Reagan Scraps 386 Executive Orders, Signs One

President Reagan abolished a record 386 presidential executive orders with one stroke of the pen Tuesday and signed a new one the White House said could save $20 billion a year by 1992 by making federal employees more productive.

The White House said the orders revoked are obsolete or inactive.

The orders cover a wide range of subjects, from examination for appointment to the military and naval academies to continuing the President’s Advisory Committee on Women’s Business Ownership.

The White House said the most executive orders previously abolished at one time were 23 in 1982.

“Based on a study conducted by the President’s Council on Management Improvement, the revocations will simplify and clarify requirements placed on departments by the central management agencies of government,” the White House said.

The new order designed to improve productivity applies to the 20 largest executive agencies.

“The goal of the program shall be to improve the quality and timeliness of service to the public, and to achieve a 20% productivity increase in appropriate functions by 1992,” the President said.

The White House quoted the General Accounting Office as saying that every 1% increase in federal productivity, resulting in an estimated 1% reduction in federal employment, could generate annual savings of about $1 billion.