President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to slash Federal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) programs. The order revokes a 2021 DEIA order issued by former President Joe Biden and sets in motion a 60-day deadline to “terminate” DEI, DEIA, and environmental protection programs within Federal agencies.
Former President Biden’s DEI policies stemmed from his 2021 executive order and instituted Federal diversity officer positions, recruitment from underserved communities, and employee resource groups.
President Trump’s order specifically calls for termination “to the maximum extent of the law” of diversity officer positions; “all ‘equity action plans,’ ‘equity’ actions, initiatives, or programs, ‘equity-related’ grants or contracts; and all DEI or DEIA performance requirements for employees, contractors, or grantees.”
The order also gives authority to the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the attorney general, and the director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to “review and revise” Federal employment practices, union contracts, and training policies and programs related to DEIA.
“Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great,” the order reads.
The order also requires the OMB director to gather a list of all Federal agency programs related to DEIA initiatives including budgets, expenditures, positions, committees, services, and activities. These include Federal contractors who provided DEIA training or materials and grantees who received Federal funding for DEIA programs since Jan. 20, 2021.
“Federal employment practices, including Federal employee performance reviews, shall reward individual initiative, skills, and hard work and shall not under any circumstances consider DEI or DEIA factors, goals, policies, mandates, or requirements,” the order says.
Based on information gathered in the list, the order mandates agency leaders and department heads assess the operational impact of DEIA policies and recommend actions to align with the policy of “equal dignity and respect.”
The order requires monthly meetings with OPM, OMB, and each department head to monitor progress in eliminating and redefining DEIA policies.
While it is not clear what “equal dignity and respect” in Federal agencies will look like, Trump’s order drew sharp criticism from some including Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
“Undoing these programs is just another way for President Trump to undermine the merit-based civil service and turn Federal hiring and firing decisions into loyalty tests,” Kelley said.
