The Trump administration has taken decisive action to reorient its approach to workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the federal government, placing all federal DEI officials on paid administrative leave by directive.
The Daily Wire reported that a sweeping executive order is shifting federal agency focus from the DEI frameworks established by the prior administration to a merit-based employment system.
This development, detailed in an executive order from President Donald Trump and bolstered by a memo from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), calls for significant changes to current DEI protocols. By the end of the business day Wednesday, all federal DEI employees will be placed on administrative leave.
The executive order is titled "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions." This title underscores the administration’s intention to quickly reverse the DEI-focused policies implemented by the Biden administration.
The directive from the Office of Personnel Management mandates agency heads to not only inform DEI workers of their immediate status change but also to commence the shutdown of all associated DEIA offices and programs.
In addition, the directive provides explicit instructions for agencies to dismantle existing social media channels tied to DEIA offices. Employees were advised to report any efforts to perpetuate DEIA initiatives under different guises.
Agencies are tasked with supplying the OPM with a thorough listing of all contracts and offices affiliated with DEIA objectives.
Furthermore, all forthcoming DEIA training sessions are to be canceled as part of this overhaul. This comprehensive action underscores the administration’s stance that previous DEI efforts were divisive and financially impractical.
An email template distributed by the OPM to heads of agencies articulates this viewpoint, criticizing past DEI policies as having "divided Americans by race" and misused taxpayer resources. This perspective aligns with President Trump’s campaign messages emphasizing a return to a meritocracy.
The Trump administration’s latest directive represents a reversal from the previous administration’s approach. A study conducted by Do No Harm highlighted at least 500 actions taken by the Biden administration to embed DEI principles within federal governance structures.
These enhancements aimed to advance various DEI tenets, including elements of Critical Race Theory and considerations surrounding gender identity.
The OPM memo outlining these developments essentially communicates that all DEI office employees are being placed on paid leave. This step is described as part of a "concerted effort" to close down the existing DEI initiatives across federal agencies.
The administration's announcement has sparked reactions from various quarters. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that the action echoes President Trump’s campaign stance against DEI practices in the federal government.
She characterized the decision as a fulfillment of the administration's promises to voters, highlighting benefits for Americans from varied backgrounds.
The memo from OPM noted that the DEI policies once implemented led to what it termed "shameful discrimination," reinforcing the administration's commitment to moving away from policies it viewed as polarizing and ineffective.
This overhaul points to a significant recalibration of federal operational priorities, away from identity-focused frameworks towards a purely skills-based system. While DEI officials are currently placed on paid leave, the long-term trajectory for these professionals and the initiatives they championed remains uncertain.
What’s more, the extent to which these changes will impact federally funded diversity initiatives across the country could be profound. The termination of DEI contracts and initiatives signifies a disassembling of infrastructure built up in previous years.
