The American Presidency Project

The Papers of
the Presidents
The American Presidency Project is the only online resource that has consolidated, coded, and organized into a single searchable database:
• The Messages and Papers of the Presidents: Washington - Taft (1789-1913)
• The Public Papers of the Presidents:
Hoover to Obama (1929-2012: Book I)
• The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents: Carter - G.W. Bush (1977-2009)
• The Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents: Obama-Trump (2009-2017)

• Our archives also contain thousands of other documents such as party platforms, candidates' remarks, Statements of Administration Policy, documents released by the Office of the Press Secretary, and election debates:

search our archives

The 25 Most Viewed Documents Since 2008

#1	John F. Kennedy
Inaugural Address

#2	Republican Party Platforms
Republican Party Platform of 1956

#3	Democratic Party Platforms
2008 Democratic Party Platform

#4	Republican Party Platforms
2008 Republican Party Platform

#5	John F. Kennedy
Executive Order 10990 - Reestablishing the Federal Safety Council

#6	Democratic Party Platforms
2012 Democratic Party Platform

#7	Republican Party Platforms
2012 Republican Party Platform

#8	George W. Bush
Address to the Nation on the Terrorist Attacks

#9	Ronald Reagan
Inaugural Address

#10	John F. Kennedy
Executive Order 11110 - Amendment of Executive Order No. 10289 as Amended, Relating to the Performance of Certain Functions Affecting the Department of the Treasury

#11	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Fireside Chat on Banking

#12	Barack Obama
Inaugural Address

#13	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Letter on the Resolution of Federation of Federal Employees Against Strikes in Federal Service

#14	John F. Kennedy
Remarks at a Dinner Honoring Nobel Prize Winners of the Western Hemisphere

#15	Franklin D. Roosevelt
1944 State of the Union Message to Congress

#16	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Inaugural Address

#17	Barack Obama
Executive Order 13603 - National Defense Resources Preparedness

#18	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Executive Order 6102 - Requiring Gold Coin, Gold Bullion and Gold Certificates to Be Delivered to the Government

#19	Republican Party Platforms
Republican Party Platform of 1860

#20	George Bush
Executive Order 12803 - Infrastructure Privatization

#21	Abraham Lincoln
Inaugural Address

#22	George Washington
First Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union

#23	William J. Clinton
Inaugural Address

#24	Democratic Party Platforms
Democratic Party Platform of 1960

#25	John F. Kennedy
Address of Senator John F. Kennedy Accepting the Democratic Party Nomination for the Presidency of the United States - Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles

The American Presidency Project (APP), non-profit and non-partisan, is the leading source of presidential documents on the internet. Our archives contain 126,642 documents and are growing rapidly.

The APP, hosted at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has been a collaboration between John T. Woolley (UCSB) and Gerhard Peters (Citrus College) since 1999.

The American Presidency Project is grateful for the generous support provided by Lena and David G. Adishian,
UCSB Foundation Trustee and Alumnus

and also significant donations from:

     • Marc Hershman
     • Charles Walcott & Karen Hult
     • Marilyn Lee & Harvey Schneider

Your donation in support of The American Presidency Project is
tax-deductible

Comparing the Pace of President Trump's
Executive Orders & Memoranda to Other Recent Presidents

1. How does President Trump's pace of executive orders within just days of taking office compare to his predecessors? (see graph below)

His written orders include documents titled "Executive Order," Memorandum, and Proclamation.

2. Is the content or subject matter of Trump's executive orders thus far markedly different than those issued in the early days of previous administrations?

Typically a President's initial orders are intended to immediately make good on campaign promises and commitments. As a result, these include specific acts repudiating the prior administration's policies. In that respect, Trump is very much in the normal stream.

However, often campaign commitments cannot be fulfilled by executive action (e.g., to change taxes, permanently cut spending, increase the size of the military, enact a new system of regulation of financial institutions). An aggressive legislative program would be needed.

Several of President Trump's orders request reports or analysis from agencies that presumably will later be reflected in legislation. Arguably President Trump is talking a very expansive view of the discretion available to him; certainly he takes a very strong rhetorical stance.

3. Does this White House's roll out seem different, especially with respect to border security and entry of foreigners? . . .

SEE FULL ARTICLE

34 years ago

Remarks to Reporters on the Proposed Constitutional Amendment for a Balanced Federal Budget
July 12, 1982

The President. The Vice President and these Senators—these Members, these Representatives in the House are here with me today for an announcement. And let me warn you now, there won't be any questions. I just wanted to make this announcement.

Nearly 3 months ago, I told the American people that we'd made dramatic progress in reducing the growth of Federal spending, but that we need more time to get the job done. For too long the legislative process has simply been overwhelmed by the powerful and relentless pressures for more spending. So, I asked the Congress to pass, as soon as possible, a constitutional amendment requiring that it balance the Federal budget.

Today, I have met with these key leaders pushing this bipartisan initiative in the House and Senate. On behalf of the public and our administration, I express to them our gratitude, the urgency we feel, and my eagerness to do everything I can to ensure their success.

Senate debate on the proposed resolution will begin ...read full document

The Document Archive Contains 126,642 Records
• Executive Orders	5860	• State of the Union Addresses	96
• Proclamations	7896	• State of the Union Messages	138
• Press Conferences	2083	• Inaugural Addresses	58
• Saturday Radio Addresses	1613	• Addresses to Congress (non-SOU)	80
• Fireside Chats (FDR)	27	• Addresses to Nation	251
• Veto Messages	1169	• Addresses to the United Nations	48
• Radio & TV Correspondents Dinners	31	• Addresses to Foreign Legislatures	74
• Party Convention Addresses	33	• College Commencement Addresses	162

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Public Papers Document #		(PPPUS numbered only from 1929-1977)
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