COVID-19 and Public Health Preparedness and Response
This executive order consolidates the federal government's pandemic preparedness and response leadership under the newly emphasized Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR). It transfers the duties of the COVID-19 Response Coordinator (and related roles from prior executive orders) to the OPPR Director and terminates the COVID-19 Response Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator positions. It revokes several earlier COVID-19 related orders (13910 on hoarding resources, 13991 on federal workforce mask-wearing, and 13998 on safety in travel). The order aims to centralize policy advice and interagency coordination for COVID-19 and other biological threats within the OPPR, while preserving the authority of agencies and the budget process and clarifying that the order does not create new legal rights. In short, the White House shifts leadership of pandemic policy to the OPPR, cancels several older COVID-19 directives, and maintains existing legal and budget frameworks while directing implementation within those constraints.
Key Points
- 1Establishes the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR) as the central policy adviser and coordination hub for pandemic and biological threat preparedness and response, within the Executive Office of the President. The OPPR will guide coordination across agencies to detect, identify, and respond to threats.
- 2Transfers responsibilities from the COVID-19 Response Coordinator (and duties from EO 13987, 13994, 13996) to the Director of the OPPR. The positions of COVID-19 Response Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator are terminated.
- 3Revokes:
- 4- EO 13910 (Preventing Hoarding of Health and Medical Resources in response to COVID-19),
- 5- EO 13991 (Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing),
- 6- EO 13998 (Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel).
- 7General provisions:
- 8- The order does not diminish authorities of executive departments/agencies or the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
- 9- Implementation is subject to applicable law and availability of appropriations.
- 10- It does not create any enforceable legal rights or benefits for individuals.
- 11Purpose and scope: The move is intended to streamline and strengthen federal leadership on COVID-19 and future biological threats by centralizing policy coordination in the OPPR and aligning responsibilities under one office.