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Executive Orders Historical Archive
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Executive Order 13885 Revoked 🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority Constitutional Fidelity (+0.60) 📜 5th Amend: Regulatory Execution with Due Process

Executive Order 13885—Establishing the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee

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Friday, August 30, 2019
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4 min read (712 words)
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84 Fed. Reg. 46873

Executive Brief • At a Glance

⏱️ 4 min read (712 words) • ● Revoked
🎯 Primary Mandate

The Committee shall advise the Secretary and the Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science of the National Science and Technology Council (Subcommittee) and make recommendations to the Secretary to consider when reviewing and revising the National Quantum Initiative Program (Program) established pursuant to section 101 of the Act.

⚖️ Constitutional Footing
🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority
Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
📜 5th Amend: Regulatory Execution with Due Process
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
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 Donald J. Trump (1st Term) on August 30, 2019, this order concerns Establishing the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee. The National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (Committee) is hereby established. The Committee shall consist of the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy or the Director's designee (Director) and not more than 22 members appointed by the Secretary of Energy (Secretary). Committee members shall represent industry, universities, Federal laboratories, and other Federal Government agencies.

Constitutional Assessment: Evaluated against the Fifth Amendment, this action touches upon property or economic rights. An early statesman would insist upon strict adherence to due process of law and the constitutional guarantee that private holdings shall not be encumbered or taken for public purposes without just compensation and lawful process.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

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Functions

The Committee shall advise the Secretary and the Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science of the National Science and Technology Council (Subcommittee) and make recommendations to the Secretary to consider when reviewing and revising the National Quantum Initiative Program (Program) established pursuant to section 101 of the Act.

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Administration

The heads of agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, provide the Committee with information concerning quantum information science and supporting technologies and applications when requested by a Co-Chair of the Committee.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ 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

"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 purse and the sword ought never to be in the same hands... nor the liberties of the citizen placed at the pleasure of a single magistrate." — Virginia Ratifying Convention (1788)

George Mason and the Anti-Federalists would sound a fierce warning. They feared that Article II would inevitably evolve into an elective monarchy. When an executive order impacts private rights, property, or civil liberties without individualized judicial process, Mason would see their darkest predictions verified.

Anti-Federalist Stance: High Bill of Rights Scrutiny
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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
48 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8

Legislative Encroachment & Purse

High Friction

Touches upon core congressional prerogatives: raises appropriations reallocation, tariff imposition, or statutory preemption questions.

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

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
712
4,774 characters
Estimated Read Time
4 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
19.6
Post-Graduate Legal
Language Tone Score
+0.60
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 section 104(a) of the National Quantum Initiative Act (Public Law 115-368) (Act), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and in order to ensure continued American leadership in quantum information science and technology applications, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1 . #sec-1

Establishment . The National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (Committee) is hereby established. The Committee shall consist of the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy or the Director's designee (Director) and not more than 22 members appointed by the Secretary of Energy (Secretary). Committee members shall represent industry, universities, Federal laboratories, and other Federal Government agencies. Committee members must be qualified to provide advice and information on quantum information science and technology research, development, demonstrations, standards, education, technology transfers, commercial application, and national security economic concerns. The Director shall serve as a Co-Chair of the Committee. The Secretary shall designate at least one of the Committee members to serve as Co-Chair with the Director.

Sec. 2 . #sec-2

Functions . (a) The Committee shall advise the Secretary and the Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science of the National Science and Technology Council (Subcommittee) and make recommendations to the Secretary to consider when reviewing and revising the National Quantum Initiative Program (Program) established pursuant to section 101 of the Act. The Committee shall also carry out all responsibilities set forth in section 104 of the Act. (b) The Committee shall meet at least twice a year and shall: (i) respond to requests from the Co-Chairs of the Committee for information, analysis, evaluation, or advice relating to quantum information science and technology applications; (ii) solicit information and ideas from a broad range of stakeholders on quantum information science in order to inform policy making. Stakeholders include the research community, the private sector, universities, national laboratories, executive departments and agencies (agencies), State and local governments, foundations, and nonprofit organizations; and (iii) respond to requests from the Subcommittee.

Sec. 3 . #sec-3

Administration . (a) The heads of agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, provide the Committee with information concerning quantum information science and supporting technologies and applications when requested by a Co-Chair of the Committee. (b) In consultation with the Director, the Committee may create standing subcommittees and ad hoc groups, including technical advisory groups, to assist and provide preliminary information to the Committee. (c) The Director may request that members of the Committee, its standing subcommittees, or ad hoc groups who do not hold a current clearance for access to classified information, receive appropriate clearances and access determinations pursuant to Executive Order 13526 of December 29, 2009 (Classified National Security Information), as amended, or any successor order. (d) The Department of Energy shall provide such funding and administrative and technical support as the Committee may require. (e) Committee members shall serve without any compensation for their work on the Committee, but may receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons serving intermittently in the Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707).

Sec. 4 . #sec-4

General Provisions . (a) Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.) (FACA), may apply to the Committee, any functions of the President under the FACA, except for those in section 6 of the FACA, shall be performed by the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Director, in accordance with the guidelines and procedures established by the Administrator of General Services. (b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (c) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (d) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. DONALD J. TRUMP The White House, August 30, 2019.

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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. 13,885, 84 Fed. Reg. 46,873 (Aug. 30, 2019).