US Attorney General Releases New Memo Listing English as “Sole Official Language”

A new memo authorized by US Attorney General Todd Blanche included language listing English as America’s “sole official language.”

On October 22nd, several revisions were made to a September memo signed by Blanche to support President Trump’s Executive Order designating English as the official language of the United States. These revisions strengthen language that previously mentioned prioritizing English, to outright using only English whenever possible.

For reference, the text in subheading II within the memo was changed from “English is the Official Language and Should Receive Priority Over Other Languages” to “English is the Sole Official Language.”

Other revisions include a change in policy from advising officials to “eliminate, modify or reduce” multilingual assistance in favor of English if not legally obligated, to now requiring officials to eliminate said assistance entirely.

A recent Bloomberg article reveals that the Department of Justice (DOJ) made these revisions in order to clarify their intent with regards to using English and to avoid any confusion. The DOJ stated these revisions were made “to make it more clear, avoid any confusion. Nothing more.”

ProEnglish supports these changes as they help ensure full compliance with President Trump’s executive order on official English across government agencies and services.