Trump Ends Federal DEI Programs, Revokes 1965 Affirmative Action Order; Staff Placed on Leave

Jan 22, 2025, 10:37 AM

President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs throughout the federal government, aiming to promote merit-based hiring. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) acting director, Charles Ezell, issued a memorandum directing all federal agencies to close DEI offices and place their staff on paid administrative leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday. Agencies are also instructed to remove DEI-focused content from public websites by the same deadline. The executive order revokes Executive Order 11246, established in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson, which mandated affirmative action in federal contracting and carried forward equal employment rules first set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. The Trump administration is also directing agencies to enforce civil-rights laws and to combat what it describes as illegal private-sector DEI preferences, warning of "adverse consequences" for attempts to disguise DEI initiatives with coded language. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the directive, stating that all federal DEI employees must be placed on leave immediately.