Month: March 2026

Source: United States White House

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Purpose.  The American dream of homeownership depends on a dynamic housing market in which a varied inventory of new homes is built and renovated each year.  Layers of unnecessary regulatory barriers, slow permitting processes, and onerous mandates at all levels of government have delayed construction, restricted development, and driven up the costs of new housing.  These constraints have made housing less affordable for many Americans.

It is the policy of my Administration to reduce regulatory barriers to building homes and to steward taxpayer dollars in a manner that promotes housing affordability.

Sec. 2.  Targeting Federal Regulatory Barriers to Residential Development.  (a)  The Secretary of the Army, acting through the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall review and revise requirements related to stormwater, wetlands, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water to reduce housing construction and ownership costs, streamline regulatory and agency decision-making processes, reduce property tax burdens, and increase insurability, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.  Such requirements shall include:

(i)    the Construction General Permit for stormwater discharges from construction activity;

(ii)   federally issued Total Maximum Daily Loads;

(iii)  construction site and post-construction requirements for Municipal Separate Stormwater System permits;

(iv)   Federal standards for permits under section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), 33 U.S.C. 1344, for the discharge of dredged and fill material into waters of the United States; and

(v)    Federal standards for assumption of dredge and fill permitting by States and tribes under section 404(g) of CWA.

(b)  The Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) shall, within their respective authorities, consider eliminating unduly burdensome rules and reforming programs that constrain residential development and impede housing affordability, especially the construction of affordable single-family homes as well as suburban and exurban neighborhoods, including, as needed:

(i)    the Economic Development Administration’s guidelines and investment priorities concerning development density;

(ii)   the Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program;

(iii)  the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing Program; and

(iv)   the FHFA’s guidelines and regulations regarding chattel lending for manufactured housing and incentivizing low-balance home mortgages.

(c)  The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Energy, and the Director of FHFA shall, within their respective authorities, take appropriate action to reform and, where appropriate, eliminate unduly burdensome or costly energy-efficiency, water-use, or alternative-energy requirements regarding housing, including manufactured housing, to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with applicable law.  Such action shall include reviewing and revising, as needed:

(i)    the Energy Conservation Program’s Energy Conservation Standards for Manufactured Housing;

(ii)   the Adoption of Energy Efficiency Standards for New Construction of HUD- and USDA-Financed Housing;

(iii)  residential building energy codes subject to review by the Secretary of Energy; and

(iv)   water and energy efficiency improvement standards for FHFA’s duty to serve underserved market properties.

Sec. 3.  Streamlining Federal Permitting Requirements for Residential Development.  (a)  The Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality shall provide guidance to executive departments and agencies (agencies) on implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, including through the establishment, adoption, or application of categorical exclusions, in a manner that maximally exempts or reduces burdens on housing construction, preservation, adaptive re-use, and infrastructure that facilitates housing construction, such as roads, water, sewer, and other projects.

(b)  The Chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation shall develop guidance on maximally exempting, or reducing burdens on, housing construction and infrastructure that facilitates housing construction, such as roads, water, sewer, and other projects under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act so that reporting requirements are no more burdensome than necessary.

Sec. 4.  Boosting Housing Affordability Through State and Local Regulatory Best Practices.  (a)  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, shall develop and promulgate a series of regulatory best practices for State and local governments to promote housing construction and affordability, including:

(i)    streamlining permitting processes for housing developments by, for example, capping permitting timelines and fees; allowing by-right development for single-family homes; limiting retroactive application of new or changed building codes; allowing third-party inspections and appropriate builder choice on certified entities for inspections and studies; and ensuring swift dispute resolution with government agencies and private parties regarding construction matters;

(ii)   curtailing mandates that increase housing construction costs, such as green-energy building requirements or other energy-choice restrictions, non-evidence-based building codes, and unreasonable building-code-adoption timelines;

(iii)  re-examining restrictions on the use of manufactured or modular housing on the basis of the construction method rather than objective standards for building and safety, aesthetic requirements, or prohibitions on construction when comparable site-built housing is permitted; and

(iv)   removing arbitrary limitations on residential housing development beyond urban centers, such as urban growth boundaries, growth moratoria, and commuting penalties.

