INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off.The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on
from anti-bias training to funding for minority farmers and homeowners
action revokes an order issued by President Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients
staffers on paid leave by 5 p.m
Wednesday and take down all public DEI-focused webpages by the same deadline
Several federal departments had removed the webpages even before the memorandum
Office of Personnel Management if they suspect any DEI-related program has been renamed to obfuscate its purpose within 10 days or face
is the first salvo in an aggressive campaign to upend DEI efforts nationwide, including leveraging the Justice Department and other agencies
to investigate private companies pursuing training and hiring practices that conservative critics consider discriminatory against
during his first term was an executive order banning federal agency contractors and recipients of federal funding from conducting anti-bias
training that addressed concepts like systemic racism
more aggressive than his first and comes amid far more amenable terrain in the corporate world
develop a diversity plan, issue yearly progress reports, and contribute data for a government-wide dashboard to track demographic trends in
The administration also set up a Chief Diversity Officers Council to oversee the implementation of the DEI plan
The government released its first DEI progress report in 2022 that included demographic data for the federal workforce, which is about 60%
out equity plans developed by federal agencies and terminate any roles or offices dedicated to promoting diversity
It will include eliminating initiatives such as DEI-related training or diversity goals in performance reviews.Federal grant and benefits
that conservative activists claim unfairly carve out preference for racial minorities and women.The order does not specify which programs it
It also proposes that the federal government settle ongoing lawsuits against federal programs that benefit historically underserved
has pursued several lawsuits against federal programs
The institute recently released an influential report listing dozens of programs the Trump administration should consider dismantling, such
as credits for minority farmers or emergency relief assistance for majority-Black neighborhoods.He acknowledged that unwinding some
entrenched programs may be difficult
For example, the Treasury Department implements housing and other assistance programs through block grants to states that have their own
women and people of color.It took three years for the Biden administration to issue the final regulations, and Trump would have to embark on
a similar rule-making process, including a notice and comment period, to rescind it, said Chiraag Bains, former deputy director of the White
House Domestic Policy Council under Biden and now a nonresident senior fellow with Brookings Metro.Noreen Farrell, executive director of
initiatives with bipartisan support, said Bains
For example, he tasked the Chief Diversity Officers Executive Council with expanding federal employment opportunities for those with
That initiative stems from the Fair Chance Act, which Trump signed into law in 2019 and bans federal agencies and contractors from asking
she added.Source: The Associated Press--Agencies
