US poised to declare English official language for first time in history

US President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order that would, for the first time in the country's history, designate English as the official language of the US.

The news of this proposed decision has been revealed by White House officials, Caliber.Az reports citing US media .

Throughout its nearly 250-year history, the US has never had a federally recognized national language. The country is home to hundreds of languages, a reflection of its long-standing role as a destination for immigrants from around the world.

Currently, federal agencies and other recipients of government funding are required to offer language assistance to individuals who do not speak English, the officials noted. If Trump’s order is enacted, agencies will still be permitted to provide documents and services in other languages, according to a White House summary of the order reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The summary states that the president's objective of making English the national language is to foster unity, enhance government efficiency, and encourage civic participation.

During a 2015 presidential debate, Trump criticized former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for using Spanish on the campaign trail. “This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish,” he said at the time.

Despite the lack of an official national language, immigrants seeking US citizenship already have to demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English as part of the naturalization process.

Trump’s proposal is not a new concept, as multiple efforts have been made in the past to elevate English’s status over other languages.

Vice President JD Vance previously introduced the English Language Unity Act while serving as a US senator from Ohio. Co-sponsored by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R., N.D.), the bill sought to mandate that all federal government operations be conducted in English and to establish a language-testing requirement for citizenship.

In 1981, US Senator S.I. Hayakawa of California introduced an amendment aimed at prioritizing English in state affairs, though it failed to pass. Since then, similar legislative efforts have been introduced but have repeatedly fallen short. In 2006, the Senate passed an amendment to a broad immigration bill that would have declared English the official language, but the measure never made it through the House.

Although more than 30 states have enacted laws designating English as their official language, attempts to implement a similar policy at the national level have consistently been blocked.

Over the past two decades, California, Massachusetts, and Arizona have enacted laws that dismantled bilingual education programs in favor of English-only immersion programs.

These laws required most public schools to teach students with limited English proficiency exclusively in English, replacing bilingual instruction that had been common in many districts for years.

California’s law remained in place for nearly 20 years before being repealed in 2016. In Massachusetts, a similar measure lasted around 15 years before being overturned by new legislation in 2017. Meanwhile, Arizona’s law remains in effect.

The US Census Bureau reports that a majority of Americans—over 78 per cent—speak only English at home. However, millions primarily use other languages, including Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog. Additionally, dozens of Native American languages continue to be spoken across the country.

By Nazrin Sadigova