Another major government contractor has removed references to DE&I from its websites, as some companies race to comply with the Trump administration’s recent executive orders.
The latest. RTX is one of the world’s largest defense companies, with roughly $2.2 billion in government contracts and about 185,000 employees, according to USA Spending. As recently as Jan. 23, its careers website featured a section called “Our Diversity Commitment,” where the company discussed its “multiyear plan” for DE&I progress. That is now gone.
The section’s removal came after President Trump issued an executive order that, in part, said all federal contractors must dissolve their DE&I initiatives to receive new contracts, HR Brew previously reported.
RTX has also removed diversity information from its UK careers webpage.
The removal of all DE&I references appears to be in complete opposition to how the company has operated for more than two decades. In 2021, RTX launched its Stronger Together campaign, aimed at achieving gender parity and better racial representation within its workforce. As recently as Feb. 2, an RTX employee shared on LinkedIn an award they had received for their work with the company’s employee resource groups (ERGs).
One Reddit user who claims to be an employee posted that the company advised its ERGs that DE&I content had been removed from the company’s websites to “re-evaluate and align to the executive order.”
The bottom of its careers webpage still has an equal opportunity employer statement that says the company “provides affirmative action in employment for qualified individuals with a disability and protected veterans,” which is in line with federal laws including the Rehabilitation Act.
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“Our highly dedicated workforce is built and advances on merit in pursuit of our mission to protect and connect the world,” a Jan. 24 post on the company website said, echoing language used by the administration. “RTX is taking the necessary actions to comply with the Presidential Executive Orders.”
Zoom out. RTX is just the latest government contractor to remove mentions of DE&I from its websites, following Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen.
Lockheed Martin took down its DE&I webpage the week Trump took office, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The company issued a statement on its website with similar, merit-focused language, and said it will not have demographic representation goals moving forward. “We will continue to help America and its allies achieve peace through strength by recruiting, retaining and promoting the best aerospace and defense talent in the world, with the only criteria being merit and performance,” the statement read.
Booz Allen also appears to have removed any references to DE&I initiatives from its websites, including its Women at Booz Allen and disabled employees webpages. The company previously touted its neurodiversity training, received multiple recognitions for its diversity efforts, and celebrated LGBTQ+ employees.
As contractors race to comply with the administration’s executive orders, it’s still unclear what impact the changes will have on employees.
RTX did not respond to HR Brew’s request for comment by the time of publication.