Trump ramps up move to scrub DEI from government

The Trump administration ordered agency and department heads to move forward in eliminating any programs and initiatives that are based on race, gender or other characteristics covered by civil rights laws.

All federal agencies should terminate initiatives related to DEIA — diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility — including in internships, hiring panels, candidate pools and employee resource groups, according to a memo by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management dated Wednesday. Unlawful actions are those motived by taking actions based on protected characteristics, the memo said.

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Protected characteristics include race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, the memo said.

The agencies may still allow employee affinity groups to have social gatherings and participate in mentoring and training providing there are no exclusions that are based on race, gender or other protected classes, according to the memo sent to department heads by Charles Ezell, acting director of the OPM.

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Trump ordered his administration to scrub DEI from the federal government in a series of executive orders shortly after his inauguration. Since then, DEI staffers have been put on administrative leave and references to DEI have been removed from websites and documents.

The memo clarified that the administration should not rescind policies related to disability accommodation except those that are based on protected characteristics, and "retain the minimum number of employees necessary to ensure agency compliance with applicable disability and accessibility laws, including those requiring the collection, maintenance, and reporting of disability information."