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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – President Donald Trump is expected to sign another executive order that’s raising passions and questions.
With the stroke of a pen, he is set to sign an executive order to make English the official language of the United States.
Many people are wondering why the executive order is necessary and believe there could be a bigger message behind the move.
However, not everyone agrees why.
This executive order from President Donald Trump is quickly getting attention because it is focused on communication across the country.
For the first time in U.S. history, the nation will designate English as an official language.
“I don’t think it’s controversial,” said Jake Hoffman, executive director of Tampa Bay Young Republicans. “There is a bigger message, and it goes back to the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The idea of trying to install an America pride.”
However, some are voicing concerns.
“I don’t think it does much,” said Jadyn Gonzales, president of Pinellas County Young Democrats. “This is a distraction. This is a distraction from the administration slashing health care, Medicaid food stamps, housing, our weather services that protect us from hurricanes.”
Most states have already designated English as an official language, including Florida.
“Florida has English as the official language,” Hoffman said. “We have plenty of paperwork that comes in Spanish as well. It’s on our voting material; it’s on our DMV paperwork.”
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are federal laws that require federal funded agencies to provide language access services (LAS) free of charge:
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) and implementing regulations
- Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (Section 1557) and implementing regulations
However, the executive order has the potential to repeal that mandate.
“They’re trying to rile people up about what the proper language to speak is,” Gonzales said.
There are more than 350 languages spoken across the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.