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Executive Order 13191 🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority Constitutional Fidelity (+0.23) 📜 Art. I §8: Delegated Tariff & Commerce Execution

Executive Order 13191—Implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act

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Wednesday, January 17, 2001
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7 min read (1,411 words)
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66 Fed. Reg. 7271

Executive Brief • At a Glance

⏱️ 7 min read (1,411 words) • ● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate

The Committee, after consultation with the Commissioner, United States Customs Service (Commissioner), is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 112(b)(6) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(b)(6)) to consult with beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries and to determine which, if any, particular textile and apparel goods shall be treated as being handloomed, handmade, or folklore articles.

⚖️ Constitutional Footing
🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority
Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
📜 Art. I §8: Delegated Tariff & Commerce Execution
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants Private Citizens & Property Owners

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

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

Signed by President William J. Clinton on January 17, 2001, this order concerns Implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act. Apparel Articles Assembled from Fabrics or Yarn Not Available in Commercial Quantities. The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (the "Committee") is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 112(b)(5)(B)(i) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(b)(5)(B)(i)) to determine whether yarns or fabrics cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely…

Constitutional Assessment: This action represents an orderly exercise of Article II administrative discretion, managing the internal machinery and personnel of the executive branch without abridging the ancient liberties of the people.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

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Handloomed, Handmade, and Folklore Articles

The Committee, after consultation with the Commissioner, United States Customs Service (Commissioner), is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 112(b)(6) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(b)(6)) to consult with beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries and to determine which, if any, particular textile and apparel goods shall be treated as being handloomed, handmade, or folklore articles.

▪
Certain Interlinings

The Committee is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 112(d)(1)(B)(iii) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(d)(1)(B)(iii)) to determine whether U.S. manufacturers are producing interlinings in the United States in commercial quantities.

▪
Effective Visa Systems

Pursuant to sections 112(a) and 113(a)(1) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(a) and 3722(a)(1)), the USTR is authorized to direct the Commissioner to take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that textile and apparel articles described in section 112(b) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(b)) that are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption are accompanied by an appropriate export visa, if the preferential treatment described in section 112(a) of the AGOA is claimed with respect to such articles.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
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The Framers' Constitutional Council

1787 Prism

Evaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.

🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority)
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"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

"The direction of war implies the direction of the common strength; and the power of directing and employing the common strength must be under the direction of the single hand of the Executive." — Federalist No. 74 (1788)

Hamilton would forcefully champion executive discretion here. For foreign entanglements, commerce defense, and national security, deliberative assemblies are too slow and faction-ridden. A unified, energetic Executive exercising swift command is precisely what the Philadelphia Convention intended for national preservation.

Hamiltonian Stance: Supportive of Execution
GM

George Mason

Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment

"The president will be surrounded by flatterers and sycophants... and the great powers of the executive will gradually absorb the liberties of the people." — Cato IV (Anti-Federalist, 1787)

The Anti-Federalist prism advises continuous democratic vigilance. Even routine administrative directives aggregate centralized federal power away from town halls and state assemblies toward a distant executive apparatus.

Anti-Federalist Stance: Eternal Vigilance Required
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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
35 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8

Legislative Encroachment & Purse

Moderate Friction

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

Executive Scope & Faithfulness

Low Friction

Exercises standard supervisory executive authority to faithfully execute existing statutes.

Benchmark: Faithfully execute laws enacted by Congress vs. unilateral decree.
Dimension 3 • 10th Amendment

Federalism & State Sovereignty

Moderate Friction

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

Due Process & Individual Rights

Moderate Friction

Applies regulatory or compliance standards to private contractors or commercial entities.

Benchmark: Protection of private property, contracts, liberty, and procedural justice.
Dimension 5 • Separation of Powers

Youngstown Jacksonian Tier

Low Friction

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%).
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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
1,411
9,398 characters
Estimated Read Time
7 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
14.6
College Level
Language Tone Score
+0.23
Constitutional Fidelity
How is this scored?
Text size:

Official Archival Text

View Source Document

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Title I of Public Law 106–200) (AGOA), the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (Title II of Public Law 106–200) (CBTPA), the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and in order to expand international trade and enhance our economic partnership with sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean Basin, promote investment and economic development and reduce poverty in those regions, and create new economic opportunities for American workers and businesses, it is hereby ordered as follows: Part I—Implementation of the AGOA

Section 1. #sec-1

Apparel Articles Assembled from Fabrics or Yarn Not Available in Commercial Quantities. The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (the "Committee") is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 112(b)(5)(B)(i) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(b)(5)(B)(i)) to determine whether yarns or fabrics cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner. The Committee shall establish procedures to ensure appropriate public participation in any such determination. The Committee and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) are jointly authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under sections 112(b)(5)(B)(ii), (iii), and (v) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(b)(5)(B)(ii), (iii), and (v)) to obtain advice from the appropriate advisory committee, to submit a report to the appropriate Congressional committees, and to consult with those Congressional committees. The USTR is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 112(b)(5)(B)(ii) of the AGOA to obtain advice from the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC).

Sec. 2. #sec-2

Handloomed, Handmade, and Folklore Articles. The Committee, after consultation with the Commissioner, United States Customs Service (Commissioner), is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 112(b)(6) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(b)(6)) to consult with beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries and to determine which, if any, particular textile and apparel goods shall be treated as being handloomed, handmade, or folklore articles. The Commissioner shall take such actions to carry out any such determination as directed by the Committee.

