Since Friday, the Trump Administration issued several executive orders (EOs) related to the U.S. housing and financial market, fraud, and more. While not every EO carries implications for contractors, a few are worth highlighting.

Ensuring Truthful Advertising of Products Claiming to be Made in America

The EO promotes compliance reviews and enforcement actions by the FTC in cases where seller or manufacturer labels are falsely labeled as “Made in America” or “Made in the U.S.A.”

Contractor Implications:

Section 2(d) of the EO directly impacts federal contractors and calls on agencies that oversee government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs), Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), or any other government-wide indefinite delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts to periodically review “Buy American Act”, “Country of Origin USA” or similar labeling in products under these contracts. Products found to be noncompliant will be removed from government procurement channels and referred to the Department of Justice for potential action under the False Claims Act.

Given the language of the EO, vendors can expect to see prompt internal compliance reviews to meet the EO’s requirements. In anticipation of this, contractors should ensure a thorough audit of their country-of-origin designations, particularly those under GSA contracts. Additionally, contractors should document and review supply chain data as well as review subcontractor and supplier representations given the EO’s legal ramifications for noncompliance.  

Adjusting Certain Delegations under the Defense Production Act  

The EO’s purpose is twofold: to expand Defense Production Act (DPA) authority to the Department of Energy, and to streamline DPA procedures. Specifically, the EO authorizes the Secretary of Energy—alongside the previously designated Secretary of Commerce—to exercise DPA authorities independently. As a reminder, DPA orders, when issued, generally require contractors to fulfill government orders ahead of commercial orders. Additionally, the EO provides clarification that agency heads with delegated DPA authority do not need to route a recommended DPA action to the President before acting.

Contractor Implications:

The EO impacts energy sector contractors the most. With the Secretary of Energy now having independent authority to issue DPA orders, those in the energy infrastructure, critical minerals and materials, nuclear defense and energy systems sectors should be aware of DPA requirements and prepared to fulfill its obligations.

Furthermore, the EO quickens the government’s decision chain of command for DPA-related actions, limiting the latency in agencies invoking DPA authority and accelerating the pace of issuance.

Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud

The EO creates the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud within the Executive Office of the President to pursue efforts in a national strategy to stop fraud, waste and abuse within Federal benefit programs. The task force is chaired by the Vice President and consists of representatives from several federal departments and agencies.

The task force is also directed to develop measures to improve eligibility verification processes in federal benefits programs, develop controls to prevent improper payments in federal benefits programs, evaluate high-risk vulnerabilities to fraud, and dismantle fraud networks and facilitators, and more.

Contractor Implications:

In sections 3 and 4 of the EO, government contractors and vendors which administer, process, or support federal benefits programs are identified as potential fraud actors within the task force’s investigative and enforcement scope. For contractors in the benefits space, a review of compliance measures is needed as consequences of noncompliance are likely to escalate with the release of the EO.

Outside these contractor implications, the EO may also lead to contractor-related opportunities within agencies that administer benefits programs. To meet reporting and enforcement requirements of the EO, agencies may require contractor-provided fraud detection technology and analytics.

Moreover, the EO promotes information and data sharing between state, local, tribal and territorial governments and the federal government, creating the potential demand for data integration platforms and other cross-agency data sharing infrastructure.

The below table rounds out the set of EOs the Trump Administration recently released. Though these do not contain direct contractor implications or action, the below EOs may lead to a few contractor-provided opportunities:

EO Name	Summary	Potential Contractor Opportunities
Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit	Reduce financial regulatory burdens on both community banks and borrowers.	Appraisal modernizations at Federal Reserve, CFPB, NCUA, OCC, FDIC and FHFA through use of alternative valuation models, desktop and hybrid appraisals and AI valuation tools Integrate e-signature capabilities, increase electronic workflows and digitize mortgage standards at USDA, HUD, VA and FHFA
Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Home Construction	Deregulate federal, state and local barriers in residential construction.	Policy analysis and support at HUD to meet a 60-day deadline to promote best practices for housing construction and affordability, and at DOE, HUD, USDA and FHA to eliminate energy-efficiency, water-use, or alternative-energy requirements Scientific and economic analysis support at EPA and Army Corps to review and revise requirements related to stormwater, wetlands, and water bodies