NABC Advocacy Briefings: Executive Orders and Policy Updates
“Championing justice, access, and mental wellness for Black communities nationwide.” |
The Advocacy Committee of the National Association of Black Counselors (NABC) is dedicated to monitoring federal executive orders, legislation, and policy actions that impact Black communities, mental health professionals, and the clients we serve. Our mission is to ensure that the voices of Black counselors remain central in shaping equitable policies that promote access, justice, and wellness.
Through these briefings, the Advocacy Committee provides accessible, research-informed summaries and analyses of current executive actions. Each post reflects our commitment to advocacy, education, and empowerment ensuring that our members and partners remain informed, engaged, and equipped to respond to policies affecting the mental health and well-being of our communities.
Below are the Committee’s most recent briefings on executive orders and their implications for Black mental health, counseling practice, and social justice.
Executive Order 14354 — Continuance of Certain Federal Advisory Committees
Issued: September 29, 2025
Topic: Governance, Policy Continuity
Summary
This order renews the operation of more than a dozen federal advisory committees through 2027, including the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs, the Religious Liberty Commission, and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
The continuation of these councils ensures institutional continuity but also provides an opportunity to diversify advisory leadership and elevate underrepresented voices.
NABC Advocacy Position
NABC supports the continuation of advisory committees but urges proactive inclusion of Black experts, mental health professionals, and community leaders in federal policymaking.
Representation matters and equitable participation on these committees ensures that decisions reflect the lived realities of Black communities nationwide.
Executive Order 14351 — The Gold Card
Issued: September 19, 2025
Topic: Immigration, Economic Policy
Summary
This order introduces the Gold Card visa program, allowing foreign nationals to obtain expedited U.S. residency by donating $1 million personally or $2 million through a corporation to the Department of Commerce.
The order positions the program as a way to attract high-value investors and stimulate the economy. Critics warn that it privileges wealth over merit or humanitarian need, turning immigration into a transactional process.
NABC Advocacy Position
NABC rejects immigration systems that prioritize affluence over equity. The Gold Card undermines fair immigration principles and excludes individuals seeking refuge, family reunification, or opportunity based on skill and contribution.
Equitable immigration policy should value humanity and community enrichment not financial capital.
Executive Order 14347 — Restoring the United States Department of War
Issued: September 5, 2025
Topic: Defense, National Identity
Summary
This order authorizes the Department of Defense and its officials to use the historical title “Department of War” in ceremonial and non-statutory contexts. It also directs the Secretary of Defense (or “Secretary of War”) to propose steps to permanently rename the department.
Supporters argue the name change restores traditional terminology; critics view it as symbolic of a militaristic shift in U.S. posture and a regression from diplomacy-centered governance.
NABC Advocacy Position
NABC cautions that reviving the “Department of War” label normalizes conflict-driven approaches over peacebuilding and human rights. The language itself carries historical trauma, particularly for communities that have endured systemic violence and militarized policing.
NABC advocates for policies promoting global peace, trauma recovery, and veteran wellness instead of symbolic gestures that glorify conflict.
Executive Order 14343 — Further Exclusions from the Federal Labor-Management Relations Program
Issued: August 28, 2025
Topic: Labor Rights, Federal Workforce
Summary
This order expands exemptions to collective bargaining rights for employees working in agencies connected to intelligence, national security, and technical research including divisions within NOAA, NASA, and the Bureau of Reclamation.
It asserts that unionization in these areas conflicts with national security priorities. The decision effectively excludes thousands of federal employees from union protections, including many in scientific and engineering roles.
NABC Advocacy Position
NABC expresses strong concern over this erosion of labor rights. Many Black federal employees depend on union protections for fair treatment, equitable pay, and workplace safety.
This order undermines collective advocacy for workers’ rights and widens socioeconomic disparities in government employment. NABC calls for the protection of worker voice and fair representation across all sectors of public service.
Executive Order 14338 — Improving Our Nation Through Better Design
Issued: August 21, 2025
Topic: Technology, Accessibility, Digital Inclusion
Summary
This order launches the America by Design initiative, creating a National Design Studio and the position of Chief Design Officer to enhance the usability and aesthetics of federal websites and public interfaces. It aims to modernize government technology systems and improve user experience through updated design standards.
