Impact of White House's DEI Staff Leave: What It Means for Government Inclusion

Employees in government diversity, equality, inclusion, and accessibility departments will be placed on paid administrative leave "effective immediately," according to a statement by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Slashing jobs in government DEI posts is one of the moves done by the incoming administration after Donald Trump promised to fight a battle against such programs and end the practice on day one. Trump has already reduced high-profile military troops and discontinued the use of DEI in federal employment and contracting. As conservative critics and customers put pressure on major corporations, others have implemented similar practices.

On Tuesday, the US Office of Personnel Management issued a memo instructing agencies to notify DEI staffers "no later than 5:00pm EST on Wednesday" that they would be placed on administrative leave effective immediately as "the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices, and programs."

The message also urges agencies to deactivate their offices' websites and social media profiles, as well as discontinue all DEI-related trainings.

CBS News was the first to report the message.

The move comes only one day after Trump issued an executive order prohibiting DEI programs. On a press briefing call Monday, an official promised that the executive order will "dismantle the DEI bureaucracy, which includes environmental justice programs, equity-related grants, equity action plans, and equity initiatives."

The White House also issued a fact sheet on Tuesday in support of an order prohibiting the use of DEI in government contracting and "directing federal agencies to relentlessly combat private sector discrimination."

The directive asks the OMB "to streamline the federal contracting process to enhance speed and efficiency, reduce costs, and require Federal contractors and subcontractors to comply with our civil rights laws" or "bars the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs from pushing contractors to balance their workforce based on race, sex, gender identity, sexual preference, or religion," according to a fact sheet.
 

President Joe Biden enhanced government workplace DEI safeguards by signing a series of executive orders that extended them to a broader range of Americans, from pregnant women and military spouses to rural communities and caretakers.

Critics argue that DEI initiatives are discriminatory and seek to address racial prejudice by disadvantageously affecting other groups, primarily White Americans. But proponents and industry experts argue that the decades-old process has become politicized and is largely misunderstood.

The initiatives have also been targeted by Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency, which he has appointed tech entrepreneur Elon Musk to run.

CNN previously examined the projected budgets for 20 government agencies. While all budget submissions for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 mentioned diversity programs, none expressly detailed DEI expenditures.

Some federal departments, such as the Department of Defense and the Health and Human Services, have entire offices dedicated to DEI. There are also department-wide programs that provide funding for minority-owned business development, as well as diversity recruitment and training activities.

The Trump administration's attack on DEI is likely to be legally challenged. CNN has previously reported that hundreds of civil rights and advocacy organizations are preparing for the numerous legal battles that will result from Republican efforts to dismantle DEI, and the American Civil Liberties Union told CNN last month that it is carefully reviewing all public statements from DOGE, the incoming Trump administration, and campaign comments.

This story has been updated with further information.