By virtue of the authority vested in me by subchapter I of chapter 53 of title 5 of the United States Code, as amended by the Federal Pay Comparability Act of 1970, and section 3 (c) of that Act, it is hereby ordered as follows: General Schedule SECTION 1. The rates of basic pay in the General Schedule contained in section 5332 (a) of title 5 of the United States Code are adjusted as follows: Schedules for the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the Veterans' Administration SEC. 2. The schedules contained in section 4107 of title 38 of the United States Code, for certain positions within the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the Veterans' Administration, are adjusted as follows: "Section 4103 Schedule "Assistant Chief Medical Director, $37,624*. "Medical Director, $32,546 minimum to $36,886 maximum*. "Director of Nursing Service, $24,251 minimum to $31,523 maximum. "Director of Chaplain Service, $24,251 minimum to $31,523 maximum. "Chief Pharmacist, $24,251 minimum to $31,523 maximum. "Chief Dietitian, $24,251 minimum to $31,523 maximum. "Physician and Dentist Schedule "Director grade, $28,129 minimum to $35,633 maximum. "Executive grade, $26,143 minimum to $33,982 maximum. "Chief grade, $24,251 minimum to $31,523 maximum. "Senior grade, $20,815 minimum to $27,061 maximum. "Intermediate grade, $17,761 minimum to $23,089 maximum. "Full grade, $15,040 minimum to $19,549 maximum. "Associate grade, $12,615 minimum to $16,404 maximum. "Nurse Schedule "Assistant Director grade, $20,815 minimum to $27,061 maximum. "Chief grade, $17,761 minimum to $23,089 maximum. "Senior grade, $15,040 minimum to $19,549 maximum. "Intermediate grade, $12,615 minimum to $16,404 maximum. "Full grade, $10,470 minimum to $13,611 maximum. "Associate grade, $9,026 minimum to $11,735 maximum. "Junior grade, $7,727 minimum to $10,049 maximum." Foreign Service Schedules SEC. 3. (a) The per annum salaries of Foreign Service officers in the schedule contained in section 412 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended (22 U.S.C. 867), are adjusted as follows: (b) The per annum salaries of staff officers and employees in the schedule contained in section 415 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended (22 U.S.C. 870(a)), are adjusted as follows: Conversion Rules SEC. 4. The agencies hereinafter designated shall prescribe such rules as may be necessary to convert the rates of basic pay or salaries of officers and employees to the rates prescribed in this order: (1) General Schedule, the Civil Service Commission; (2) Schedules for the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the Veterans' Administration, the Veterans' Administration; (3) Foreign Service schedules, the Department of State. Effective Date SEC. 5. This order shall take effect as of the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 1971. RICHARD NIXON The White House January 8, 1971
Executive Order 11576 🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)
📜 10th Amend: Intergovernmental Federalism Cooperation
Executive Order 11576—Adjusting Rates of Pay for Certain Statutory Pay Systems
Executive Brief • At a Glance
⏱️ 2 min read (445 words) •
● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate
The per annum salaries of Foreign Service officers in the schedule contained in section 412 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended (22 U.S.C. 867), are adjusted as follows: (b) The per annum salaries of staff officers and employees in the schedule contained in section 415 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended (22 U.S.C. 870(a)), are adjusted as follows: Conversion Rules SEC. 4.
⚖️ Constitutional Footing
🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority
Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
📜 10th Amend: Intergovernmental Federalism Cooperation
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Armed Forces & Military Establishments Sovereign State Governments & Localities Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants Foreign Nations & International Entities
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President Richard Nixon on January 8, 1971, this order concerns Adjusting Rates of Pay for Certain Statutory Pay Systems. General Schedule SECTION 1. The rates of basic pay in the General Schedule contained in section 5332 (a) of title 5 of the United States Code are adjusted as follows: Schedules for the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the Veterans' Administration SEC. 2.
Constitutional Assessment: Reviewed under the Tenth Amendment and the principle of dual federalism, this order touches upon domains traditionally reserved to the sovereign States. The Framers would caution against any attempt to commandeer state officers or displace local police powers through federal executive fiat.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
▪
The per annum salaries of Foreign Service officers in the schedule contained in section 412 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended (22 U.S.C. 867), are adjusted as follows: (b) The per annum salaries of staff officers and employees in the schedule contained in section 415 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended (22 U.S.C. 870(a)), are adjusted as follows: Conversion Rules SEC. 4.
▪
The agencies hereinafter designated shall prescribe such rules as may be necessary to convert the rates of basic pay or salaries of officers and employees to the rates prescribed in this order: (1) General Schedule, the Civil Service Commission; (2) Schedules for the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the Veterans' Administration, the Veterans' Administration; (3) Foreign Service schedules, the Department of State.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments
🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities
🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants
🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities
🏛️ Public Health & Medical Institutions
Policy Areas & Topics
🏛️
The Framers' Constitutional Council
1787 PrismEvaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.
🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority)
§
"When the President acts pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress, his authority is at its maximum, for it includes all that he possesses in his own right plus all that Congress can delegate."