(b)  The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall, within their respective authorities, take steps to revise, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, regulations, guidance, grant applications and requirements, technical assistance, and other relevant agency documents or practices to advance the best practices issued pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

Sec. 5.  Facilitating New Residential Construction in Opportunity Zones.  (a)  The Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall jointly evaluate Administration actions to better align programs and incentives with the Opportunity Zone tax incentives to expand investment in single-family home construction, including considering lawful mechanisms to link grants, financing tools, or other incentives with new or increased investment in Qualified Opportunity Funds engaged in the development and sale of single-family homes.

(b)  The Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall also assess opportunities to coordinate the Opportunity Zone incentives described in subsection (a) of this section with the New Markets Tax Credit under 26 U.S.C. 45D to promote single-family home construction in census tracts that qualify both as Qualified Opportunity Zones and as low-income communities for the purposes of the New Markets Tax Credit.

Sec. 6.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)  the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d)  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. 

(e)  The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

                             DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    March 13, 2026.

Source: United States White House

PROTECTING AMERICAN CONSUMERS AND MANUFACTURERS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to combat fraudulent “Made in America” claims by foreign manufacturers and sellers, ensuring Americans get clear, accurate information, and supporting businesses that truly manufacture in the United States.

• The Order directs the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prioritize enforcement actions against sellers and manufacturers who falsely claim their products are “Made in America” or make similar American-origin claims in violation of existing law.
• The Order directs all agencies with country-of-origin labeling oversight, in consultation with the Chairman of the FTC, to consider new regulations and consistent guidance promoting voluntary country-of-origin labeling for products made or manufactured in the United States.
• The Order requires agencies overseeing government-wide acquisition contracts and schedules to periodically review and verify American-origin claims for products sold to the Federal government, removing misrepresented products from procurement and referring violators to the Department of Justice for False Claims Act actions.

STOPPING FRAUDULENT AMERICAN-ORIGIN CLAIMS: President Trump is putting America First by ensuring consumers can trust “Made in America” claims and that U.S. manufacturers’ advertising value is not diluted by fraudulent foreign entities. 

• In the age of the modern digital marketplace, foreign manufacturers increasingly market their products as American-made in order to target patriotic consumers, denying American businesses that invest in domestic manufacturing of the competitive advantage they may have in this market.
• Americans rely heavily on “Made in America” claims when making purchasing decisions, yet many products advertised as such do not actually meet the standard of being substantially made or manufactured in the United States.
• True American-made businesses — which invest onshore in jobs, communities, and production — deserve undiluted branding benefits and protection from unfair competition by fraudsters.
• This Executive Order ensures that “Made in America” is more than a label — it’s a promise.

DELIVERING ON AMERICA FIRST: President Trump is continuing to deliver on his promise to put America first.

• In his first term, he signed several Executive Orders to “Buy American and Hire American.”
• Immediately upon returning to office, President Trump established his America First Trade Policy to make America’s economy great again.
• President Trump has secured trillions in private and foreign investment to bring jobs and manufacturing back to the United States.
• He has repeatedly used Section 232 tariffs to protect against threats to our national security and to strengthen manufacturing critical for our national and economic security, including on steel, aluminum, copper, and autos.
• He has directed his Administration to aggressively pursue trade agreements that stop foreign nations from cheating the system and undercutting American producers.
• President Trump has issued numerous Executive Actions to boost mining, manufacturing, and investment in domestic industry, including by reducing regulations and eliminating bureaucracy.

Source: United States White House

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Purpose.  Every American seeking to buy a home should have access to a mortgage from a reliable lender, at a rate commensurate with his or her creditworthiness.  Over the past two decades, however, statutory and regulatory changes — including rules adopted under the Dodd‑Frank Act, Public Law 111-203, and subsequent rulemakings — have increased the compliance costs of mortgage origination and servicing and distorted the structure of the mortgage market.  These burdens have contributed to a significant decline in bank participation in mortgage lending.  Community banks, generally institutions with fewer than $30 billion in assets, have been especially affected.  The regulatory and rule changes have undermined community banks’ businesses, concentrated credit and liquidity risk outside the banking system, and resulted in reduced access to credit for some creditworthy borrowers, including rural households and low- and moderate-income households.  My Administration will reduce these regulatory burdens to ensure that these creditworthy borrowers can access the capital required to purchase a home.

