World of HR: State Department tells embassy vendors, contractors to comply with anti-DEI orders

The Trump administration recently told employers in Europe that they must comply with President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting DEI, bringing a quick rebuke from foreign leaders who say the administration should not dictate foreign employment practices.

The State Department directed its embassies in the European Union to end contracts with vendors or suppliers that don’t comply with the administration’s anti-DEI executive orders, Reuters reported. The memorandum comes as contractors that provide services to US embassies are being required to answer a seemingly mandatory DEI questionnaire; those that fail to comply may not be paid.

“We inform you that Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-based Opportunities, signed by President Trump, applies to all suppliers and service providers of the US Government, regardless of their nationality and the country in which they operate,” the letter said.

The move could be viewed as an overstep by the administration, because, as HR Brew previously reported, certain DEI practices, including equal pay regulations, are the law in many European countries. Several European countries and employers pushed back against the letter, and said they would not comply.

“If contracts were to be terminated solely because a company is committed to diversity and inclusion, this could constitute a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” Maxime Prévot, Belgium’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, said in a statement.

The State Department attempted to clarify the intent of the letter amid the negative feedback from European countries, and said the letter was only meant for “US employers” that employ US citizens, according to the New York Times. Since the government hasn’t defined what it considers “illegal DEI,” it’s unclear which practices the US wants suppliers to end since the State Department asserted that its questionnaire was solely a request for companies to “self-certify” that they comply with the American law, and that the US government will not verify the information.

Aurore Bergé, French minister for equality between men and women, said that the letter is just an attempt for the US government to dictate business practices in France. "Thankfully, a lot of French companies don’t plan to change their rules.”