AP PHOTO/ Evan Vucci
WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, the Trump administration took significant steps toward ending affirmative action in federal contracting, directing that all federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) staff be placed on paid leave and ultimately laid off.
This move follows an executive order signed by Trump on his first day in office, marking the beginning of an extensive effort to dismantle federal diversity and inclusion programs. These programs, which range from anti-bias training to support for minority farmers and homeowners, have long been a focus of Democratic administrations. Trump, however, has repeatedly referred to them as “discrimination,” asserting the need to restore “merit-based” hiring practices.
The new executive order on affirmative action revokes a key order issued by President Lyndon Johnson, significantly scaling back DEI programs among federal contractors and grant recipients. The executive order uses one of the tools from the Biden administration’s efforts to promote DEI across the private sector—pushing for its implementation by federal contractors—now in the service of eradicating such programs.
In a memo issued on Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management instructed agencies to place DEI office staff on paid leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday and take down all publicly accessible DEI-related webpages by the same deadline. Several agencies had already removed these pages prior to the memo’s release. The memo further mandates the cancellation of any DEI-related training and the termination of relevant contracts. Federal workers are also required to report to the Office of Personnel Management within 10 days if they suspect any DEI-related program has been rebranded to disguise its true purpose, with the threat of “adverse consequences” for non-compliance.
CBS News first reported the contents of the memo.
This move follows Trump’s Monday executive order, which criticized former President Joe Biden for embedding “discrimination” programs into “virtually all aspects of the federal government” through DEI initiatives.
The order marks the beginning of a broader effort to overhaul DEI policies nationwide, with the Justice Department and other agencies tasked with investigating private companies involved in training and hiring practices that conservative critics argue discriminate against non-minority groups, such as white men.
Trump’s latest order builds upon actions taken during his first term. One of his final executive orders in office banned federal contractors and recipients of federal funding from conducting anti-bias training that addressed issues like systemic racism. On his first day in office, Biden rescinded that order and issued a series of executive orders designed to promote DEI throughout the federal government.
Although many of the changes proposed in Trump’s new order may take months or even years to implement, this anti-DEI agenda is far more aggressive than his previous efforts and comes amid a corporate landscape increasingly responsive to conservative pressures. Prominent companies, from Walmart to Facebook, have already scaled back or ended some of their diversity practices in response to both Trump’s election and lawsuits from conservative-backed groups.
Key Areas Targeted by Trump’s Executive Order
1. Diversity Offices, Training, and Accountability
Trump’s order will immediately roll back Biden’s broad initiative to embed DEI practices within the federal workforce, which includes approximately 2.4 million employees. Under Biden, federal agencies were required to develop diversity plans, submit annual progress reports, and provide data for a government-wide dashboard to track demographic trends in hiring and promotions. Biden’s administration also established a Chief Diversity Officers Council to oversee these efforts.
Trump’s new order will eliminate agency equity plans and dismantle any offices dedicated to promoting diversity. This includes ending DEI-related training programs and the use of diversity goals in performance reviews.
2. Federal Grant and Benefits Programs
Trump’s executive order signals the start of a sweeping review of billions of dollars in federal spending, particularly programs that critics argue unfairly prioritize racial minorities and women. While the order doesn’t specify which programs will be targeted, it mandates a government-wide review to ensure compliance with the administration’s anti-DEI stance. The order also advocates for settling ongoing lawsuits that challenge federal programs benefiting historically underserved communities, including programs dating back decades.
“This is a seismic shift in the focus and direction of the federal government,” said Dan Lennington, deputy counsel for the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, which has filed several lawsuits challenging federal programs. The institute recently published a report recommending that the Trump administration dismantle programs like credits for minority farmers and emergency relief assistance for majority-Black neighborhoods.
3. Pay Equity and Hiring Practices
It remains unclear whether Trump’s administration will target all initiatives stemming from Biden’s DEI executive orders. For instance, Biden’s administration banned federal agencies from asking about applicants’ salary history to prevent pay disparities for women and people of color. While this rule took three years to finalize under Biden, Trump would have to go through a similar rule-making process to rescind it, which includes a public notice and comment period.
Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates, expressed hope that the Trump administration would not seek to undo this popular rule, which has been adopted by several states and cities.
Biden’s DEI initiatives also included bipartisan-supported initiatives, such as expanding federal job opportunities for individuals with criminal records, an effort stemming from the 2019 Fair Chance Act signed into law by Trump. This initiative bans federal agencies and contractors from asking about criminal history before extending a conditional job offer.
Despite the sweeping nature of Trump’s order, Farrell noted that the implementation of such large-scale changes is not straightforward. “Federal agencies have deeply embedded policies and procedures that can’t simply be switched off overnight,” she said.
As these changes unfold, it remains to be seen how the Trump administration will navigate the complexities of dismantling established DEI frameworks, both within the federal government and in private industry.
