Trump “immediately” places all US government DEI staff on paid leave

President Donald Trump has ordered that all U.S. government personnel working on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs be immediately placed on paid administrative leave.

The White House confirmed that all federal DEI employees are to be furloughed at 5:00 p.m. EST (22:00 GMT) on Wednesday, before the offices and programs in question close.

In an executive order issued Tuesday, Trump also called for an end to “dangerous, humiliating and immoral” programs.

It's unclear how many people are affected by the order, said the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 800,000 federal workers.

Since his inauguration, the president has moved quickly on a number of key commitments through a series of unilateral actions.

He repeatedly attacked the DEI's practices during the election campaign, arguing that they were discriminatory.

In his inaugural address, Trump pledged to “forge a color-blind, merit-based society.”

DEI programs aim to promote workplace participation of people from diverse backgrounds.

Supporters say they address historic underrepresentation and discrimination against certain groups, including racial minorities, but critics say such programs can themselves be discriminatory.

On Tuesday, a memo was sent from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to heads of government agencies, ordering them to furlough DEI employees.

The memo contained a number of demands, including the removal of public DEI office websites.

By Thursday, federal agencies must compile a list of DEI offices and employees. By January 31, agencies must submit “a written plan” to proceed with layoffs in DEI offices.

Trump's executive order, meanwhile, took aim at what he called “unlawful” DEI and DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility) policies, portraying them as being contrary to US law.

He said these policies have the ability to “violate” important core civil rights laws that protect Americans from discrimination.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision “is another victory for Americans of all races, religions and beliefs” and fulfills a campaign promise made by Trump.

The executive order requires that federal hiring, promotions, and performance evaluations “reward individual initiative” rather than “DEI-related factors.”

It also requires the U.S. attorney general to submit recommendations within 120 days “to encourage the private sector” to end similar diversity efforts.

And the order repeals a civil rights-era executive order, signed by former President Lyndon B Johnson, that prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, l sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. when hiring.

It also requires them to take affirmative action to ensure equal employment opportunities.

Revoking this order will have ripple effects across the federal and private sectors, said Alvin Tillery, a political scientist and co-founder of the 2040 Strategy Group, which provides DEI training in the private sector.

He said that in theory, a company with only white employees that now refuses to hire blacks, Latinos or women, for example, “can opt for a federal contract without demonstrating that your processes comply” with federal diversity standards.

Critics say it could also eliminate training programs aimed at combating discrimination or reinforcing positive behaviors.

“People are going to be misinformed about what discrimination is and what it looks like,” said Les Alderman, a Washington-based civil rights attorney who represents federal and congressional workers.

“Good-hearted people are going to be wrong about some of the things we do and there will be consequences.”

Unions representing federal employees have condemned Trump's executive orders.

AFGE maintains that diversity programs have reduced wage disparities between men and women in the federal workforce.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement that cutting these programs serves to undermine “merit-based public service and turn federal hiring and firing decisions into loyalty tests.” .

The order was “designed to intimidate and attack nonpartisan public officials,” said National Federation of Federal Workers national president Randy Erwin.

Tuesday's executive order follows a similar executive order signed by Trump on Monday.

It states that all DEI offices, positions and programs will terminate within 60 days, “to the maximum extent permitted by law.”

Among the positions targeted for elimination are “diversity manager” and “environmental justice.”

Several major U.S. companies have ended or scaled back their DEI programs in recent weeks, including McDonald's, Walmart and Facebook parent company Meta.

Others, like Apple and retailers Target and Costco, have publicly defended their DEI programs.

Mr. Tillery said that while he believes the former Biden administration's efforts to add DEI positions in government were well-intentioned, they fell short of their goals.

“The DEI jobs were underfunded, understaffed, the people doing the work were heroes with very few resources,” he said. “But now we’re going to get to zero.”

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