Automated Sync Active • Database updated as of Recent Browse All Orders →
Executive Orders Archive

Every President • 1789 to Present

Executive Order 12163 Constitutional Fidelity (+0.55)

Executive Order 12163—Administration of Foreign Assistance and Related Functions

Saturday, September 29, 1979
21 min read (4,179 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Jimmy Carter on 1979-09-29, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Administration of Foreign Assistance and Related Functions." It is an expansive, comprehensive regulatory directive mandating coordinated enforcement, detailed procedural standards, and formal agency compliance benchmarks across multiple federal departments.

Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

2 of 1979 are declared effective and the United States International Development Cooperation Agency (hereinafter referred to as "IDCA" ) is hereby established.
To this end he shall consult regularly with the Secretary of State.
The Office of Small Business provided for in section 602 (b) of the Act shall be in the Agency for International Development.
Such functions shall be exercised in cooperation with the Director.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
Total Words
4,179
26,192 characters
Estimated Read Time
21 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
15.5
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.55
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 12163, Jimmy Carter (Sep 29, 1979). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12163-administration-foreign-assistance-and-related-functions.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)