Democracy Dies in Darkness

Trump to sign executive order designating English official language of U.S.

The order will rescind a mandate “that required agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide extensive language assistance to non-English speakers,” the White House said.

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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters and signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 4. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

President Donald Trump will soon sign an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States, marking the first time the country will have a federally recognized national language in its nearly 250-year history.

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A draft White House fact sheet obtained by The Washington Post states that the order will rescind a federal mandate issued by then-President Bill Clinton “that required agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide extensive language assistance to non-English speakers.”

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