Memorandum on Delegation of Authority to the Secretary of State Under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017
Issued 2017-01-17 by Barack Obama
Plain-English Overview
AI-generated summary explaining what this action does, who it affects, and why it matters
This presidential memorandum transfers certain decision-making authority from the President to the Secretary of State. Specifically, it allows the Secretary of State to designate a senior official who will develop privacy and civil liberties guidance for an entity called the Global Engagement Center and make sure that guidance is followed. This authority originally belonged to the President under a 2017 defense spending law passed by Congress.
The action affects the State Department and the Global Engagement Center, which operates under the Secretary of State's oversight. The designated senior official will be responsible for creating rules about how the Center handles privacy and civil liberties issues in its work.
This memorandum represents a routine administrative delegation, allowing the Secretary of State to handle these appointment and oversight responsibilities rather than requiring direct presidential involvement. The President retains the underlying authority but assigns the day-to-day implementation to the State Department.
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Official Summary
Administration of Barack Obama, 2017 Memorandum on Delegation of Authority to the Secretary of State Under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 January 17, 2017 Memorandum for the Secretary of State Subject: Delegation of Authority to the Secretary of State Under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby order as follows: I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority vested in the President by section 1287(c)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328) (the "Act"), to designate a senior official to develop guidance for the Global Engagement Center relating to relevant privacy and civil liberties laws, and to ensure compliance with such guidance. Any reference in this memorandum to the Act shall be deemed to be a reference to any future Act that is the same or substantially the same as such provision. You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register . B ARACK <FONT size="+