Agencies are instructed to consult with the Chief Design Officer to prioritize accessibility improvements for federal services and meet new design benchmarks by July 4, 2026.
NABC Advocacy Position
NABC supports modernization and improved access but urges that this redesign effort reflect the needs of all communities, including those historically marginalized. Digital equity must remain central to implementation.
The association advocates for accessible, culturally responsive design that considers language diversity, disability access, and broadband disparities affecting Black and rural populations.
Executive Order 14332 — Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking
Issued: August 7, 2025
Topic: Federal Funding, Equity, DEI Policy
Summary
This order overhauls the federal grantmaking process by assigning political appointees oversight of all discretionary funding. It explicitly prohibits grants for organizations that “promote racial preferences,” recognize non-binary or transgender individuals, or assist undocumented immigrants.
It also halts new funding announcements until agencies redesign their review processes to align with the administration’s policy priorities. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is directed to terminate grants “for convenience” if programs no longer serve “the national interest.”
This order undermines independence in research and funding distribution, inserting political ideology into traditionally neutral grant processes.
NABC Advocacy Position
NABC denounces this executive order as a direct assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. It threatens funding for HBCUs, community-based nonprofits, and academic programs that serve marginalized communities.
By politicizing funding and targeting DEI efforts, this policy limits opportunities for historically excluded populations and undermines the pursuit of equitable access to education, health, and social services.
Executive Order 14327 — President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and the Reestablishment of the Presidential Fitness Test
Issued: July 31, 2025
Topic: Health, Fitness, Youth Development
Summary
This order reestablishes the Presidential Fitness Test and revitalizes the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. It aims to address rising rates of obesity, inactivity, and chronic disease by expanding participation in youth sports and reintroducing structured physical fitness assessments in schools.
The order emphasizes civic virtue, military readiness, and “national strength” through fitness, with coordination from the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. It also positions sports as a tool to foster unity and resilience.
NABC Advocacy Position
NABC supports initiatives promoting physical and mental wellness but cautions that fitness programs must avoid stigmatizing students or reinforcing harmful body standards. Programs should emphasize inclusion, access, and mental well-being rather than performance metrics tied to outdated fitness norms.
NABC encourages partnerships with school counselors and psychologists to integrate emotional health and self-esteem into all student fitness programs.
Executive Order 14391 — Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets (Reinforcement Order)
Issued: July 29, 2025
Topic: Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Mental Health
Summary
This follow-up directive reinforces Executive Order 14321 by formally allocating enforcement powers to the Department of Justice, HUD, and HHS. It increases civil commitment capacity and empowers federal law enforcement to remove encampments in “unsafe” areas.
The order centralizes the federal response to homelessness under a public safety framework rather than a social welfare model.
NABC Advocacy Position
NABC opposes continued expansion of federal policing authority in community health matters. Mental illness and homelessness are not crimes. This approach will heighten over-policing in Black communities, worsen trauma, and increase incarceration rates for vulnerable individuals.
NABC advocates for restorative, humane, and clinically grounded policy interventions.
Executive Order 14321 — Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets
Issued: July 24, 2025
Topic: Criminal Justice, Mental Health, Homelessness
Summary
This executive order directs federal agencies to prioritize public safety by expanding civil commitment laws and allowing states to institutionalize individuals experiencing homelessness or mental health crises without their consent. It authorizes the Attorney General to seek reversal of court rulings that limit involuntary commitment and to incentivize states that enforce bans on urban camping, drug use, and loitering.
It also instructs the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Transportation to reduce grant funding for harm reduction programs, such as safe consumption sites and “Housing First” initiatives, while promoting institutional treatment models.
In essence, the order reframes homelessness and addiction as criminal and moral failures rather than public health challenges, redirecting billions in federal support toward punitive and institutional approaches.
NABC Advocacy Position
NABC strongly opposes this executive order. By conflating homelessness, mental illness, and criminality, it deepens systemic inequities that disproportionately impact Black Americans, who make up over 40% of the unhoused population. This order represents a regression from trauma-informed, community-based solutions to outdated, coercive models of care.
NABC calls for policies rooted in compassion, housing stability, mental health access, and evidence-based harm reduction — not criminalization.