U.S. government workers in diversity jobs to be furloughed as programs ordered closed

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that US federal employees working in diversity offices will be on paid leave Wednesday night as the new administration of Donald Trump has ordered the programs closed.

“Notify all employees in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/terminate all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs,” 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 chiefs to send notice to workers by 6 p.m. 17.00 Wednesday.

“To any journalist asking about this: I am happy to confirm!” Leavitt said on X, resubmitting the CBS reporter who had posted the note.

While campaigning, Trump had denigrated diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in the federal government and the corporate world, saying they discriminated against white people — especially men.

He also demonized any recognition of gender diversity, attacked transgender people – especially transgender women in sports – and gender-affirming child care.

Before a crowd of supporters in Washington on Monday – his first day in office – the Republican scrapped 78 executive orders, actions and presidential memoranda issued by his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.

Several of the overturned decrees promoted diversity and equality in government, the workplace and health care, and the rights of LGBTQ Americans.

He also issued new ones that decreed only two genders and ended the government’s diversity programs.

“The Biden administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs dubbed ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ (DEI) into virtually every aspect of the federal government,” said an executive order ending such programs.

– ‘Shameful discrimination’ –

The OPM memo dated Tuesday said DEI programs “divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars and resulted in shameful discrimination.”

It ordered all bureau chiefs to cancel DEI training, terminate related contractors and remove websites and social media promoting it by Wednesday evening.

Heads of federal departments and agencies are also required to ask “employees whether they know of any efforts to conceal these (DEI) programs by using coded or imprecise language.”

The memo includes a template email that managers can send to employees asking them to report to OPM if they are “aware of a change in a contract description or personnel 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 commanders to submit by Thursday afternoon a “list of DEIA offices,” employees and related agency contracts as of Nov. 5, as well as the agency’s plans to comply with the related orders.

The directors of the board must no later than Friday at 17.00 submit a written plan for a “reduction effort” regarding employees at DEI’s offices.

In addition to government initiatives, Republicans also fiercely oppose DEI programs in corporate America, many of which were established in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the nation’s attempts to reckon with longstanding racial disparities.

In the wake of Trump’s election victory in November, US giants including Facebook parent company Meta, retailer Walmart and a number of prestige brands – from Ford, John Deere and Lowe’s to Harley-Davidson and Jack Daniel’s – have scaled back programs aimed at empowering minority groups.

bur-sco/dhc