The Trump administration is planning to dismiss all federal employees working in positions associated with diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI) and has instructed federal agencies to immediately place these workers on paid administrative leave.
The guidance, from the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, Charles Ezell, follows an executive order from President Trump that instructed all agencies to cease any DEI activities immediately. Trump stated that such efforts have undermined a merit-based public service and society.
What is DEI?
DEI refers to a combination of steps and policies undertaken by various organizations, both in the public and private sectors, to support people from different backgrounds, meaning those who are often underrepresented.
Different backgrounds and lived experiences may include someone’s gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religious beliefs, or disabilities.
The idea behind these policies is to address systemic injustices, such as historical sexism and racism, that have prevented some groups from having the same access to jobs and industries as the majority.
But critics say that the policies themselves can be discriminatory. The White House claims that an executive order reversing DEI, “protects the civil rights of all Americans and expands individual opportunities” and “faithfully promotes the Constitution’s promise of colorblind equality under the law.”
Federal employees received emails on Wednesday (22) warning that they could face consequences if they did not report colleagues in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility positions that may have gone unnoticed by government supervisors.
“We are aware of efforts by some in the government to disguise these programs using coded or imprecise language,” said emails sent to government employees and obtained by NBC News.
Trump’s measure is the latest in a series of anti-diversity efforts that the new president has made during his first days in office. On Monday (20), he also signed an executive order stating that the government would recognize only two genders, effectively rejecting the governmental recognition of non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals.
Also this week, Trump revoked an executive order aimed at prohibiting discrimination by federal contractors and subcontractors. The decades-old order required “affirmative action and prohibits federal contractors from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin,” according to a summary from the Department of Labor.
Source: NBC News