President Trump Ends All DEI Programs in The Federal Government

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that ends all DEI ( Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs in the Federal Government workforce. Ordering all personnel involved in (DEI) initiatives to be placed on paid administrative leave.

The White House confirmed that all federal DEI employees must be on leave by 17:00 EST (22:00 GMT) on Wednesday before the offices and programs are closed.

On Tuesday, Trump also issued an executive order that called for the cessation of the “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral” programs.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 800,000 federal workers, has informed Reuters that the number of individuals impacted by the order is uncertain.

The president has implemented numerous unilateral measures since his inauguration, rapidly fulfilling numerous significant commitments.

President Trump has consistently criticized the practices of the Department of Education and Information (DEI), contending that they were racist and discriminatory. He vowed to “create a society that is merit-based and color-blind” in his inaugural address.

On Tuesday, the US Office of Personnel Management sent a memo to the heads of government agencies, directing them to place DEI employees on leave. The memo contained various requests, one of which was to remove the public websites for DEI offices.

Order targeted the “illegal” policies of DEI and DEIA

Federal agencies are required to compile a list of DEI offices and employees by Thursday and submit “a written plan” by January 31 to implement layoffs in DEI offices.

Meanwhile, Trump’s executive order targeted the “illegal” policies of DEI and DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility), depicting them as violating US Federal law.

His executive order asserted that these DEI and DEIA policies had the potential to “violate” significant underlying civil rights laws that safeguard Americans from discrimination.

According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the action is “another victory for Americans of all races, religions, and creeds” and fulfils President Trump’s campaign pledge.

The executive order mandates that federal hiring, promotions, and performance reviews “reward individual initiative” rather than “DEI-related factors.”

Additionally, it mandates that the US attorney general submit recommendations “to encourage the private sector” to discontinue comparable diversity initiatives within 120 days.

Additionally, the order prohibited federal contractors from discriminating against applicants based on “race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin” during the hiring process.

US Corporations Dumping DEI Practices

Conservatives were enthusiastic about Walmart’s decision to reduce its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

In November, the retail giant became the latest company to reduce its DEI initiatives. This move was similar to those of prominent companies, such as Harley-Davidson, John Deere, and Tractor Supply.

McDonald’s has also reduced the scope of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. As conservative opposition to such initiatives intensifies, Amazon and Meta are the most recent U.S. corporations to reassess their policies, having done so days before Donald Trump’s election as president.

Meta, the owner of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced on Friday that it will no longer consider DEI policies when hiring, training, or selecting suppliers.

Meta’s DEI reversal occurred mere days after CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared that his organization would cease to censor speech on its social media platforms.

Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recently met with Trump in an ongoing effort to improve the relationship between the Republican president and the tech industry.

In an internal employee memo, Meta vice president of human resources Janelle Gale reportedly disclosed the DEI initiatives, attributing the policy revisions to the evolving “legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the United States.”

On January 3, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, published an essay on his social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, in which he condemned DEI (also known as IE&D). In the essay, Ackman, a hedge fund billionaire, warned that the practice could result in “racism against white people.”

Musk wrote, “DEI is merely another term for racism.” “Anyone who employs it is to be ashamed.”

The post generated controversy online and prompted criticism from fellow billionaire businessman Mark Cuban. In response, Cuban asserted in a post on X that DEI benefits businesses.

DEI has been a contentious issue in the workplace for an extended period. In the past few years, conservative groups and politicians have promoted or signed legislation to prohibit businesses and educational institutions from giving preferential consideration based on race or ethnicity, fueled by the anti-woke movement.

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