Government Documents - President, Executive Office of the President: Executive Orders and Proclamations

Presidential executive orders (EOs) and proclamations (Ps) are a form of presidential lawmaking. EOs mainly relate to the conduct of government business, organization of executive branch departments, or designation of federal lands. Proclamations tend to be more general in nature but may also carry the weight of executive orders.

Upon issuance, EOs and Ps first appear in the Federal register, and are later compiled in Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Both of these publications are available in full text through govinfo.gov or HeinOnline (UHM login required). Prior to 1948, EOs and proclamations were not compiled in one place. The Government Documents Collection has a microfiche set of EOs and proclamations covering 1789-1983 compiled by the Congressional Information Service. It is accompanied by a comprehensive index that allows searching by date or subject. The microfiche includes unpublished EOs and Ps that are not available in other sources.

Other places to find EOs and Ps:

Wikisource has many EOs but it does not have the full text, or even a complete list, of all published EOs for all presidents. The text of each EO links to other EOs that it affects or by which it was affected.

United States Statutes at Large volumes have a special section at the end of each volume with the text of proclamations issued during the corresponding session of Congress.

American Presidency Project Full text of presidential materials including EOs and Ps. The site does not provide a complete collection of presidential directives.