Ethics Pledge EO (E.O. 13770)

Summary

Makes new government workers promise not to lobby, take gifts, or work for foreign governments for a set time after they leave their jobs.

What problem does this solve?

Some government officials leave their jobs to become lobbyists, using their connections to influence the government. This order makes new officials sign a promise not to do this for several years after they leave.

What does this order do?

Mandatory ethics pledge for new appointees

Requires every new appointee in an executive agency to sign a binding ethics pledge as a condition of their employment.

Five-year ban on lobbying former agency

Prohibits former appointees from lobbying the agency they worked for within 5 years after leaving their government job.

Lifetime ban on representing foreign governments

Permanently bans former appointees from any activity that would require them to register as an agent for a foreign government or political party.

Ban on accepting gifts from lobbyists

Forbids appointees from accepting gifts from registered lobbyists or lobbying organizations while they are serving in government.

Two-year 'cooling-off' period for former employers

Stops appointees for 2 years from working on any specific issue, like regulations or contracts, that is directly related to their former employer or clients.

Restrictions for former lobbyists

Prevents appointees who were registered lobbyists from working on any matter they lobbied on for 2 years after their appointment.

Presidential waiver authority

Allows the President or a designee to grant a waiver to any person, exempting them from any of the restrictions in the ethics pledge.

Enforcement through legal action

Authorizes the Attorney General to file civil lawsuits against former appointees who break their pledge, which can result in lobbying bans or financial penalties.

Revokes previous ethics order

Replaces and revokes Executive Order 13490, which was the previous administration's ethics commitment rules for executive branch personnel.

Who does this affect?

Executive Branch appointees

What is the real world impact?

•

Increases public trust in government

Creates strict rules for government workers to follow, aiming to show the public that officials are working for them, not for their own future benefit or for special interests.

•

Allows for presidential exceptions

Includes a waiver provision that allows the President to bypass any of the ethics rules for any person. This could be used to appoint someone who would otherwise be blocked, weakening the order's power.

When does this start?

The rules apply to all executive agency appointees hired on or after January 20, 2017, and include several time-based restrictions.

Lobbying ban

Appointees are banned from lobbying their former agency for 5 years after leaving their job.

Foreign representation ban

Appointees are permanently banned from working on behalf of a foreign government or political party after leaving their job.

Former employer/client restriction

For 2 years after their appointment, appointees cannot work on matters directly related to their former employer or clients.

Former lobbyist restriction

Appointees who were lobbyists cannot work on issues they previously lobbied on for 2 years after their appointment.