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Executive Order 12260 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 12260—Agreement on Government Procurement

Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter
•
Wednesday, December 31, 1980
•
2 min read (420 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 1980-12-31, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Agreement on Government Procurement." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

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

▪ Such procurement shall be in accord with the policies and procedures of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (41 U.S.C.
▪ The United States Trade Representative, hereinafter referred to as the Trade Representative, shall be responsible for interpretation of the Agreement.
▪ The Trade Representative shall seek the advice of the interagency organization established under Section 242(a) of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.G.
▪ The interpretation of Article VIII: 1 of the Agreement shall be subject to the concurrence of the Secretary of Defense.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities
Total Words
420
2,708 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
12.8
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 12260, Jimmy Carter (Dec 31, 1980). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12260-agreement-government-procurement.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and statutes of the United States of America, including Title III of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. 2511-2518), and Section 301 of Title 3 of the United States Code, and in order to implement the Agreement on Government Procurement, as defined in 19 U.S.C. 2518(1), it is hereby ordered as follows: 1-1. Responsibilities. 1-101. The obligations of the Agreement on Government Procurement (Agreement on Government Procurement, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 12 April 1979, Geneva (GATT 1979) ) apply to any procurement of eligible products by the Executive agencies listed in the Annex to this Order (eligible products are defined in Section 308 of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979; 19 U.S.C. 2518(4) ). Such procurement shall be in accord with the policies and procedures of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (41 U.S.C. 401 et seq.). 1-102. The United States Trade Representative, hereinafter referred to as the Trade Representative, shall be responsible for interpretation of the Agreement. The Trade Representative shall seek the advice of the interagency organization established under Section 242(a) of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.G. 1872(a)) and consult with affected Executive agencies, including the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. 1-103. The interpretation of Article VIII: 1 of the Agreement shall be subject to the concurrence of the Secretary of Defense. 1-104. The Trade Representative shall determine, from time to time, the dollar equivalent of 150,000 Special Drawing Right units and shall publish that determination in the FEDERAL REGISTER. Procurement of less than 150,000 Special Drawing Right units is not subject to the Agreement or this Order (Article I: 1 (b) of the Agreement). 1-105. In order to ensure coordination of international trade policy with regard to the implementation of the Agreement, agencies shall consult in advance with the Trade Representative about negotiations with foreign governments or instrumentalities which concern government procurement. 1-2. Delegations and Authorization. 1-201. The functions vested in the President by Sections 301, 302, 304, 305 (c) and 306 of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. 2511, 2512, 2514, 2515(c) and 2516) are delegated to the Trade Representative. 1-202. Notwithstanding the delegation in Section 1-201, the Secretary of Defense is authorized, in accord with Section 302(b) (3) of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. 2512(b)(3)), to waive the prohibitions specified therein. JIMMY CARTER The White House, December 31, 1980. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 3:10 p.m., January 2, 1981]