President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Friday that makes English the official U.S. language.
The move will rescind a Clinton-era mandate that required federal agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide language assistance. Now, those agencies will have the flexibility to determine whether to offer service in languages other than English, though the order encourages “new Americans to adopt a national language that opens doors to greater opportunities.”
Through the order, President Trump “affirms that a common language fosters national cohesion, helps newcomers engage in communities and traditions, and enriches our shared culture,” a fact sheet said.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, most Americans—more than 78%—speak only English at home. But millions of Americans primarily speak other languages, such as Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog. Dozens of Native American languages are also spoken in the U.S.
More than 30 states have passed legislation designating English as their official language.
Since the civil-rights movement of the 1960s, several laws have been passed to provide services or equal opportunities for non-English speaking people in the U.S. Republicans in Congress have also tried—unsuccessfully—to pass legislation making English the national language.
Vice President JD Vance introduced the English Language Unity Act when he served as a U.S. senator from Ohio. The proposed bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R., N.D.), called for the federal government to conduct all official business in English and introduce a language-testing standard for a pathway to citizenship. (WSJ)
The move was praised on social media:
Excellent. This is long, long overdue.
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) February 28, 2025
America is not just an abstract "idea." It is a nation and a people, with our own distinct history, heritage, culture and language.
In this country, we speak English.
It's about time our laws reflected that. pic.twitter.com/pzQjNQ7afj
🚨BREAKING: President Trump will sign an executive order making English the official language of the United States. This is HUGE. In an era of mass immigration, asserting that the English language as the American language, is a message of national UNITY. pic.twitter.com/8KjBWQDQW0
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 28, 2025
BREAKING: President Trump plans to sign an executive order making English the official language of the United States.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 28, 2025
Despite nearly 250 years of history, the U.S. has never had a federally recognized national language—until now. pic.twitter.com/yNOM9f6EEq
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