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Executive Order 12293 Constitutional Fidelity (+0.29)

Executive Order 12293—Foreign Service of the United States

Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan
•
Monday, February 23, 1981
•
4 min read (788 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 Ronald Reagan on 1981-02-23, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Foreign Service of the United States." 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

▪ There are hereby delegated to the Secretary of State those functions vested in the President by Sections 205, 401(a), 502(c), 613, and 801 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, hereinafter referred to as the Act (22 U.S.C.
▪ The Secretary of State shall, in accord with Section 205 of the Act (22 U.S.C.
▪ The Secretary of State shall make recommendations to the President through the Director of the Office of Management and Budget whenever action is appropriate under Section 827 of the Act (22 U.S.C.
▪ 3962), there are established the following salary classes with titles for the Senior Foreign Service (SFS), at basic rates of pay equivalent to that established from time to time for the Senior Executive Service (ES) under Section 5382 of Title 5 of the United States Code.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities
Total Words
788
4,653 characters
Estimated Read Time
4 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
14.3
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.29
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 12293, Ronald Reagan (Feb 23, 1981). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12293-foreign-service-the-united-states.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, including the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (94 Stat. 2071, 22 U.S.C. 3901 et seq.), Section 202 of the Revised Statutes (22 U.S.C. 2656), and Section 301 of Title 3 of the United States Code, and in order to provide for the administration of the Foreign Service of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. There are hereby delegated to the Secretary of State those functions vested in the President by Sections 205, 401(a), 502(c), 613, and 801 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, hereinafter referred to as the Act (22 U.S.C. 3925, 3942(a) (1), 3892(c), 4013, and 4041). Sec. 2. The Secretary of State shall, in accord with Section 205 of the Act (22 U.S.C. 3925), consult with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Director of the International Communication Agency, the Director of the United States International Development Cooperation Agency, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in order to ensure compatibility between the Foreign Service personnel system and other government personnel systems. Sec. 3. The Secretary of State shall make recommendations to the President through the Director of the Office of Management and Budget whenever action is appropriate under Section 827 of the Act (22 U.S.C. 4067) to maintain existing conformity between the Civil Service Retirement and Disability System and the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System. Sec. 4. In accord with Section 402 of the Act (22 U.S.C. 3962), there are established the following salary classes with titles for the Senior Foreign Service (SFS), at basic rates of pay equivalent to that established from time to time for the Senior Executive Service (ES) under Section 5382 of Title 5 of the United States Code. Career Minister (a) Basic rate of pay equivalent to ES 6. Minister-Counselor (a) Basic rate of pay equivalent to ES 6, or (b) Basic rate of pay equivalent to ES 5, or (c) Basic rate of pay equivalent to ES 4. Counselor (a) Basic rate of pay equivalent to ES 6, or (b) Basic rate of pay equivalent to ES 5, or (c) Basic rate of pay equivalent to ES 4, or (d) Basic rate of pay equivalent to ES 3, or (e) Basic rate of pay equivalent to ES 2, or (f) Basic rate of pay equivalent to ES 1. Sec. 5. There is hereby delegated to the Secretary of State, without further action by the President, the authority vested in the President by Section 2107 of the Act to the extent necessary to implement the provisions of Section 2101 of the Act, relating to pay and benefits pending conversion. Sec. 6. (a) Pursuant to Section 211 of the Act (22 U.S.C. 3931), there is established in the Department of State the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service. (b) The Board shall be appointed by, and in accordance with regulations prescribed by, the Secretary of State, except that not less than five shall be career members of the Foreign Service and not less than seven shall be appointed as follows. (1) not less than five shall be appointed by the heads of the agencies utilizing the Foreign Service personnel system; (2) not less that one shall be a representative appointed by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management; and (3) not less than one shall be a representative appointed by the Secretary of Labor. (c) The Secretary of State shall designate from among the members of the Board a Chairman who is a member of the Service. (d) The Secretary of State shall provide all necessary administrative services and facilities for the Board. Sec. 7. For the purpose of ensuring the accuracy of information used in the administration of the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System, the Secretary of State may request from the Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of Veterans Affairs such information as the Secretary deems necessary. To the extent permitted by law: (a) The Secretary of Defense shall provide information on retired or retainer pay provided under Title 10, United States Code; and, (b) the Administrator of Veterans Affairs shall provide information on pensions or compensation provided under Title 38 of the United States Code. The Secretary, in consultation with the officials from whom information is requested, shall ensure that information made available under this Order is used only for the purpose authorized. Sec. 8. This Order shall be effective as of February 15, 1981. RONALD REAGAN The White House, February 23, 1981. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:54 a.m., February 24, 1981]