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President Trump has started his second term by issuing several anti-DE&I measures. Among them, he rolled back 60 years of equal opportunity employment and directed his government to examine private sector DE&I initiatives.
On Tuesday evening, Trump issued two new executive orders aimed at eliminating DE&I from the federal government. The first directive places all government DE&I professionals on paid leave, effective today at 5pm ET. He also directed federal agencies to “enforce our longstanding civil-rights laws and to combat illegal private-sector DE&I preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities.”
However, it’s worth noting that most current public and private sector DE&I initiatives are not illegal, HR Brew previously reported.
As part of Tuesday’s directive, Trump also revoked several executive orders aimed at improving DE&I in the federal government, including a 2011 order established to “promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce” and a 2016 memorandum that promoted diversity in national security. He also revoked former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1965 equal employment opportunity order, noting that federal contractors must abandon the regulation within 90 days.
New federal contracts will include clauses requiring the removal of references to DE&I principles. Contractors must also eliminate any programs related to “diversity,” “equity,” and “advancing equity.”
The directive also encourages private sector employers to end their DE&I practices, and gives the government 120 days to develop new civil rights policies. Trump’s administration will examine the private sector and “each agency shall identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations.” However, if the March ruling that struck down part of Florida’s Stop WOKE Act is any indication of how future courts might decide on such matters, the government may not be able to enforce these rules on private companies.
Additionally, two groups appear to be exempt from these anti-DE&I measures. Employers may continue preferential hiring practices for US veterans, and disability hiring programs or preferences are not mentioned.
Trump also ordered the immediate elimination of all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) DE&I programs. This is separate from his Monday order calling for the elimination of all government DE&I programs. The order claims that the FAA put diversity over “excellence” (though this has never been proven), and directs the transportation secretary to review the performance of anyone involved in “critical safety” at the FAA.