— Justice Robert H. Jackson, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
JM
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"The constitutional magistracy was designed not to invent policy, but to be the faithful instrument of the laws passed by the people's representatives." — Speech in the First Congress (1789)
Madison would approve the structural posture of this order. The President acts strictly in subordination to statutory authority granted under Article II, Section 3 ("take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). The checks and balances hold firm because the policy origin remains with the legislature.
Madisonian Stance: Concurring (Statutory)
AH
Alexander Hamilton
The Energetic Executive & Unified Command
"A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government." — Federalist No. 70 (1788)
Hamilton would view this directive as the natural and indispensable functioning of administrative leadership. Without the power to coordinate agencies, manage personnel, and resolve operational ambiguities, the modern presidency would be reduced to an impotent figurehead.
Hamiltonian Stance: Supportive of Execution
GM
George Mason
Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." — 10th Amendment to the US Constitution (1791)
Mason would scrutinize whether this federal directive intrudes into police powers, land stewardship, or municipal domains historically reserved to local citizens. The Anti-Federalist demand is that federal administration must never supplant state self-governance.
Anti-Federalist Stance: Eternal Vigilance Required
📐
Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions
An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.
⚖️ Discretionary Twilight Zone
36 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8
Moderate Friction
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.
Benchmark: Power of the purse, taxes/tariffs, and rule of law reserved to Congress.
Dimension 2 • Art. II, §1 & §3
Moderate Friction
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.
Benchmark: Faithfully execute laws enacted by Congress vs. unilateral decree.
Dimension 3 • 10th Amendment
Moderate Friction
Federalism & State Sovereignty
Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.
Benchmark: Police powers and un-delegated responsibilities reserved to the States.
Dimension 4 • 5th & 14th Amendments
Low Friction
Due Process & Individual Rights
Focuses on internal governmental operations with no direct impairment of private rights or property.
Benchmark: Protection of private property, contracts, liberty, and procedural justice.
Dimension 5 • Separation of Powers
Low Friction
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.
Benchmark: Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
⚖️
Audit Synthesis
This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.
Weighted composite: Art. I (25%), Art. II (25%), Federalism (15%), Due Process (15%), Youngstown (20%).
ℹ️
How to read these dimensions: Executive power expands whenever an administration acts without explicit statutory authorization from Congress (Article I), touches upon police powers historically reserved to the states (Tenth Amendment), or limits private rights and property without judicial process. A low friction score indicates strict concordance with enacted law; a high friction score highlights orders testing the limits of presidential discretion.
Total Words
445
2,899 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
10.5
High School
Text size:
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Referenced By Later Executive Orders (1)
Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.
Gerald R. Ford • 1974-10-07
Related Executive Orders
Other executive actions signed by Richard Nixon around this period.
EO 11577 Jan 8, 1971
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 11577—Adjusting the Rates of Monthly Basic Pay for Members of the Uniformed Services
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
The rates of monthly basic pay for members of the uniformed services within each pay grade are adjusted upwards as set forth in the following tables: SEC. 2.
Richard Nixon High School • 1m
EO 11578 Jan 13, 1971
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 11578—Establishment of the Ohio River Basin Commission
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
Ohio River Basin Commission. It is hereby declared that the Ohio River Basin Commission is established under the provisions of Title II of the Water Resources Planning Act (42 U.S.C. 1962b et seq.). SEC. 2. Jurisdiction of the Commission.
Richard Nixon College Level • 2m
EO 11575 Dec 31, 1970
🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority) Fidelity (+0.33)
Executive Order 11575—Providing for the Administration of the Disaster Relief Act of 1970
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
The authorities vested in the President by section 102 (1) of the Act to declare a major disaster, by section 251 of the Act to provide for the restoration of Federal facilities, and by section 253 of the Act to prescribe time limits for granting priorities for certain public…
Richard Nixon Post-Graduate Legal • 3m
EO 11579 Jan 19, 1971
🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority) Fidelity (+0.33)
Executive Order 11579—Overseas Private Investment Corporation
📜 Art. I §8: Delegated Tariff & Commerce Execution
Transfer to Overseas Private Investment Corporation. All obligations, assets and related rights and responsibilities arising out of, or related to, predecessor programs and authorities similar to those provided for in sections 234 (a), (b) and (d) of the Act are hereby…
Richard Nixon Post-Graduate Legal • 2m
EO 11581 Jan 20, 1971
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 11581—Amending Executive Order No. 11248, Placing Certain Positions in Levels IV and V of the Federal Executive Salary Schedule
📜 Art. II §1: Executive Discretion & Internal Operations
Executive Order No. 11248 of October 10, 1965, as amended, is further amended as follows: 1. Section 1 of that Order, placing certain positions in level IV of the Federal Executive Salary Schedule, is amended— (a) by deleting "(6) Deputy Administrator, Federal Highway…
Richard Nixon College Level • 1m
EO 11580 Revoked Jan 20, 1971
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 11580—Establishing a Seal for the National Credit Union Administration
📜 Art. II §3: Administrative Management & Civil Service
I hereby approve such seal as the official seal of the National Credit Union Administration.
Richard Nixon Post-Graduate Legal • 1m
📜
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 11,576 (Jan. 8, 1971), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-11576-adjusting-rates-pay-for-certain-statutory-pay-systems.
