Presidential executive orders usually attract more attention than the myriad other executive actions by a presidential administration, because they signal the intent and direction of the administration’s political and regulatory efforts. When a president issues an executive order, most of the resulting commentary focuses on whether its policy goals are good or bad. These evaluations are often predictable based on the partisan affiliation of the commentators.

We at the Center for Practical Federalism believe it’s important to consider not just an executive order’s immediate policy consequences, but its long-term effects on state and local authority. This authority has been unwisely and improperly diminished during decades of federal expansion, so it’s important to scrutinize the effects federal actions have on the federalist balance that was so important to the American founding, and which has undergirded American stability, freedom, and prosperity.

To that end, we offer this tracker of active executive orders that have a direct impact on American federalism and self-governance.

Executive orders typically provide broad instructions to the federal government, setting off a chain of activity across agencies. Without strong federalism safeguards, these orders can concentrate even more power in Washington—making future policy swings more dramatic with each new administration. To that end, this tool will not only scrutinize active executive orders, but also provide insights on how to integrate federalism principles into them, as a bulwark against federal agency overreach.