In spite of recent turmoil surrounding President Donald Trump's advisory councils, the White House plans to continue its American Technology Council, Recode reports.
Here are three things to know about the ATC.
1. President Trump tweeted Aug. 16 he would dissolve two councils of executive advisors, one for manufacturing and another for strategy and policy. "Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both," he wrote. "Thank you all!"
The decision came after the Strategic and Policy Forum members decided on a conference call to disband Aug. 16. At least seven leaders on the president's manufacturing council resigned prior to his announcement ending the council, attributing their resignation to President Trump's response to the violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., Aug. 12.
2. However, a White House official told Recode, "The [ATC] is full steam ahead on its work assisting the modernizing of government IT, which is primarily being done through internal government resources."
The ATC — which President Trump established in an executive order April 28 — does not have corporate members. Rather, it is made up of government employees. Its mission is to strategize the federal government's use of IT and offer advice related to IT policy decisions and processes, among other tasks.
3. Although the ATC does not have corporate members, it has held meetings with technology executives like Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. None of these participants have said they plan to refuse participation in future ATC efforts as of Aug. 21, according to Recode.
"The council will continue to occasionally consult with the private sector on specific issue areas like improving cloud rollout, cybersecurity and digital services for [veterans]," the White House official told Recode.