Executive Order 13887-Modernizing Influenza Vaccines in the United States To Promote National Security and Public Health
Issued 2019-09-19 by Donald J. Trump
Plain-English Overview
AI-generated summary explaining what this action does, who it affects, and why it matters
This executive order directs the federal government to modernize how influenza vaccines are made in the United States. The order notes that seasonal flu causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths each year in America, while flu pandemics—which have occurred four times in the last 100 years—can spread rapidly around the globe and cause even higher rates of illness and death. The most devastating pandemic in 1918-1919 killed more than 50 million people worldwide, including 675,000 Americans.
The order identifies problems with current vaccine production: most flu vaccines are made using a 70-year-old process that grows viruses in chicken eggs, which takes months and cannot be scaled up quickly in an emergency. Because the current market rewards manufacturers simply for delivering vaccines on time for flu season rather than for having fast, scalable production systems, the government lacks the manufacturing capacity it would need to respond to a sudden pandemic.
The order affects the federal agencies responsible for vaccine development and production, directing them to move away from egg-based manufacturing toward faster and more scalable methods. The stated goal is to make the domestic vaccine system more responsive and effective at preventing the spread of influenza viruses, which the order describes as both a public health priority and a national security concern because pandemics could disrupt military operations, harm the economy, and cause large-scale illness and death.
AI-generated summary for educational purposes
Constitutional Analysis
How this action fits (or doesn't) within Article II authority and existing law
Executive Order 13887 ("Executive Order 13887-Modernizing Influenza Vaccines in the United States To Promote National Security and Public Health") directs federal agencies on implementation of existing law. The President's stated goal: "faster and more scalable manufacturing platforms." Under Article II's "Take Care" clause, the President has constitutional authority to direct how the executive branch enforces the laws Congress has enacted. Setting agency priorities, establishing implementation frameworks, and coordinating action across departments are core presidential functions.
As long as this order operates within existing statutory authority and does not contradict congressional mandates, it is a routine exercise of executive power. The order's legal weight depends on the specific statutes it invokes and how it directs agencies to interpret their mandates. Subordinate agencies must follow presidential direction, but only to the extent consistent with their underlying statutory authority.
Official Summary
Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2019 Executive Order 13887—Modernizing Influenza Vaccines in the United States To Promote National Security and Public Health September 19, 2019 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, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1 . Findings . (a) Influenza viruses are constantly changing as they circulate globally in humans and animals. Relatively minor changes in these viruses cause annual seasonal influenza outbreaks, which result in millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths each year in the United States. Periodically, new influenza A viruses emerge from animals, including birds and pigs, that can spread efficiently and have sustained transmission among humans. This situation is called an influenza pandemic (pandemic). Unlike seasonal influenza, a pandemic has the potential to spread rapidly around the globe, infect higher numbers of people, and cause high rates of illness and death in populations that lack prior immunity. While it is not possible to predict when or how frequently a pandemic may occur, there have been 4 pandemics in the last 100 years. The most devastating pan