On day one, the returning controversial president, Donald J. Trump, signed a number of executive orders that either rolled back legislative measures or implemented new directives. DEI was one of the first on the chopping block.
A major, ongoing effort by President Trump is to pull all programs and any language employing diversity, equity and inclusion, also popularly known as DEI from federal agencies. To add, it had to be executed before the end of Black History Month, an annual observation of contributions of Black Americans. If the order was rejected, the Administration would issue punitive action.
Accusing the previous administration of forcing “illegal and immoral discrimination programs,” that were “public waste and shameful,” Trump directed federal agencies and federal contractors to promptly erase everything from initiatives to even any language in its agency employing the DEI term. Multiple sources who agreed to talk to Ark Republic under anonymity said that a wave of federal employees expressed concern, and some fear, at the way agency directors, and their peers implemented the dramatic changes.
A source disclosed that they received orders to scrub anything that mentioned race and gender, along with any language stating diversity, equity or inclusion that even occurred years before President Biden implemented the Equity Action Plan in 2022 “to address the barriers and discrimination that underserved communities face.”
On the other hand, there are federal hires in full support of the changes, and are happily carrying them out. Another source informed Ark Republic that white colleagues who championed DEI programs in previous years, seemed to gladly participate in eliminating them today. However, for some federal employees, Trump is picking up where he left off.
A separate government worker detailed how they experienced animosity during the first Trump Administration for alerting institutions that worked with underserved populations of plans to make drastic budget cuts. While the whistleblower maintained their job in Trump’s inaugural tenure, they are doubtful that they will be able to remain in the second.
The air of tension grows daily in the 90 organizations making up the federal ecosystem. Most evident of the contention shows in the approximately 75,000 federal staffers who opted to take the buyout for an early departure. “Many people are retiring,” told a federal worker to Ark Republic. “They don’t want to put up with this insanity.”
In those who stay, federal workers placed on leave and facing termination for their roles in DEI might be a priority for Trump, but it definitely causes an immediate issue—staffing shortages. One person whose relative is a government job holder said their family member was asked to pack up and depart because they were placed on leave for their work in DEI programs assigned to them as additional responsibilities. In a whiplashing turn of events, they were called back to the office because their roles expanded far beyond DEI programs, and in reality, their absence created a dearth in a key component of the operations of the agency.
Trump creating personnel deficiency happened in his first term. At that time, agency workers who left or were purged created gaps throughout the government. A former federal contractor told Ark Republic that a number of vacant positions left by people who resigned or retired during Trump’s first Oval Office stint were never filled, even as agencies attempted to restaff during the Biden Administration.
Of late, one termination of many causing a stir is in the National Labor Ruling Board (NLRB), a federal agency focused on protecting employees at private companies. In the initial Trump leadership, it was severely reduced by his appointee, Peter Robb, who served as general counsel for NLRB. Robb fired 144 people, to only fill 13 of the empty posts. The shortage caused a backlog in addressing legal complaints at labor offenders such as Amazon and Starbucks, reported Ark Republic.
In 2023, Congress voted for the agency to receive $229 million to rebuild; only for Trump to oust Gwynne Wilcox just days after his January 2025 inauguration. Because of Wilcox’s termination, the 5-member board lacks a formidable quorum. Without Wilcox, any decisions on pending cases are stymied.
In a statement from a bipartisan group of 265 Members of Congress, they assert that Wilcox’s “firing violates the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)” and it “profoundly undermines the independence of the agency.” Ultimately, they demand that Wilcox be reinstated. Wilcox, a Black woman, is one of the number of persons and agencies that have launched lawsuits against Trump.
The legal entanglement caused by the closure of DEI goes beyond race and gender. DEI-centered programs also apply to those classified with disabilities. Many labeled as disabled are military veterans and children.
As an underserved community, the disability population falls under federal mandates as a protected class in anti-discrimination; especially in the workplace. What law firm Simpson and Thacher write is that as companies move forward, they must decide how they “comply with federal anti-discrimination laws,” as courts interpret each case. While the air of uncertainty is thick, the trail of litigation might be as noticeable as the Great Wall of China by the time this Administration leaves office.
I am very interested in why aren’t The Democrats focusing on the racist and corrupt Police and Judicial System! This has been going on for many decades. It started way before Trump attacking DEI! Black people are murdered by the police all day every day! Our children, husbands, sisters, mothers and brother are getting their brains blown out! At least the people that falls under DEI are alive and well. They can see their family walking and talking! But Black people have to go the cemetery to see their children! Black people are human just like people like DEI people! We want equality, justice, freedom, but most of all, we want to be alive! Whose fighting for Black people to have the freedom to drive or walk to the store without being killed! What about us Black people?