It is the policy of the United States to improve the availability and affordability of mortgage credit; tailor rules for community banks and “smaller banks” (banks with assets fewer than $100 billion); reduce the regulatory burden on community banks and otherwise facilitate community bank engagement in mortgage activity; foster innovation, growth, and consumer choice in the mortgage market; modernize origination and closing standards to reduce lending costs; remove regulatory distortions to the structure of the mortgage market and to ensure capital and liquidity frameworks subject similar credit and liquidity risks to similar regulation across the system; promote competition among mortgage lenders of all charter types to drive down mortgage rates; and strengthen housing-finance liquidity.

Sec. 2.  Origination and Ability-to-Repay (ATR)/Qualified Mortgage (QM) Reform.  (a)  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law:

(i)    proposing amendments to Regulation Z that tailor the following requirements for smaller banks: ATR and QM requirements (including potentially a broader QM safe harbor for portfolio loans) and the requirements of the Truth in Lending Act, Public Law 90-321 (TILA), Real Estate Settlement Procedure Act, Public Law 93-533 (RESPA), and TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rules;

(ii)   replacing TRID timing rules with a materiality-based standard that preserves consumer clarity and reduces closing delays;

(iii)  exempting small-mortgage loans from caps on QM points and fees or, as appropriate, modifying such caps to support affordability;

(iv)   updating regulations regarding banks’ reasonable compliance with ATR and QM underwriting requirements by removing unnecessarily burdensome elements;

(v)    modernizing the right to rescission for mortgage lending, for example, by enabling increased secure electronic and digital forms and processes;

(vi)   streamlining the requirements applicable to rate-and-term refinancing under Regulation X mortgage servicing rules; and

(vii)  exempting rate-and-term refinancing (including cash-out refinancing) from rescission rights.

(b)  The Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve), the Director of the CFPB, the Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Comptroller of the Currency shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, revising supervisory guidance to ensure that:

(i)   examiners evaluate mortgage lending based on the effectiveness of the lender’s policies regarding a consumer’s ability to repay and prudent underwriting, rather than the existing focus on process and technical compliance; and

(ii)  good‑faith, technical compliance errors are subject to correction‑first supervisory treatment, with enforcement reserved for borrower harm or repeated misconduct.

Sec. 3.  Modernization of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Data Collection and Disclosure.  (a)  The CFPB shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, proposing amendments to Regulation C to raise the asset threshold for exemption from HMDA data collection and reporting requirements for smaller banks, to exclude inquiries from the scope of HMDA, and to ensure that disclosures protect privacy and reduce burdens, including insufficiently tailored, expensive, and complex software and training needed for reporting financial institutions.

Sec. 4.  Capital and Liquidity Alignment.  (a)  The Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Federal Reserve, the Chairman of the NCUA Board, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the FDIC, the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law:

(i)    revising capital regulations, consistent with appropriate risk-management requirements, to tailor risk weights for all banks, including community banks and other smaller banks, for portfolio mortgages, servicing rights, and warehouse lines of credit to the material credit risk of the exposure;

(ii)   modernizing collateral valuation and transfer systems between the Federal Reserve and Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs);

(iii)  expanding access to longer‑dated FHLB advances tied to residential mortgage assets;

(iv)   creating targeted FHLB liquidity programs for entry‑level housing, owner‑occupied purchase loans, and small residential builders;

(v)    accelerating collateral boarding and valuation processes through standardized data and digital documentation; and

(vi)   refocusing the FHLBs’ Affordable Housing Program on faster-cycle execution and greater financial leverage for small-scale and owner-occupied housing projects.

(b)  The Director of the FHFA and the Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Federal Reserve shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, authorizing FHLBs’ intermediate access to the Federal Reserve’s discount window for FHLBs’ member depository institutions under standardized collateral, operational, and risk-management protocols.

(c)  Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Director of the FHFA, in consultation with the heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies, shall submit a report to the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget on the efficiency of national housing finance markets.  The report shall identify recommendations for regulatory or legislative changes necessary to address any regulatory or oversight gaps.

