Lyndon B. Johnson photo

Statement by the President Upon Signing Executive Order 11297, Coordination of Federal Urban Programs.

August 11, 1966

I HAVE TODAY signed an Executive order designed to establish closer and stronger working relationships among the Government agencies concerned with the problems of our cities.

This order will help the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development insure better coordination of Federal programs for our urban areas. It authorizes the Secretary to take the initiative by convening special meetings and special working groups within the Government--in Washington and in the field--to cope with problems as they arise.

The order helps to carry out the mandate of the Congress which requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to "exercise leadership at the direction of the President in coordinating Federal activities affecting housing and urban development."

The act creating the Department of Housing and Urban Development was a first step in modernizing our Federal system for a more rational response to the pressing challenges of urban life. In this new department, major programs for the progress of urban America were brought into a single organization.

In addition to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are more than a dozen other agencies whose programs affect the health, welfare, economic opportunity, and the general environment of the city dweller.

All who are concerned with these vital programs must work in close harmony and with common .purposes and policies. The order does not relieve any agency of the responsibilities it now has. It will help strengthen the responsiveness of these agencies to meet needs of the city.

We will seek new and creative ways to help our cities--through such vital programs as the demonstration cities bill, rent supplements, and the Teacher Corps.

We will continue to make our urban development programs more efficient.

With this order, we have taken a forward step in the Federal Government.

But the mayors and city officials and Governors are on the frontline--in the city itself where the battle against blight, ignorance, disease, and poverty must be waged and won.

Thus, I urge city and State governments to follow our example and improve their lines of communication and coordination. In this way, we can work together with unity of purpose to bring the good life to people in every American city.

Note: The text of Executive Order 11297 is printed in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (vol. 2, p. 1052), in the Federal Register (31 F.R. 10765), and in Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations (3 CFR, 1966 Comp., p. 141).

Lyndon B. Johnson, Statement by the President Upon Signing Executive Order 11297, Coordination of Federal Urban Programs. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/239201

Filed Under

Categories

Attributes

Simple Search of Our Archives