What’s happening: Among President Trump’s series of executive orders is one to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government and publicly-funded schools and universities. In his executive order, Trump overturned President Lyndon Johnson’s 1965 directive establishing race-based hiring requirements for federal contractors.
“You’re fired”: Trump ordered the Office of Personnel Management to place DEI staff on paid leave, and instructed agencies to eliminate DEI offices and review their hiring practices to ensure they comply with the new merit-based framework.
Setting the stage: In 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) spearheaded a similar effort by signing a law to eliminate the DEI bureaucracy from all public universities in the Sunshine State. Following his lead, a dozen other red states implemented similar measures.
Private sector implications: Trump’s order instructed federal agencies to assess whether private corporations are complying with the new anti-DEI laws. In recent months, major corporations have already made moves to eliminate their diversity initiatives, including McDonald's, Walmart, Meta, Ford, and Boeing.
Education and sports: The executive order also directly impacts public and federally-funded schools and universities, which since 2020 have implemented a slew of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including DEI offices. Now, these offices and initiatives will be illegal.
Title IX: President Joe Biden had sought to change Title IX protections to include discrimination protections based on “gender-identity.” While those changes had been scrapped by a judge, the federal government could have appealed the ruling — but Trump’s order permanently ended any chance of that.
Now, this executive order, coupled with Trump’s order defining only two genders — male and female — could lead to the loss of federal funding for educational institutions that keep any DEI offices, initiatives, or even permit transgender-identifying men to compete in women’s and girls’ sports.
Why it matters: After years of workplaces, schools, major corporations, and the federal government embracing DEI trainings and unfair hiring practices, Trump’s executive orders are returning the country to prioritizing merit and individual qualifications over group identity.
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From the left: In some left-leaning outlets, conservatives are to blame for making DEI racially polarizing. In The Washington Post, for example, they accuse conservatives of complaining about DEI hiring practices because of its choosing racial minorities “over more qualified White candidates.”
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