Sec. 5.  Construction and Housing Supply.  (a)  The Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Federal Reserve, the Director of the CFPB, the Chairman of the NCUA Board, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the FDIC, and the Comptroller of the Currency, shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, revising supervisory guidance both to exclude one-to four-family residential development and construction lending from commercial real estate concentration guidance and to ensure supervisory expectations support responsible construction lending by community banks.

Sec. 6.  Appraisal Modernization.  (a)  The Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Federal Reserve, the Director of the CFPB, the Chairman of the NCUA Board, the Chairperson of Board of Directors of the FDIC, the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Director of the FHFA shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law and their statutory authorities:

(i)    modernizing appraisal regulations and guidance to expand the use of alternative valuation models, desktop and hybrid appraisals, and artificial intelligence valuation tools;

(ii)   simplifying appraiser qualification requirements; and

(iii)  reducing appraisal requirements for low-risk transactions, including low loan-to-value refinancing and small‑balance loans; and setting clear appraisal timelines.

(b)  The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law:

(i)    aligning appraisal standards between the Federal Housing Administration and VA Home Loan Program where risk is comparable;

(ii)   clarifying the distinction in an appraisal inspection between safety and habitability concerns that necessitate pre-closing repairs versus cosmetic concerns; and

(iii)  expanding post-closing repair flexibility.

Sec. 7.  Digital Mortgage Modernization.  (a)  The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of HUD, the Secretary of VA, and the Director of the FHFA shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law:  

(i)    eliminating unnecessary wet‑signature requirements for disclosures, applications, closing documents, and similar documents;

(ii)   standardizing acceptance of electronic signatures, e-notes, and remote online notarization; and

(iii)  promoting digital mortgage standards. 

Sec. 8.  Servicing and Supervisory Certainty.  (a)  The Secretary of HUD, the Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Federal Reserve, the Director of the CFPB, the Chairman of the NCUA Board, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the FDIC, and the Comptroller of the Currency shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law:

(i)   aligning supervisory expectations to support portfolio mortgage servicing as a core community banking function; extending cure‑first standards to good‑faith servicing errors; simplifying loss mitigation requirements; and issuing a proposed rule providing exemptions from complex mortgage services for smaller banks; and

(ii)  ensuring that supervisory evaluations of performing, prudently underwritten portfolio loans do not focus on technical defects or rely on evolving supervisory interpretations.

Sec. 9.  Enforcement.  (a)  The Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Federal Reserve, the Director of the CFPB, the Chairman of the NCUA Board, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the FDIC, and the Comptroller of the Currency shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, promulgating a policy against enforcement actions for violations of consumer financial laws that:

(i)    discourages imposing civil monetary penalties, except where the underlying violations are willful, knowing, or reckless;

(ii)   considers good corporate conduct, including a bank’s correction of good-faith, technical compliance errors; and

(iii)  allows institutions a reasonable opportunity for self-identification and remediation of appropriate compliance matters.

Sec. 10.  Duplicative or Unnecessary Licensing Requirements.  The Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Federal Reserve, the Director of the CFPB, the Chairman of the NCUA Board, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the FDIC, and the Comptroller of the Currency shall consider, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, eliminating duplicative or unnecessary requirements regarding licensing or registration for mortgage loan officers of any smaller bank.

Sec. 11.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d)  The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of the Treasury.

                             DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    March 13, 2026.

Source: United States White House

REMOVING BARRIERS TO BUILDING HOMES: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens that delay housing construction and increase housing costs for American families.

• The Order directs the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the Army to review and revise stormwater, wetlands, and other water-related permitting requirements to reduce building and ownership costs, streamline Federal regulatory approvals, and increase home insurability.
• The Order also directs the Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Transportation, and the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to eliminate unduly burdensome rules and reform programs that constrain residential development and housing affordability.
• The Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Energy, and the Director of the FHFA are directed to eliminate or reform overly burdensome energy, water, and alternative-energy requirements for housing, including manufactured homes.
• The Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality is directed to issue guidance maximizing categorical exclusions under NEPA for housing construction and related activities.
• The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is directed to develop guidance simplifying historic preservation reviews to reduce barriers to building housing and related infrastructure.
• The Order calls for Federal agencies to provide incentives to State and local governments that adopt regulatory best practices to speed up permitting, curtail “green” building codes, reduce costly design and building mandates, enable innovative home construction methods, and extend residential development.
• The Order encourages new home construction by aligning Opportunity Zone incentives with single-family home development and New Markets Tax Credit programs.

