After nearly 250 years without an official language, President Donald Trump is finally putting an end to the madness. Trump is expected to sign an executive order making English the official language of the United States — a move that's long overdue and should have happened decades ago.
The historic executive order will mark the first time in our nation's history that we've designated an official language at the federal level. More importantly, it will rescind Bill Clinton's ridiculous mandate that required federal agencies to provide services in multiple languages. Under Trump's order, agencies will now have the freedom to decide for themselves whether they want to offer services in languages other than English.
This shouldn't be controversial. We're a nation that speaks English. Period. As Trump correctly pointed out during his 2015 presidential campaign, "This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish." Somehow, we've become one of only a handful of countries worldwide without an official language. According to Fox News Digital, approximately 180 of 195 countries have designated official languages — which makes America an outlier.
The order makes perfect sense both culturally and fiscally. Culturally, it fosters unity among our diverse population. Fiscally, it eliminates wasteful spending on providing services in dozens of languages that only a small percentage of people actually speak. Regardless of whether the left wants to admit this or not, the English language is part of our national identity, and we should expect everyone who lives in this country to learn it.
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The burden of accommodating non-English speakers is crippling our educational system. Schools waste valuable resources providing interpreters when they should be focusing on English immersion programs that help students assimilate.
A couple of years ago, I wrote about how the state of Oregon decided to waive basic competency requirements in reading, writing, and math for high school students because students whose primary language isn't English were “disproportionately burdened.” That's the kind of insanity we're dealing with. Why are we dumbing down our education for the benefit of immigrants who want to live in our country but can’t be bothered to learn our language?
The left will undoubtedly frame this as some kind of xenophobic attack, but it's the opposite. It aims to empower immigrants to achieve the American dream through a common language. How are immigrants supposed to succeed in America if they can't communicate with their fellow citizens? According to the report, the executive order will also celebrate multilingual Americans who have learned English and passed it down through generations.
Currently, 32 states have already designated English as their official language. It's high time the federal government followed suit. Trump's executive order is a fantastic move that Congress must eventually codify into law.
In a country as diverse as ours, a common language isn't divisive; it's the glue that holds us together. Trump understands this fundamental truth, and he's taking action to ensure that America remains one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all — in English.
