Federal Register executive orders — 2025-02-28

Addressing the Threat to National Security From Imports of Copper

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (Trade Expansion Act), it is hereby ordered:

Section 1 . Policy. Copper is a critical material essential to the national security, economic strength, and industrial resilience of the United States. Copper, scrap copper, and copper's derivative products play a vital role in defense applications, infrastructure, and emerging technologies, including clean energy, electric vehicles, and advanced electronics. The United States faces significant vulnerabilities in the copper supply chain, with increasing reliance on foreign sources for mined, smelted, and refined copper.

The United States has ample copper reserves, yet our smelting and refining capacity lags significantly behind global competitors. A single foreign producer dominates global copper smelting and refining, controlling over 50 percent of global smelting capacity and holding four of the top five largest refining facilities. This dominance, coupled with global overcapacity and a single producer's control of world supply chains, poses a direct threat to United States national security and economic stability.

It is the policy of the United States to ensure a reliable, secure, and resilient domestic copper supply chain. The United States' increasing dependence on foreign sources of copper, particularly from a concentrated number of supplier nations, along with the risk of foreign market manipulation, necessitate action under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act to determine whether imports of copper, scrap copper, and copper's derivative products threaten to impair national security.

Sec. 2 . Investigation Into the National Security Impact of Copper Imports. (a) The Secretary of Commerce shall initiate an investigation under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act to determine the effects on national security of imports of copper in all forms, including but not limited to:

(i) raw mined copper;

(ii) copper concentrates;

(iii) refined copper;

(iv) copper alloys;

(v) scrap copper; and

(vi) derivative products.

(b) In conducting the investigation described in subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall assess the factors set forth in 19 U.S.C. 1862(d), labeled “Domestic production for national defense; impact of foreign competition on economic welfare of domestic industries,” as well as other relevant factors, including:

(i) the current and projected demand for copper in United States defense, energy, and critical infrastructure sectors;

(ii) the extent to which domestic production, smelting, refining, and recycling can meet demand;

(iii) the role of foreign supply chains, particularly from major exporters, in meeting United States demand;

(iv) the concentration of United States copper imports from a small number of suppliers and the associated risks;

(v) the impact of foreign government subsidies, overcapacity, and predatory trade practices on United States industry competitiveness;

(vi) the economic impact of artificially suppressed copper prices due to dumping and state-sponsored overproduction;

(vii) the potential for export restrictions by foreign nations, including the ability of foreign nations to weaponize their control over refined copper supplies;

(viii) the feasibility of increasing domestic copper mining, smelting, and refining capacity to reduce import reliance; and

(ix) the impact of current trade policies on domestic copper production and whether additional measures, including tariffs or quotas, are necessary to protect national security.

Sec. 3 . Required Actions. (a) The Secretary of Commerce shall consult with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies as determined by the Secretary of Commerce to evaluate the national security risks associated with copper import dependency.

(b) Within 270 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit a report to the President that includes:

(i) findings on whether United States dependence on copper imports threatens national security;

(ii) recommendations on actions to mitigate such threats, including potential tariffs, export controls, or incentives to increase domestic production; and

(iii) policy recommendations for strengthening the United States copper supply chain through strategic investments, permitting reforms, and enhanced recycling initiatives.

Sec. 4 . 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.

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Making America Healthy Again by Empowering Patients With Clear, Accurate, and Actionable Healthcare Pricing Information

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. During my first term, my Administration took historic steps to correct a fundamental wrong within the American healthcare system. For far too long, prices were hidden from patients and employers, with inadequate recourse available to individuals looking to shop for care or obtain pricing information from a healthcare provider in advance of a visit or procedure. These opaque pricing arrangements allowed powerful entities, such as hospitals and insurance companies, to operate with insufficient accountability regarding their pricing practices, resulting in patients, employers, and taxpayers shouldering the burden of inflated healthcare costs.

Pursuant to Executive Order 13877 of June 24, 2019 (Improving Price and Quality Transparency in American Healthcare to Put Patients First), my Administration issued paradigm-shifting regulations to put patients first by requiring hospitals and health plans to deliver meaningful price information to the American people. These regulations require hospitals to maintain a consumer-friendly display of pricing information for up to 300 shoppable services and a machine-readable file with negotiated rates for every single service the hospital provides; health plans to post their negotiated rates with providers as well as their out-of-network payments to providers and the actual prices they or their pharmacy benefit manager pay for prescription drugs; and health plans to maintain a consumer-facing internet tool through which individuals can access price information.

One economic analysis from 2023 estimated the impact of these regulations, if fully implemented, could result in as much as $80 billion in healthcare savings for consumers, employers, and insurers by 2025. Another report from 2024 suggested healthcare price transparency could help employers reduce healthcare costs by 27 percent across 500 common healthcare services. Recent data has found the top 25 percent of most expensive healthcare service prices have dropped by 6.3 percent per year following the initial implementation of price transparency during my first term.

Unfortunately, progress on price transparency at the Federal level has stalled since the end of my first term. Hospitals and health plans were not adequately held to account when their price transparency data was incomplete or not even posted at all. The Biden Administration failed to take sufficient steps to fully enforce my Administration's requirement that would end the opaque nature of drug prices by ensuring health plans publicly post the true prices they pay for prescription drugs.

The American people deserve better. Making America healthy again will require empowering individuals with the best information possible to inform their life and healthcare choices. By building on the historic efforts of my first term, my Administration will make more meaningful price information available to patients to support a more competitive, innovative, affordable, and higher quality healthcare system.

Sec. 2 . Policy. It is the policy of the United States to put patients first and ensure they have the information they need to make well-informed healthcare decisions. The Federal Government will continue to promote universal access to clear and accurate healthcare prices and will take all necessary steps to improve existing price transparency requirements; increase enforcement of price transparency requirements; and identify opportunities to further empower patients with meaningful price information, potentially including through the expansion of existing price transparency requirements.

Sec. 3 . Fulfilling the Promise of Radical Transparency. The Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall take all necessary and appropriate action to rapidly implement and enforce the healthcare price transparency regulations issued pursuant to Executive Order 13877, including, within 90 days of the date of this order, action to:

(a) require the disclosure of the actual prices of items and services, not estimates;

(b) issue updated guidance or proposed regulatory action ensuring pricing information is standardized and easily comparable across hospitals and health plans; and

(c) issue guidance or proposed regulatory action updating enforcement policies designed to ensure compliance with the transparent reporting of complete, accurate, and meaningful data.

Sec. 4 . 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.

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