Health Law Advisor

On October 21, 2025, the acting administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget issued Memorandum M-25-36, which contains guidance for federal agencies on “how to bolster, streamline, and speed” the deregulatory agenda prioritized by the Trump administration in 2025 (“the Memorandum” or “M-25-36”).

The Memorandum furthers two Executive Orders (EOs) issued earlier in the year. EO 14192, entitled “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation,” requires that for every new regulation issued, ten must be repealed. EO 14219 seeks to ensure “Lawful Governance” to implement the president’s Department of Government Efficiency Deregulatory Initiative. M-25-36 also furthers a Presidential Memorandum of April 9, 2025, entitled “Directing the Repeal of Unlawful Regulations.”

The Memorandum, which establishes timelines and guidelines for OIRA review, focuses on: 1) speeding up the OIRA review process; 2) repealing facially unlawful regulations; and 3) developing better deregulatory records. We discuss each of these sections in turn before providing some thoughts in the health care context.

Introduction

Following the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade, the federal government, pursuant to President Biden’s Executive Order (the EO) took several steps to protect reproductive health privacy, some of which we previously discussed here. Specifically, the EO called for agencies to protect “women’s fundamental right to make reproductive health decisions.” Shortly following issuance of the EO, the Biden Administration created its HHS Reproductive Healthcare Access Task Force, requiring all relevant federal agencies to draft measurable actions that they could undertake “to protect and bolster access to sexual and reproductive health care.”  

President Trump’s recently issued Executive Order entitled “Strengthening Retirement Security In America” (the “EO”) may be helpful to businesses that sponsor or participate in multiple employer retirement plans (“MEPs”), as well as single employer plans, even if the sponsors and employers are not small business owners. While the stated purpose of the EO, which was issued on August 31, 2018 (the “EO Date”), is to “promote retirement security for America’s workers,” the EO directs attention to small business owners (less than 100 employees), noting ...

Surprisingly amidst the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uproar, President Trump today signed an executive order addressing cybersecurity for the federal government and critical infrastructure, along with international coordination and cyber deterrence. The substance of the order, which is about to be made public, comes from various press releases and interviews with administration officials. The order is composed of three sections on cybersecurity and IT modernization within the federal government, protecting critical infrastructure, and establishing a cyber ...

Executive Order Delay Trumps Administration Policy Development

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by Joseph J. Kempf, Jr., and Jane L. Kuesel

On April 12, 2012, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an Executive Order requiring the State of New York to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange and Small Business Health Options Program in New York (together, the “Health Benefit Exchange”). The Governor’s action was taken in response to the mandate contained in Section 1311 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the New York Legislature’s failure to enact legislation to begin development of the Health Benefit Exchange. Although the Health Benefit Exchange is ...