PROMOTING HOUSING AFFORDABILITY: Layers of red tape, slow permitting processes, and costly environmental mandates imposed by progressive policymakers at the state, local, and Federal level have made it harder and more expensive to build homes in America – leaving families priced out of the market and the American Dream out of reach.

• Unnecessary regulatory barriers have restricted supply, stalled construction, and driven up the cost of building a home — costs that are ultimately borne by homebuyers and renters.
  • For example, some States and localities embed prescriptive green energy mandates in their building codes that can add more than $30,000 to the cost of construction, according to analysis by the Council of Economic Advisors.
  • In 2021, on average, regulations imposed by government at all levels added more than $90,000 to the final price of a new single-family home.
• Complex and slow-moving environmental review requirements delay housing projects for years, discouraging developers and reducing the supply of new homes in communities that need them most.
• Cities imposing arbitrary limits on housing construction make new residential development needlessly difficult.
• President Trump recognizes that homebuilders must be empowered to build and that American families need relief now, which is why he is taking action to remove regulatory barriers to affordable home construction.

DELIVERING ON PROMISES TO AMERICAN FAMILIES: President Trump has undertaken an aggressive agenda to tackle the housing challenges facing American families and make the dream of homeownership accessible again.

• Earlier this year, President Trump signed an Executive Order to prevent large institutional investors from buying single-family homes that could otherwise be purchased by families, and called on Congress to codify these policies.
• President Trump has also directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities to further drive down borrowing costs.
• These targeted housing and affordability initiatives build on actions President Trump has already taken to put more money in Americans’ pockets:
  • Overall deregulation efforts in 2025 are projected to save Americans a collective $212 billion — roughly $2,500 per family of four.
  • He signed the Working Families Tax Cuts into law – delivering the largest tax cut in American history and increasing paychecks by over $10,000 annually for a typical family of four.
  • His America First, pro-growth, energy dominance, and deregulatory agenda has cut red tape, lowered inflation and mortgage rates, boosted GDP growth, and brought trillions in investments to the United States.
• President Trump continues to focus on ways to provide more relief to Americans from the economic and financial mismanagement of the Biden era, so families can prosper and achieve the American Dream of owning a home.

Source: United States White House

EXPANDING ACCESS TO HOME LOANS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to reduce regulatory burdens that have driven up mortgage costs, limited access for creditworthy borrowers, and weakened community bank participation in lending.

• The Order directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to appropriately tailor mortgage rules to help enable smaller banks to facilitate more affordable lending, including modernizing and streamlining regulatory and documentation requirements.
• It calls for Federal banking regulators to revise supervisory guidance to focus on prudent underwriting, rather than overly technical process-oriented approaches to lending, and to support construction lending by community banks.
• The Order directs the CFPB to modernize Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) reporting requirements to reduce compliance burdens and protect borrower privacy.
• The Order directs Federal banking regulators to engage in responsible, safe, and efficient reforms to capital and liquidity rules to remove undue burdens on lending, such as tailoring risk weights to the material credit risk of the exposure, expanding access to longer-dated Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) advances tied to residential mortgage assets, and creating targeted FHLB liquidity programs for entry-level housing, owner-occupied purchase loans, and small residential builders.
• The Order further directs Federal banking regulators to modernize appraisal regulations by, for example, expanding alternative valuation models, reducing unnecessary appraisal requirements for low-risk transactions, and setting clearer timelines for appraisals.
• The Order promotes digital mortgage modernization by expanding electronic signatures, e-notes, and remote online notarization, which is anticipated to reduce lending costs and homebuying timelines.
• Federal banking regulators are further directed to consider whether to adopt new supervisory criteria that promote portfolio mortgage servicing as a core community banking function and otherwise take other actions that lower barriers to entry and costs of operation for community banks in the mortgage lending business.

