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Executive Order 13346 🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority Constitutional Fidelity (+0.23) 📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority

Executive Order 13346—Delegation of Certain Waiver, Determination, Certification, Recommendation, and Reporting Functions

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Thursday, July 8, 2004
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3 min read (695 words)
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69 Fed. Reg. 41905

Executive Brief • At a Glance

⏱️ 3 min read (695 words) • ● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate

The functions of the President in making certain waivers, determinations, certifications, recommendations, and reports to the Congress are assigned as follows: (a) The Secretary of State is authorized to make waivers, determinations, certifications, and recommendations, and to undertake related reporting, as described in: (i) Section 402(d)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2432(d)(1)), with respect to the extension of Jackson-Vanik waivers; (ii) Section 609 of Division A of the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999 (Public Law 105–277) as continued in effect by section 612 of Division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108–199) with respect to cooperation related…

⚖️ Constitutional Footing
🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority
Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises Sovereign State Governments & Localities 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 George W. Bush on July 8, 2004, this order concerns Delegation of Certain Waiver, Determination, Certification, Recommendation, and Reporting Functions. The functions of the President in making certain waivers, determinations, certifications, recommendations, and reports to the Congress are assigned as follows: (a) The Secretary of State is authorized to make waivers, determinations, certifications, and recommendations, and to undertake related reporting, as described in: (i) Section 402(d)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2432(d)(1)), with…

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

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The functions of the President in making certain waivers, determinations, certifications, recommendations, and reports to the Congress are assigned as follows: (a) The Secretary of State is authorized to make waivers, determinations, certifications, and recommendations, and to undertake related reporting, as described in: (i) Section 402(d)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2432(d)(1)), with respect to the extension of Jackson-Vanik waivers; (ii) Section 609 of Division A of the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999 (Public Law 105–277) as continued in effect by section 612 of Division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108–199) with respect to cooperation related…

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The United States Trade Representative shall submit the report relating to sub-Saharan Africa under section 106 of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Public Law 106–200, title 1).

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The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to make a certification consistent with section 2(9) of the Resolution with respect to the interests of certain firms in the United States.

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Executive Order 12163 of September 29, 1979, as amended, is further amended, in section 1–100(a), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (12) and inserting a semicolon, and by inserting the following new paragraphs: "(13) title II of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2002 (Public Law 107–115), under the heading "Assistance for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union," in subsections (g)(4) and (6);"; "(14) section 512 of Division D of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108–199);"; "(15) sections 5(c) and 6 of the Anglo-Irish Agreement Support Act of 1986 (Public Law 99–415), as amended.".

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners 🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities
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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: Strong Prerogative Support
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.

🛡️ High Constitutional Concordance
28 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8

Legislative Encroachment & Purse

Low Friction

Operates within delegated statutory execution without modifying legislative appropriations or taxing powers.

Benchmark: Power of the purse, taxes/tariffs, and rule of law reserved to Congress.
Dimension 2 • Art. II, §1 & §3

Executive Scope & Faithfulness

Moderate Friction

Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.

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

Low Friction

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

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 in close harmony with statutory authority and standard Article II supervisory execution.

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
695
4,437 characters
Estimated Read Time
3 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
22.3
Post-Graduate Legal
Language Tone Score
+0.23
Constitutional Fidelity
How is this scored?
Text size:

Official Archival Text

View Source Document
📑Sections Outline (8 sections)

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. #sec-1

The functions of the President in making certain waivers, determinations, certifications, recommendations, and reports to the Congress are assigned as follows: (a) The Secretary of State is authorized to make waivers, determinations, certifications, and recommendations, and to undertake related reporting, as described in: (i) Section 402(d)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2432(d)(1)), with respect to the extension of Jackson-Vanik waivers; (ii) Section 609 of Division A of the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999 (Public Law 105–277) as continued in effect by section 612 of Division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108–199) with respect to cooperation related to persons missing in action and prisoners of war; and (iii) Section 102(a)(2) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended (22 U.S.C. 2799aa–1(a)), with respect to any Presidential determination under section 102(a)(1) that is also the subject of a determination and certification by the President pursuant to section 102(a)(2). (b) The United States Trade Representative shall submit the report relating to sub-Saharan Africa under section 106 of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Public Law 106–200, title 1).

Sec. 2. #sec-2

The functions of the President in making certifications to the Congress consistent with the resolution of advice and consent to ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention adopted by the Senate on April 24, 1997 (Resolution) are assigned as follows: (a) The Secretary of State is authorized to make a certification consistent with section 2(7)(C)(i) of the Resolution with respect to the effectiveness and viability of the Australia Group. (b) The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to make a certification consistent with section 2(9) of the Resolution with respect to the interests of certain firms in the United States.

Sec. 3. #sec-3

Executive Order 12163 of September 29, 1979, as amended, is further amended, in section 1–100(a), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (12) and inserting a semicolon, and by inserting the following new paragraphs: "(13) title II of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2002 (Public Law 107–115), under the heading "Assistance for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union," in subsections (g)(4) and (6);"; "(14) section 512 of Division D of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108–199);"; "(15) sections 5(c) and 6 of the Anglo-Irish Agreement Support Act of 1986 (Public Law 99–415), as amended.".

Sec. 4. #sec-4

Executive Order 13277 of November 19, 2002, is amended in section 1(b)(3) by adding after the phrase "Section 2105(a)(1)" the terms "(A) and (C)".

Sec. 5. #sec-5

References in this order to provisions of any Act shall be deemed to include references to any provision of law that is the same or substantially the same as such provisions.

Sec. 6. #sec-6

In carrying out sections 1 and 2 of this order, officers of the United States shall ensure that all actions taken by them are consistent with the President's constitutional authority to: (a) conduct the foreign affairs of the United States; (b) withhold information the disclosure of which could impair the foreign relations, the national security, the deliberative processes of the Executive, or the performance of the Executive's constitutional duties; (c) recommend for congressional consideration such measures as the President may judge necessary and expedient; and (d) supervise the unitary executive branch.

Sec. 7. #sec-7

Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budget, administrative, or legislative proposals.

Sec. 8. #sec-8

This order is intended only to improve the internal management of the executive branch and is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees or agents, or any other person. George W. Bush The White House, July 8, 2004. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., July 12, 2004]

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Referenced By Later Executive Orders (1)

Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 13,346, 69 Fed. Reg. 41,905 (July 8, 2004).