In addition to Executive Orders, presidents may also issue Proclamations and Executive Memoranda. As all three directives are produced by the President, researchers can sometimes have difficulties understanding which type of document they seek. While we do not have an “official” definition for these directives, we can look to their typical characteristics to tell them apart.
do not have the force and effect of law, unless the President is given the authority over private individuals by the Constitution or a federal statute; and
are ceremonial in nature now, but historically did much more “heavy lifting”.
Executive Memoranda are very similar to Executive Orders, except:
they are not required by law to be printed in the Federal Register;
they are not required to cite the President’s legal authority (see 1 C.F.R. § 19.1); and
the Office of Management and Budget is not required to issue a “Budgetary Impact Statement” on Executive Memoranda.