RESTORING MORTGAGE COMPETITION TO LOWER RATES AND REVERSING MORE THAN A DECADE OF MARKET DISTORTION: President Trump is cutting red tape that has caused community banks to reduce their participation in mortgage lending, reduced competition among lenders that would lower mortgage rates, and made home loans harder to obtain for rural, low- and moderate-income, and first-time buyers.

• Over more than a decade, a wave of regulatory changes — driven largely by the Dodd-Frank Act and subsequent rulemaking — has dramatically increased the cost and complexity of accessing a mortgage.
• Community banks and smaller lenders have retreated from mortgage markets they once served, unable to absorb the compliance costs associated with making, servicing, or holding a mortgage made to community borrowers.
• Outdated appraisal rules and rigid supervisory expectations have slowed lending and increased costs, especially for low-risk loans and refinancings.
• These regulatory distortions have weakened the mortgage market, reduced lender competition that drives down rates, reduced the amount of available capital for creditworthy borrowers, and made homeownership less affordable for millions of Americans.

DELIVERING ON PROMISES TO AMERICAN FAMILIES: President Trump has undertaken an aggressive agenda to tackle the housing challenges facing American families and make the dream of homeownership accessible again.

• Earlier this year, President Trump signed an Executive Order to prevent large institutional investors from buying single-family homes that could otherwise be purchased by families, and called on Congress to codify these policies.
• President Trump has also directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities to further drive down borrowing costs.
• These targeted housing and affordability initiatives build on additional actions President Trump has taken to put more money in Americans’ pockets.
  • Overall deregulation efforts in 2025 are projected to save Americans a collective $212 billion — roughly $2,500 per family of four.
  • He signed the Working Families Tax Cuts into law – delivering the largest tax cut in American history and increasing paychecks by over $10,000 annually for a typical family of four.
  • His America First, pro-growth, energy dominance, and deregulatory agenda has cut red tape, lowered inflation and mortgage rates, boosted GDP growth, and brought trillions in investments to the United States.
• President Trump continues to focus on ways to provide more relief to Americans from the economic and financial mismanagement of the Biden era, so families can prosper and achieve the American Dream of owning a home.

Source: United States White House

Since the dawn of our Republic 250 years ago, America’s working dogs have defended our freedom on the frontlines of battle—providing crucial security, protection, and companionship to our men and women in uniform.  This National K-9 Veterans Day, we celebrate these exceptional dogs for their vital role in keeping our country safe, strong, and free.

On March 13, 1942, the United States Army officially launched its War Dog Program during World War II with the creation of the Army K-9 Corps.  Since then, Military Working Dogs have deployed to every major field of battle and continue to serve as integral members of our operations on land, at sea, and in the air.

To earn the title of Military Working Dog, candidates undergo rigorous training and evaluation before being assigned to specialties, including drug and explosive detection, security operations, and search-and-rescue.  Their intellect, speed, temperament, acute sense of smell, and relentless drive enable these high-performing dogs to excel and execute in high-stakes missions.  Their innate abilities are enhanced by an inexplicable bond and enduring partnership—of trust, loyalty, respect, and love—with their human handlers.

From General George Washington’s beloved dog, who stood alongside our first Commander in Chief during the most decisive moments of the Revolutionary War; to Chips, who attacked enemy forces firing at soldiers during the invasion of Sicily and became the most decorated K-9 in World War II; to Conan, a Belgian Malinois who took part in the operation I initiated to kill ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, dogs have always played a central role in the story of the American military.  Today, approximately 1,600 working dogs deploy alongside their human partners in combat zones with our most prestigious military units, along our borders, and throughout the entire world.

Dogs have also contributed in extraordinary ways to our local and federal law enforcement.  Earlier this year, Bo—a police canine in Gastonia, North Carolina—heroically rescued a missing 13-year-old boy with special needs in the middle of a blizzard.  For generations, Bo and other police dogs and canine troops have served with bravery and devotion, which enhance our law enforcement capabilities and the lethality of our fighting force.

Dogs are not merely faithful friends or companions—our canine cadre are guardians of our liberty too.  Today, I join a grateful Nation in honoring the enduring legacy, remarkable acts of heroism, and incredible contributions of America’s highly-skilled four-legged warriors.  In the new Golden Age of America, the same loyalty, courage, and fighting spirit they embody are being unleashed across our Nation.