Sec. 3. #sec-3

Certain Interlinings. The Committee is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 112(d)(1)(B)(iii) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(d)(1)(B)(iii)) to determine whether U.S. manufacturers are producing interlinings in the United States in commercial quantities. The Committee shall establish procedures to ensure appropriate public participation in any such determination. The determination or determinations of the Committee under this section shall be set forth in a notice or notices that the Committee shall cause to be published in the Federal Register. The Commissioner shall take such actions to carry out any such determination as directed by the Committee.

Sec. 4. #sec-4

Penalties for Transshipments. The Committee, after consultation with the Commissioner, is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 113(b)(3) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3722(b)(3)) to determine, based on sufficient evidence, whether an exporter has engaged in transshipment and to deny for a period of 5 years all benefits under section 112 of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721) to any such exporter, any successor of such exporter, and any other entity owned or operated by the principal of such exporter. The determination or determinations of the Committee under this section shall be set forth in a notice or notices that the Committee shall cause to be published in the Federal Register. The Commissioner shall take such actions to carry out any such determination as directed by the Committee.

Sec. 5. #sec-5

Effective Visa Systems. Pursuant to sections 112(a) and 113(a)(1) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(a) and 3722(a)(1)), the USTR is authorized to direct the Commissioner to take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that textile and apparel articles described in section 112(b) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(b)) that are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption are accompanied by an appropriate export visa, if the preferential treatment described in section 112(a) of the AGOA is claimed with respect to such articles. Part II—Implementation of the CBTPA

Sec. 6. #sec-6

Apparel Articles Assembled from Fabrics or Yarn Not Available in Commercial Quantities. The Committee is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 213(b)(2)(A)(v)(II)(aa) of the CBERA (19 U.S.C. 2703(b)(2)(A)(v)(II)(aa)), as added by section 211(a) of the CBTPA, to determine whether yarns or fabrics cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner. The Committee shall establish procedures to ensure appropriate public participation in any such determination. The Committee and the USTR are jointly authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under sections 213(b)(2)(A)(v)(II)(bb), (cc), and (ee) of the CBERA (19 U.S.C. 2703(b)(2)(A)(v)(II)(bb), (cc), and (ee)), as added by section 211(a) of the CBTPA, to obtain advice from the appropriate advisory committee, to submit a report to the appropriate Congressional committees, and to consult with those Congressional committees. The USTR is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 213(b)(2)(A)(v)(II)(bb) of the CBERA to obtain advice from the USITC.

Sec. 7. #sec-7

Certain Interlinings. The Committee is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 213(b)(2)(A)(vii)(II)(cc) of the CBERA (19 U.S.C. 2703(b)(2)(A)(vii)(II)(cc)), as added by section 211(a) of the CBTPA, to determine whether U.S. manufacturers are producing interlinings in the United States in commercial quantities. The Committee shall establish procedures to ensure appropriate public participation in any such determination. The determination or determinations of the Committee under this section shall be set forth in a notice or notices that the Committee shall cause to be published in the Federal Register. The Commissioner shall take such actions to carry out any such determination as directed by the Committee.

Sec. 8. #sec-8

Handloomed, Handmade, and Folklore Articles. The Committee, after consultation with the Commissioner, is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 213(b)(2)(C) of the CBERA (19 U.S.C. 2703(b)(2)(C)), as added by section 211(a) of the CBTPA, to consult with representatives of CBTPA beneficiary countries for the purpose of identifying particular textile and apparel goods that are mutually agreed upon as being handloomed, hand made, or folklore goods within the meaning of that section. The Commissioner shall take such actions to carry out any such determination as directed by the Committee.

Sec. 9. #sec-9

Penalties for Transshipments. The Committee, after consultation with the Commissioner, is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 213(b)(2)(D) of the CBERA (19 U.S.C. 2703(b)(2)(D)), as added by section 211(a) of the CBTPA, to determine, based on sufficient evidence, whether an exporter has engaged in transshipment and, if transshipment has occurred, to deny all benefits under the CBTPA to any such exporter, and any successor of such exporter, for a period of 2 years; to request that any CBTPA beneficiary country through whose territory transshipment has occurred take all necessary and appropriate actions to prevent such transshipment; and to impose the penalty provided in section 213(b)(2)(D)(ii) of the CBERA on a CBTPA beneficiary country if the Committee determines that such country is not taking such actions. The determination or determinations of the Committee under this section shall be set forth in a notice or notices that the Committee shall cause to be published in the Federal Register. The Commissioner shall take such actions to carry out any such determination as directed by the Committee.

Sec. 10. #sec-10

Bilateral Emergency Tariff Actions. The Committee is authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President under section 213(b)(2)(E) of the CBERA (19 U.S.C. 2703(b)(2)(E)), as added by section 211(a) of the CBTPA, to take bilateral emergency tariff actions, if the Committee determines that the conditions provided in section 213(b)(2)(E) of the CBERA are satisfied. The Committee shall establish procedures to ensure appropriate public participation in any such determination. The determination or determinations of the Committee under this section shall be set forth in a notice or notices that the Committee shall cause to be published in the Federal Register. The Commissioner shall take such actions to carry out any such bilateral emergency tariff action as directed by the Committee. Part III—General Provisions

Sec. 11. #sec-11

Judicial Review. This order does not create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or equity by a party against the United States, its agencies, its officers, or any person. William J. Clinton

THE WHITE HOUSE, #signature

January 17, 2001.

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 13,191, 66 Fed. Reg. 7271 (Jan. 17, 2001).