Will ‘Press 1 for English’ Go Away?

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that designated English as the official language of the United States. According to Andrew Chapados at Blaze Media, Trump “declared that it is long past time to do so to create a cohesive society and push immigrants into adopting American culture and joining the American tradition.” 

Trump’s Department of Justice is now putting his order into action by “making sweeping changes to the federal government – and its services – to make the aggravating experience of dealing with government agencies a lot simpler.”

As part of new guidance, the DOJ said it was in Americans’ best interest for the federal government to have one official language: English.

[DOJ] said the new policy would streamline federal processes, including forms, notices, websites, and advisories, to make them consistently clear and cost-effective. The guidance also said federal agencies will need to determine which of their programs, grants, and policies might better serve the public if they operated exclusively in English.

This effectively means that wherever possible, federal agencies will be providing services only in English.

The Justice Department is also looking to eliminate initiatives from a Clinton-era executive order which introduced limited English proficiency programs.

The Trump administration said that LEPs often prioritized “multilingualism over English proficiency among new Americans” and “could impede assimilation and strain resources.”

Therefore, the government is suspending operations of the LEP.gov website and will stop any letters, videos, or other training materials from being produced. These are likely to be replaced with new ones that reflect Trump’s executive order….

The DO left room for the idea that some federal agencies could deem it “mission critical” to have some second-language services. If that were the case, they would need to include a “clear note that English is the official language and authoritative version of all federal information.”

Morgan Sweeney, a staff writer for The Center Square, authored an article that was published at The Daily Signal. Her article also discussed Trump’s March 1 executive order designating English as the official language in the United States and the guidelines recently issued by the Department of Justice. 

DOJ instructions directed federal agencies to “enhance access to federal programs for less proficient English speakers.” The instructions were also to “consider English-only services and embrace translation-assistance technologies where possible to save on the cost of translation services.”

“Where allowed by law, agencies should determine which of their programs, grants, and policies might serve the public at large better if operated exclusively in English,” reads the DOJ memorandum.

Where another language is necessary, agencies must include a disclaimer that English is still the official language of the U.S. and “the authoritative version of all federal information.”

The order has been touted as a streamlining and unifying measure, reducing the need for translation services across the whole government and bringing people together through a shared language.

“The Department of Justice ensures that while we respect linguistic diversity, our federal resources will prioritize English proficiency to empower new Americans and strengthen civic unity,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.

Where agencies find savings, they’re to consider redirecting those funds to programs furthering English language learning and assimilation.

I support Trump and his administration in this decision. Long before Barack Obama and his henchmen tried to “fundamentally transform” America, I heard Dr. Michael Savage discuss the phrase “Borders, Language, & Culture” on his radio show. In October 2023, Greg Marks Martinsburg discussed the motto of Savage and why it is important. 

In his motto, Savage contended that without borders, anyone can come into America and take up residence (illegally) and expect the same benefits as legal citizens and natural-born citizens. He said, “Without borders, there is no country!” [We saw the truthfulness of this statement over the past four years of the Joe Biden administration.]

As far as language is concerned, he indicated that without a clear and common language (and I would most wholeheartedly assume he meant English), there is at best – confusion. I would add that without a common language there also is a diminished quality in clarity and mutual understanding. [I would add that allowing multiple languages increases the costs because all forms, sites, etc. would have to be produced in multiple languages.]

Savage’s view on culture refers to a long existing (since America’s founding) Judaeo-Christian society with the keeping of biblical principal (and all that goes with it).

To paraphrase, without God, there is no freeman.

I, for one, hope that “press 1 for English does go away” because of Trump’s executive order. In a nation with English as the official language, messages should appear in English. If other languages must be available, they should be the ones that someone needs to “press 1” to use.