White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that US federal employees working in diversity offices must be put on paid leave by Wednesday evening as the new administration of Donald Trump has ordered the programmes shut.
“Send a notification to all employees of DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility) offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and program,” said a US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) memo posted on social media platform X by a CBS correspondent.
The memo from acting OPM director Charles Ezell directed all department and agency heads and acting heads to send workers notice by 5pm Wednesday.
“To every reporter asking about this: I can gladly confirm!” said Leavitt on X, reposting the CBS reporter who had posted the memo.
While campaigning, Trump had vilified diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in the federal government and corporate world, saying they discriminated against white people – men in particular.
He also demonised any recognition of gender diversity, attacking transgender people – notably transgender women in sports – and gender-affirming care for children.
In front of a crowd of supporters in Washington Monday – his first day in office – the Republican wiped out 78 executive orders, actions and presidential memoranda issued by his Democrat predecessor Joe Biden.
Several overturned decrees promoted diversity and equality in the Government, workplaces and healthcare, as well as the rights of LGBTQ Americans.
He also issued new ones decreeing only two genders and ending Government diversity programmes.
“The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programmes, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government,” said one executive order ending such programmes.
‘Shameful discrimination’
The OPM memo dated Tuesday said DEI programmes “divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination”.
It ordered all agency heads to cancel DEI trainings, terminate related contractors, and take down websites and social media accounts promoting it by Wednesday evening.
Federal department and agency bosses are also required to ask “employees if they know of any efforts to disguise these (DEI) programmes by using coded or imprecise language”.
The memo includes a template email for bosses to send to employees, which asks them to report to OPM if they are “aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024 (Election Day) to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies”.
Failure to report the requested information within 10 days “may result in adverse consequences,” the template email states.
The memo also ordered bosses to submit by Thursday afternoon a “list of DEIA offices,” employees and related agency contracts as of November 5, as well as agency plans to comply with the related executive orders.
Agency heads must submit a written plan for a “reduction-in-force action” regarding employees in DEI offices by 5pm Friday (US time).
Besides government initiatives, Republicans are also fiercely against DEI programmes in corporate America, many of which were established in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter movement and the nation’s attempt to reckon with longstanding racial disparities.
In the aftermath of Trump’s election victory in November, US giants, including Facebook parent Meta, retailer Walmart and a string of prestige brands – from Ford, John Deere and Lowe’s to Harley-Davidson and Jack Daniel’s – have scaled back programmes aimed at bolstering minority groups.
