Trump Orders Halt to Federal DEI Programs, Puts DEI Staff on Paid Leave

In a move to dismantle federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, President Donald Trump has ordered all government employees working on DEI initiatives to be placed on paid leave and eventually laid off. The directive, issued through an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) memo, mandates that federal DEI staff be off work by 5 p.m. Wednesday and all public DEI-related web pages be taken down by the same deadline.

This action follows a broader executive order that President Trump signed on his first day in office. Trump has long criticized DEI programs, calling them “discriminatory” and pledging to restore a “merit-based” approach to hiring. His administration claims that these programs undermine traditional values and foster division by promoting an “identity-based spoils system,” which they argue goes against the country’s commitment to equality under the law.

The executive order specifically targets initiatives designed to address systemic racism, such as anti-bias training, minority-focused funding, and hiring practices that consider race and gender. The order aims to eliminate any federal programs or policies promoting diversity, including training or performance reviews that reward DEI efforts. It also revokes a 1965 order signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson that prohibited discrimination in federal contracting on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

Trump’s push to end DEI programs represents a significant reversal of his predecessor’s policies. Shortly after taking office, President Biden had reinstated and expanded DEI initiatives throughout the federal government. But Trump’s latest order is far more aggressive, aiming to dismantle programs within federal agencies and contractors that promote racial and gender equality.

Civil rights advocates have condemned the move, arguing that DEI programs are necessary to address historical inequities and structural discrimination. “What it does is open up the door for more cronyism,” said Basil Smikle Jr., a political strategist. Critics believe that ending these programs undermines the political and economic power of women and people of color.

While Trump has justified his decision as fulfilling a campaign promise, the implementation of such massive structural changes is not without difficulty. As noted by experts, federal agencies have deeply embedded policies and procedures that can't simply be switched off overnight.

In parallel to these federal moves, large companies in the private sector are also rethinking their diversity practices. Some major corporations, including Walmart, McDonald's, and Meta, have already scaled back their DEI programs, signaling a broader corporate shift that aligns with Trump’s anti-DEI stance.

Trump’s administration is pushing to promote individual merit over group-based initiatives. This shift comes at a time when conservative-backed lawsuits against corporate diversity practices are gaining traction. The administration has also announced plans to encourage private companies to cease similar diversity efforts within 120 days.

Though these changes are expected to take time to fully implement, they mark the beginning of an aggressive push against diversity programs at the federal level. For many advocates, it’s a concerning signal of the administration's broader stance on racial and gender equity.