Trump suspends federal DEI staff in sweeping new directive
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has suspended federal employees working in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices and placed them on paid leave. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt announced this on platform X.
This statement corroborated information from the federal Office of Personnel Management, which requested that "all employees of DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility) offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately."
On Monday, upon assuming office as President of the USA, Trump signed an executive order banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes. As reported by AFP, a message appeared on X on Tuesday stating that "the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices, and program."
According to Reuters, civil rights advocates argue that such programmes are vital to address longstanding inequities and structural racism. Meanwhile, Trump and his supporters assert that DEI programmes lead to unfair discrimination against other Americans and diminish the importance of merit in hiring or promotion decisions.
The history of diversity programmes dates back to 1965 when then-President Lyndon Johnson signed an order on equal employment opportunities, ensuring that private companies holding government contracts would not discriminate against job applicants based on race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
Trump signed dozens of executive orders and other legal measures on Monday, which include ending the acceptance of refugees and suspending the right to asylum. Among other measures was the reinstatement of the recognition of two biological sexes, alongside the removal of policies concerning inclusivity and the protection of minorities from discrimination.