Source: United States White House

President Donald J. Trump’s relentless pursuit of American energy dominance has “prepared the U.S. and its allies for the current troubles in the Persian Gulf,” Kimberley Strassel writes in The Wall Street Journal.

“The Democratic-media complex seems determined to get everything wrong about Iran, though few efforts compare with this week’s work to tag the Trump administration with a global energy crisis. Not only is this uninformed and overdone, the sudden concern over energy security comes about three years late.

The undermine-America crowd describes Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as an ‘oil shock’ that is ‘spiraling,’ ‘chaotic’ and the ‘worst in history.’ It seems to have evaded this crew that Iran’s bombardment of peaceful trading vessels is yet more justification of U.S. strikes. Iran’s been using energy threats to manipulate geopolitics for decades and won’t stop until it is fully defanged.

They are blaming the administration, in particular Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whom Politico described as the ‘vaunted’ team ‘in danger of fumbling the biggest energy crisis’ of Donald Trump’s second term. The go-to quote comes from Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who ranted that ‘on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN. . . . Which is unforgiveable, because this part of the disaster was 100% foreseeable.’

Let’s talk about plans. That the U.S. was finally in a position to disarm Iran is largely thanks to a plan Mr. Trump initiated in his first term—to gain energy independence, which his team is now turning into energy dominance. Trump policies turbocharged a shale revolution that made the U.S. a net exporter of petroleum products and the world’s largest exporter of natural gas. Alongside was Mr. Trump’s plan to foster economic and security ties in the region against shared threats like Iran via deals like the Abraham Accords.

We are no longer hostage to Middle East fossil-fuel threats, which gives us room to weather temporary Hormuz disruptions.”

Click here to read the full op-ed.

Source: United States White House

class=”has-text-align-center”>BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

This Women’s History Month, we celebrate the extraordinary American women of our past and the titans of our present who have strengthened our families, enriched our culture, defended our values, pioneered our industries, and shaped our Nation’s glorious future.

For 250 years, strong women have brought our Nation to countless new heights and moments of triumph.  To this day, across every industry, women are champions of success, trailblazers in their fields, and models in their homes.  Whether they serve our Nation as service members, government leaders, entrepreneurs, or mothers, every devoted woman guides our Nation’s strength, prosperity, and way of life.

For this reason, my Administration will always promote policies that embolden women, uplift our children, and fortify the American family.  Since I returned to office last year, we have permanently expanded the child tax credit, invested in the next generation through our historic creation of Trump Accounts, and dramatically reduced prices on common medicines like insulin and fertility treatments through TrumpRx.  We are keeping men out of women’s sports, enforcing Title IX as it was originally written, and ensuring colleges preserve — and, where possible, expand — scholarships and roster opportunities for female athletes.  At the same time, we are restoring public safety and upholding the rule of law in every city so women, children, and families can feel safe and secure.

We are also restoring strength to the American economy, ensuring that women who work hard, build businesses, and grow our industries can achieve greater success than ever before.  A small business owner can now expand her company thanks to our historic 20 percent tax deduction.  A farmer will benefit from new trade markets that allow her to sell more American-grown products around the world.  And with the great One Big Beautiful Bill, we eliminated tax on tips and overtime pay –- putting more money in the pockets of hardworking women across America.

This month, we recognize and honor the incredible women who have built our Nation, formed our conscience, and elevated our spirit.  May their legacies continue to inspire future generations of citizens to strive for excellence, lead proudly, and carry forth the enduring values that make America the greatest country in the history of the world.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2026 as Women’s History Month.  I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

                             DONALD J. TRUMP

Source: United States White House

Under President Donald J. Trump’s unwavering leadership, the U.S. Armed Forces are executing Operation Epic Fury with overwhelming power, lethal precision, and unbreakable resolve. From the opening hours of this historic campaign, the objectives were clear: obliterate Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and production capacity, annihilate its navy, sever its support for terrorist proxies, and ensure the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism will never acquire a nuclear weapon.

