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The Trump administration continued to promote domestic critical mineral explorations and workforce development, while signaling progress in trade negotiations.

This week, President Trump issued several executive orders in furtherance of his policy aims, including orders relating to offshore critical minerals, workforce development, government efficiency, and civil rights. Meanwhile, the administration signaled a forthcoming trade deal with India.

Latham lawyers are carefully monitoring the rollout of President Trump’s policy priorities through executive orders, agency actions, and installment of new personnel. Below…

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The order requires a review of acquisitions for non-commercial products and services.

By Dean W. Baxtresser, Kyle R. Jefcoat, Anne W. Robinson, Morgan L. Maddoux, Genevieve P. Hoffman, and Hannah Hsieh

On April 16, 2025, the White House issued an executive order titled “Ensuring Commercial, Cost-Effective Solutions in Federal Contracts” (the Order) that directs government agencies to procure commercially available products and services to the “maximum extent practicable, including pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Streamlining…

The reforms called for could have a significant impact on how federal contractors and their subcontractors conduct business with the federal government.

By Dean W. Baxtresser, Kyle R. Jefcoat, Anne W. Robinson, Morgan L. Maddoux, Genevieve P. Hoffman, and Hannah Hsieh

On April 15, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement” (the Order). The Order calls for a comprehensive reform of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the primary…

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The Trump administration continued to focus on increasing efficiency in government contracting, among other policy aims.

This week, President Trump issued several executive orders in furtherance of his policy aims, including orders relating to increasing efficiency in the government contracting process, assessing the impact of importation of critical minerals on national security, investigating how to reduce prescription drug prices, and changing the way the government evaluates environmental permits. Meanwhile, the tariff landscape continued to evolve, and California brought a legal…

Potomac River and Washington, DC

Contractors should anticipate increased use of alternative contracting methods and heightened scrutiny of efficiency and costs in defense programs.

By Dean W. Baxtresser, Kyle R. Jefcoat, Anne W. Robinson, Morgan L. Maddoux, and Genevieve P. Hoffman

On April 9, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order (the Order) to streamline the defense acquisition process and workforce, and potentially eliminate defense programs that are over budget or behind schedule. According to the Order, the current defense acquisition…

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The order directs the Secretary of Energy to designate certain generation resources as critical and work to prevent such resources from being retired or replaced.

On April 8, 2025, the White House issued an executive order titled “Strengthening the Reliability and Security of the United States Electric Grid” (the Order) that directs the Secretary of Energy to use an emergency provision of the Federal Power Act (FPA) to designate certain generation resources as critical and implement a plan to prevent…

FedRAMP 20x aims to increase efficiency through automation and removal of hurdles to FedRAMP authorization.

By Dean W. Baxtresser, Kyle R. Jefcoat, Anne W. Robinson, Morgan L. Maddoux, and Chris Caulder

On March 24, 2025, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced an initiative to overhaul the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) to streamline the authorization process and automate security assessments. As part of the Trump administration’s focus on government efficiency, the initiative — “FedRAMP…

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Agencies must shift procurement of common goods and services to GSA, which is now the government’s executive agent for procurement of information technology.

By Dean W. Baxtresser, Kyle R. Jefcoat, Anne W. Robinson, Morgan L. Maddoux, and Chris Caulder

On March 20, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order titled “Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement” (the Order), which consolidates under the General Services Administration (GSA) federal procurement of common goods and services…

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The Trump administration continues to roll back policies on DEI and banking regulation while facing various lawsuits over its personnel, spending, and immigration actions.

This past week, the Trump administration continued to take action on DEI, barring certain DEI-related language from government contracts and closing an office within the EPA. It also rolled back Biden-era proposals to regulate banking and finance. Meanwhile, the administration continues to face litigation challenges in federal court, with judges blocking personnel actions, USAID spending freezes…

USA, Virginia, Arlington, Aerial photograph of the eastern entrance of the Pentagon

Government contractors and subcontractors should be on the lookout for contract modifications as agencies begin implementing DEI-related Executive Orders.

By Dean W. Baxtresser, Danielle Conley, Kyle R. Jefcoat, Anne W. Robinson, Morgan Maddoux, Jude Volek, and Kiley Boland

The General Services Administration (GSA) and Department of Defense (DOD) — the US government’s two leading procurement agencies — have each issued Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) class deviations implementing the recent executive orders related to Diversity…