U.S. President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order that will make English the official language of the U.S.
The order, first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Friday and confirmed by a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly, marks the first time the U.S. will have an official language at the federal level.
The executive order rescinds a Clinton-era mandate that required agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide extensive language assistance to non-English speakers.
Under the new order, agencies will have the flexibility to decide how and when to offer services in languages other than English, according to a fact sheet the White House shared with ABC News.
The White House is defending the action, saying that while hundreds of languages are spoken across the United States, English is the most widely used. Also, the White House maintains that establishing a national language unifies the country and its citizens.
“Establishing English as the official language promotes unity, establishes efficiency in government operations, and creates a pathway for civic engagement,” the White House wrote in the fact sheet provided to ABC News.
It’s not yet clear when Trump is expected to sign the executive order.