These objectives have remained unchanged, unambiguous, and consistent since the operation began:

• President Trump (March 2): “Our objectives are clear. First, we’re destroying Iran’s missile capabilities… and their capacity to produce brand new ones — pretty good ones they make. Second, we’re annihilating their navy… Third, we’re ensuring that the world’s number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon… And finally, we’re ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.”
• Vice President JD Vance (March 2): “Whatever happens with the regime in one form or another, it’s incidental to the President’s primary objective here — which is to make sure the Iranian terrorist regime does not build a nuclear bomb.”
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio (March 2): “The United States is conducting an operation to eliminate the threat of Iran’s short-range ballistic missiles and the threat posed by their navy… That is the clear objective of this mission.”
• U.S. Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper (March 3): “Our military in the Middle East is undertaking an unprecedented operation to eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten Americans, as they’ve been doing for nearly half a century.”
• Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby (March 3): “I think I can lay out once again the objectives of the military campaign… which are focused on addressing the ability of the Islamic Republic to project military power… And that’s primarily the missile forces of the Islamic Republic, which had obviously been growing substantially and posed a very serious threat… as well as the ability to produce that, and then the Iranian navy.”
• Secretary Rubio (March 3): “Our objectives remain, as they’ve been identified from the beginning and the President laid out clearly yesterday. Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and we will not allow Iran to hide behind the immunity of a massive short-term ballistic missile inventory, or the ability to make them or launch them… As well as the destruction of their navy.”
• Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (March 4): “The mission is laser-focused: obliterate Iran’s missiles and drones and facilities that produce them, annihilate its navy and critical security infrastructure, and sever their pathway to nuclear weapons. Iran will never possess a nuclear bomb.”
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine (March 4): “The Operation was again launched with clear military objectives designed to dismantle Iran’s ability to project power outside of its borders, both today and in the future. First, we are targeting and eliminating Iran’s ballistic missile systems to prevent them from threatening the U.S. forces, partners, and interests in the region. Second, we are destroying the Iranian navy, degrading its capacity capability and ability to conduct operations… Third, we’re ensuring Iran cannot rapidly rebuild or reconstitute its combat capability.”
• Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (March 4): “At the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, launched last weekend, President Trump laid out clear objectives to the American people on what the U.S. military seeks to accomplish through these major combat operations. Number one, destroy the regime’s deadly ballistic missiles and completely raze their missile industry to the ground. Number two, annihilate the Iranian regime’s navy… Number three, Operation Epic Fury will ensure the regime’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the free world and attack our armed forces… Number four, this mission will guarantee Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon.”
• Admiral Cooper (March 5): “We will systemically dismantle Iran’s missile production capability for the future, and that’s absolutely in progress…”
• Leavitt (March 6): “We are well on our way to achieving those objectives — annihilating Iran’s navy… taking out the ballistic missile threat that Iran posed to the United States and our troops and bases in the region… ensuring Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon, as well, and significantly weakening their proxies in the region.”
• Secretary Rubio (March 9): “It is important to continue to remind the American people of why it is that the greatest military in the history of the world is engaged in this operation. It is to destroy the ability of this regime to launch missiles both by destroying their missiles and their launchers, destroy the factories that make these missiles, and destroy their navy.”
• Secretary Hegseth (March 10): “[Our objectives] are straightforward and we are executing them with ruthless precision. One, destroy their missile stockpiles, their missile launchers, and their defense industrial base — missiles and their ability to make them. Two, destroy their navy. And three, permanently deny Iran nuclear weapons forever.”
• General Caine (March 10): “The joint force remains focused on three military objectives…”
• Leavitt (March 10): “Moving forward, the stated objectives for Operation Epic Fury remain the same: destroy the terrorist regime’s ballistic missiles, raze their Iranian missile industry to the ground, ensure their terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region, and ensure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.”

Source: United States White House

class=”has-text-align-left”>NOMINATION SENT TO THE SENATE:

Sarah B. Rogers, of New York, to be Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media.

WITHDRAWALS SENT TO THE SENATE:

William Hewes III, of Mississippi, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission for a term of seven years from October 27, 2024, which was sent to the Senate on January 13, 2026.

Jeremy Carl, of Montana, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (International Organizations), which was sent to the Senate on January 13, 2026.