Trump administration directs federal agencies to move to English-only, ditch foreign-language materials

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The Trump administration is urging federal agencies to make English their default language and review multilingual program.

The Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to establish English as the primary language of the federal government, urging US agencies to phase out foreign-language materials under a sweeping new directive issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In guidance released on Thursday, the DOJ stated that “Agencies should strive to operate solely in English,” reinforcing President Donald Trump’s executive order that designated English as the official language of the United States.

The latest guidance encourages federal agencies to use English across a broad range of government communications and resources. These include official correspondence, regulations, public notices, application forms, websites, educational materials, internal communications and even artificial intelligence tools.

The directive builds on Trump’s March 2025 executive order, which overturned a decades-old federal policy designed to improve access to government services for people with limited English proficiency.

Although the original executive order did not mandate the removal of existing multilingual services, the latest DOJ guidance places greater emphasis on making English the default language across federal operations.

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The policy shift could have far-reaching consequences for more than 27 million people in the US who have limited proficiency in English, potentially making it more difficult for them to access essential government information and services, as per NY Post.

The DOJ clarified that agencies may continue providing translations when required by law or considered necessary to fulfil their responsibilities. It cited areas such as national security and healthcare as examples where multilingual communication may remain important.

However, the guidance also encourages federal departments to review their existing multilingual programmes and discontinue those that do not meet…

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