US President Donald Trump signed his latest batch of executive orders, including one that opens the door for federal government agencies to relocate their offices outside of Washington, DC and another that seeks to reduce healthcare costs.

"The American people are spread across more than 3.8 million square miles in urban, suburban and rural areas. To provide the highest quality services in an efficient and cost-effective manner, executive departments and agencies must be where the people are," one executive order stated on Tuesday.

The order reverses two earlier directives issued by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton which had encouraged federal agencies to situate their offices within central business districts and historic properties in urban areas—primarily in the nation's capital.

"Revoking these orders will restore common sense to federal office space management by freeing agencies to select cost-effective facilities and focus on successfully carrying out their missions for American taxpayers," the executive order said.

In another order, Trump directed his health department to work with Congress on revamping a law that allows Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, seeking to introduce a change the pharmaceutical industry has lobbied for.

The wide-ranging executive order signed by Trump aims to reduce healthcare costs. It comes one day after the Trump administration instituted a national security report into the pharmaceutical industry, a precursor to sector-specific tariffs.

Other orders

The president also signed other orders, including one to launch an investigation into the national security risks of the country's reliance on imported processed critical minerals, the White House said on Tuesday.

China has placed some rare earth elements under export restrictions in retaliation to Trump's steep tariffs on Chinese goods.

Another one directs the administration to prioritise the procurement of commercially available products and services rather than non-commercial, custom products or services, the White House said.

The order directs agency contracting officers to review all pending contracts for non-commercial products or services within 60 days and submit waivers justifying their necessity, according to a White House fact sheet.