened next
EO 13958 orders creation of the commission. Official source
EO 13985 revokes the original establishing order. Official source
EO 14190 reestablishes a 1776 Commission under its own provisions. Official source
Legal and source detail
Sources by type
The signed text incorporated the Federal Advisory Committee Act where applicable, assigning presidential committee functions to Education except reporting to Congress. Constitution Day compliance derived from Public Law 108-447, not a new power to prescribe all school lessons. Federal program spending remained constrained by law and appropriations. The order preserved agency authority and OMB functions and disclaimed enforceable private rights. Its advisory status and federal scope are important limits when assessing claims about its effect on local curriculum decisions. Official source.
Primary and official sources
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 24, 2026. How we research →
Later primary evidence reviewed September 24, 2026: EO 13985 expressly revoked this order. Official source. The cited steps do not establish every downstream effect.
The commission was directed to report within one year; EO 13985 revoked the order in January 2021. School adoption is not established.