President Donald Trump has issued a memorandum to executive branch agencies and departments, telling them to place all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) related federal workers on paid leave and informing them that those workers would soon be laid off.
The memo from Trump came one day after he signed a similar executive order calling for the ending of DEI programs and hiring in the federal government.
In his memo, Trump described DEI programs as a “radical” effort to undo a supposed promise of “colorblind equality” that is within the U.S. Constitution — ignoring the fact that the Constitution has historically been interpreted to allow discrimination based on race, gender, LGBTQ status, and more. He also falsely and baselessly asserted that DEI programs and hirings create and amplify “prejudicial hostility” and exacerbate “interpersonal conflict” — claims that go against what research has shown to be mostly positive outcomes of DEI.
Trump’s order demands that any federal employee hired because of DEI policies or who works in a DEI-based program should be placed on paid leave by Wednesday night. The memo also states that federal departments should come up with a written plan to permanently terminate those workers by the end of this month.
The order goes beyond federal hiring. It also requires the attorney general and other department heads to issue guidance to state and local governments that receive federal funds on ending their own DEI programs. It rescinds executive actions dating as far back as 1965, when former President Lyndon Johnson directed the Labor Department to expand protections to people of color and women when it comes to hiring within the federal government. That order also restricted federal contractors from engaging in discriminatory practices.
This latest action adds to the long list of anxieties federal workers overall are likely feeling regarding Trump’s actions affecting their jobs. Some federal workers’ unions are scrambling to ready themselves to defend their members against further actions by the president, with at least one filing a lawsuit against the administration over an order that aims to roll back the civil service program.
That order specifically will make it easier for Trump and other administration officials to fire workers whom they deem to be disloyal to him, contradicting Trump’s supposed claims that he is focused on merit-based hiring.
DEI has long been a bogeyman for conservative lawmakers and pundits, who disparagingly use the term to advance false and racist claims of unqualified workers taking jobs from white cisgender men. Scaling back DEI efforts, in both the public and private sectors, could alienate qualified employees from seeking jobs in those places, and will also likely reduce diversity in corporate leadership.
Multiple studies show that DEI programs and hiring processes are beneficial for a multitude of reasons, including increasing the morale of the workforce and lessening turnover. These programs also create more innovation, allowing companies or public agencies to better adapt to new trends and perspectives they wouldn’t ordinarily consider. DEI programs also increase customer bases, and thus increase sales revenues.
Critics lambasted Trump for issuing an order rescinding DEI programs and firing federal workers who were part of them.
“Some presidents create jobs. Trump kills them,” political analyst and commentator Rachel Bitecofer wrote in a Bluesky post. “Thousands of ruined lives coming.”
“There’s this clear effort to hinder, if not erode, the political and economic power of people of color and women,” political strategist Basil Smikle Jr. said. “[Trump’s order] opens up the door for more cronyism.”
Roni Bennett, executive director of South Florida People of Color, also criticized the move, stating that Trump’s action demonstrated that he believed “minorities don’t matter.”
“These so-called ‘colorblind’ policies don’t level the playing field — they erase it,” Bennett said. “Without DEI, we risk shutting minorities out of opportunities they’ve worked hard to earn.”
Bennett added that for her and her organization, as well as for many others, this would not be “the end of the fight,” and that those supportive of DEI efforts would “keep working to ensure everyone has a seat at the table.”
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