DOJ memo tells federal agencies to put English first and cut other languages

The Justice Department has told federal agencies to put English ahead of all other languages in their work. The guidance, called "Guidance on Implementing English as the Official Language," carries out an executive order President Trump signed last year ¹. A notice about it appeared in the Federal Register, the government's daily record of official actions, on Thursday, Nov. 12 ¹².

One report describes the memo as an Oct. 22 document from the attorney general ². The advocacy group ProEnglish, which backs the policy, says Attorney General Todd Blanche signed it ³. We could not read the memo itself.

What the memo says

Agencies may offer help in other languages only if it is "required by law or necessary to accomplish an agency's mission" ¹. When they do, they must add a disclaimer that English is the official language ¹. An English version should be treated as the official version of federal information ².

The guidance covers forms, websites, services, outreach and training ². It also says agencies may consider machine translation, meaning computer translation, when another language is needed to reach people with limited English ².

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The memo lists areas where other languages may still be needed. They include health care, disaster and public safety messages, court proceedings, law enforcement and national security ². Help also stays where the Constitution, a federal law or a binding court order requires it ².

The Housing and Urban Development department removed non-English languages from its business and services in August, and the memo encourages other agencies to do the same ¹. The Homeland Security, Education and Treasury departments have begun removing translated material from their websites ². The Transportation Security Administration will keep a multilingual automated helpline ².

A dispute over the wording

ProEnglish says an earlier September version was revised. It says language that English "should receive priority over other languages" became a statement that English is the "sole official language" ³. It also says officials were once told to "eliminate, modify or reduce" unrequired translation help, and now must eliminate it ³.

The Justice Department told ProEnglish the changes were made "to make it more clear, avoid any confusion. Nothing more" ³. Another report says the memo "does not itself eliminate a named program, change a statute or create an enforceable right for the public" ². We could not confirm the revision details independently.

Democrats' objections and what comes next

The coverage we read included no Democratic response to this week's memo. Democrats did object to the underlying order earlier. In April 2025, 56 House Democrats led by Rep. Judy Chu of California asked the administration what it had weighed before rolling back language-access rules ⁴. Chu said then that "no federal law exists that gives the president that authority" ⁴.

The Justice Department will take public comment through Jan. 11, 2027, under Docket No. OLP188. It says it will not answer comments individually ². Its Civil Rights Division is reviewing the LEP.gov site and other language-access materials. LEP stands for limited English proficiency. Those materials will be replaced when new guidance is issued ².

That matters because translated forms and phone help are how many older immigrants reach public programs. The memo sets no single deadline for agencies to finish their reviews ². How much help disappears will depend on what each agency decides is "necessary." Who decides that, and how, is still unclear.

The Record

1. Apr 12, 202556 House Democrats led by Rep. Judy Chu wrote to Trump and then-Attorney General Pam Bondi questioning the English-only order ⁴.
2. Aug 17, 2026HUD removed non-English languages from its business and services ².
3. Oct 22, 2026Date of the attorney general's memo implementing the English-language order, per one report ².
4. Nov 12, 2026A Federal Register notice of the memo was published, opening public comment through Jan. 11, 2027 ².

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<h2>DOJ memo tells federal agencies to put English first and cut other languages</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/doj-memo-tells-federal-agencies-to-put-english-first-and-cut-other-languages">The GOP Files</a> on Friday, November 13, 2026.</em></p> <p>The Justice Department has told federal agencies to put English ahead of all other languages in their work. The guidance, called &quot;Guidance on Implementing English as the Official Language,&quot; carries out an executive order President Trump signed last year . A notice about it appeared in the Federal Register, the government&#39;s daily record of official actions, on Thursday, Nov. 12 .</p> <p>One report describes the memo as an Oct. 22 document from the attorney general . The advocacy group ProEnglish, which backs the policy, says Attorney General Todd Blanche signed it . We could not read the memo itself.</p> <h2>What the memo says</h2> <p>Agencies may offer help in other languages only if it is &quot;required by law or necessary to accomplish an agency&#39;s mission&quot; . When they do, they must add a disclaimer that English is the official language . An English version should be treated as the official version of federal information .</p> <p>The guidance covers forms, websites, services, outreach and training . It also says agencies may consider machine translation, meaning computer translation, when another language is needed to reach people with limited English .</p> <p>The memo lists areas where other languages may still be needed. They include health care, disaster and public safety messages, court proceedings, law enforcement and national security . Help also stays where the Constitution, a federal law or a binding court order requires it .</p> <p>The Housing and Urban Development department removed non-English languages from its business and services in August, and the memo encourages other agencies to do the same . The Homeland Security, Education and Treasury departments have begun removing translated material from their websites . The Transportation Security Administration will keep a multilingual automated helpline .</p> <h2>A dispute over the wording</h2> <p>ProEnglish says an earlier September version was revised. It says language that English &quot;should receive priority over other languages&quot; became a statement that English is the &quot;sole official language&quot; . It also says officials were once told to &quot;eliminate, modify or reduce&quot; unrequired translation help, and now must eliminate it .</p> <p>The Justice Department told ProEnglish the changes were made &quot;to make it more clear, avoid any confusion. Nothing more&quot; . Another report says the memo &quot;does not itself eliminate a named program, change a statute or create an enforceable right for the public&quot; . We could not confirm the revision details independently.</p> <h2>Democrats&#39; objections and what comes next</h2> <p>The coverage we read included no Democratic response to this week&#39;s memo. Democrats did object to the underlying order earlier. In April 2025, 56 House Democrats led by Rep. Judy Chu of California asked the administration what it had weighed before rolling back language-access rules . Chu said then that &quot;no federal law exists that gives the president that authority&quot; .</p> <p>The Justice Department will take public comment through Jan. 11, 2027, under Docket No. OLP188. It says it will not answer comments individually . Its Civil Rights Division is reviewing the LEP.gov site and other language-access materials. LEP stands for limited English proficiency. Those materials will be replaced when new guidance is issued .</p> <p>That matters because translated forms and phone help are how many older immigrants reach public programs. The memo sets no single deadline for agencies to finish their reviews . How much help disappears will depend on what each agency decides is &quot;necessary.&quot; Who decides that, and how, is still unclear.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/doj-memo-tells-federal-agencies-to-put-english-first-and-cut-other-languages">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/doj-memo-tells-federal-agencies-to-put-english-first-and-cut-other-languages.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Yahoo News, “DOJ Instructs All Agencies 'To Operate Solely In English'” (2026-11-13). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/doj-instructs-agencies-oper
2. Finchannel, “Justice Department Issues English-Language Guidance for Federal Agencies” (2026-11-11). finchannel.com/justice-department-issues-english-language-gu
3. ProEnglish, “US Attorney General Releases New Memo Listing English as 'Sole Official Language'” (2026-11-10). proenglish.org/2026/11/10/us-attorney-general-releases-new-m
4. NOTUS, “House Democrats Want Answers on Trump's 'Reckless' English-Only Order” (2025-04-14). washingtonsun.com/policy/trump-eo-english-language-letter?re

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