President Donald Trump Kicks Off His Second Term with a Crackdown on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Employees
President Donald Trump has started his second term with another firm decision: a crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) workers. The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to dismiss federal employees in DEI roles, forcing major corporations and federal agencies to alter their policies.
In a memo shared on Friday, the acting head of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management informed government agencies that they “shall take action to terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all DEI, DEIA, and ‘environmental justice’ offices and positions within sixty days.”
The exact number of employees affected by this decision has not been made public.
Although many government employees have workplace protections, which could complicate the termination efforts, the Trump administration remains determined.
Furthermore, the 47th U.S. President has asked federal agencies to submit a written plan by January 31 for the dismissal of workers at some point in the future.
In his inaugural address on January 20, President Trump explained his reasoning for cracking down on diversity initiatives, saying, “end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.”
The 78-year-old Republican also referred to DEI initiatives as discrimination against white men during his presidential campaign last year.
In accordance with Trump’s directives, government agencies are removing any mentions of diversity hiring from their websites.
The Department of Education also announced on Thursday that it had dissolved DEI-focused councils, while DEI pages for the State Department, Labor Department, and Commerce Department were taken down.
The National Gallery of Art, which receives federal funding, also shared on Friday that it had closed an office dedicated to belonging and inclusion.
