US Justice Department urges shift to English-only programs following Trump’s executive order

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday directed federal agencies to scale back multilingual outreach and explore which programs can operate “exclusively in English” as part of implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order.

In a memo to all agencies, Bondi called English a “common foundation for public discourse” and said prioritizing it would reduce administrative burdens and enhance efficiency. “This initiative is not merely a return to tradition but a forward-looking strategy to enhance social and economic integration,” she wrote.

The Justice Department also suspended previous civil rights guidance on services for those with limited English proficiency and paused operations of LEP.gov pending review.

“The Department of Justice ensures that while we respect linguistic diversity, our federal resources will prioritize English proficiency to empower new Americans and strengthen civic unity,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon in a statement.

Trump signed an executive order in March to make English the official language of the US, saying in his order that English has been used as the national language since its founding. The order reverses a 25-year-old directive issued by former President Bill Clinton, which required federal agencies and federally funded entities to provide language assistance to individuals with limited English proficiency.