The Trump administration has escalated its efforts to dismantle federal DEI programs. A memo from the acting director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) requires agency heads to terminate DEI-related roles as quickly as possible, according to NBC News. Federal employees in these roles have already begun receiving layoff notices and being placed on paid administrative leave.
Recent developments reveal additional measures aimed at identifying and eliminating any DEI programs that may be hidden from government oversight. Federal employees were instructed via email to report colleagues working in DEIA roles that might have been obscured through vague or coded language, noted America’s News Brief earlier in the week. The directive, which came directly from the White House, urges employees to notify OPM of any changes made to contract or personnel descriptions since November 5, 2024, if those changes appear intended to disguise connections to DEIA initiatives.
It’s still unclear how many workers would be affected. The White House has not provided detailed estimates. Termination efforts could also be hampered by workplace protections for many career government employees, NBC News continued.
The directive accelerates earlier plans from the administration that had called for government agencies to submit written plans by Jan. 31 for dismissing workers at some point in the future.
The updated guidance says agencies “can and should” start issuing layoff notices “to employees of DEIA offices now.” An order issued Tuesday told department heads to inform all workers in DEI roles that they would be put on paid leave the following day.
While President Donald Trump and his allies have pledged to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the government, President Joe Biden has taken a different approach. During his tenure, Biden signed several executive orders to expand workplace DEI protections, ensuring broader inclusion for various groups, including pregnant individuals, military spouses, rural communities, and caregivers.
Critics of DEI programs argue that these initiatives are inherently discriminatory, claiming they address racial inequality by unfairly disadvantaging other groups, particularly White Americans. However, advocates and industry experts contend that DEI practices, which have been in place for decades, are often misrepresented and misunderstood, having recently become a focal point of political debate.
The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle DEI are expected to encounter significant legal resistance. Civil rights and advocacy organizations are already preparing for a wave of legal battles in response to Republican-led attempts to roll back these programs, CNN reported.
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