Trump orders termination of federal DEI programs

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Trump orders termination of federal DEI programs

President Trump has issued an executive order to terminate all federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The order labels these programs as radical and wasteful. The directive explicitly calls for an end to the DEI initiatives introduced during the Biden Administration.

According to the new order, nearly every federal agency had been mandated to incorporate DEI principles, creating various equity action plans. The current administration argues that these plans resulted in massive public waste and engendered discrimination. The order aims to dismantle previous measures instated through Executive Order 13985, which sought to advance racial equity and support underserved communities.

The Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), with support from the Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is tasked with overseeing the termination of all DEI-related mandates, policies, programs, and activities within the Federal Government. Heads of each federal agency, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Director of OMB, and the Director of OPM, are required to terminate, where legally permissible, all DEI and “environmental justice” offices and positions within 60 days. Agencies must provide the OMB Director with detailed lists of existing DEI-related positions, programs, and budgets as of November 4, 2024.

They must also determine if any have been misleadingly relabeled to preserve their functions. The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy will convene monthly meetings with the OMB Director, the OPM Director, and deputy agency heads. These meetings will address the economic and social costs of DEI programs, discuss barriers to compliance, and monitor progress, identifying any further actions needed to enforce the new policy.

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This order reflects a fundamental shift in the federal government’s approach to civil rights policies, emphasizing individual merit and equal treatment without the influence of DEI-related factors.

Trump ends federal DEI programs

As the administration’s orders take effect, many civil rights groups are gearing up for legal battles.

The move to dismantle DEI programs has stirred significant controversy and is expected to lead to numerous legal disputes in the coming months. Governor Greg Abbott reminded everyone this month that Texas legislators cut funding for any DEI positions last session. He also just announced on X that Texas “will ban DEI in K-12 grades & cut funding” this year.

Republican legislators are already filing bills to do so this session. DEI programs are seen by some as undermining education and institutionalizing Marxist indoctrination. The largest labor union in the country is the teachers union, and they fight to maintain their monopoly over the public school system.

DEI programs give these special interests another reason to hire more bureaucrats and increase revenue from additional dues-paying members. Texas Representative Brian Harrison, a Republican, stated he is “sick of Texas taxpayers having their hard-earned money weaponized against them, their values, and their children by being forced to fund liberal indoctrination in our public schools.”

Undercover journalists at Accuracy in Media exposed the executive director of DEI at a Texas school district for saying biological boys could room with girls on overnight school trips on a “case-by-case” basis. They also exposed an administrator in Dallas ISD for admitting on video that they can find “loopholes” to the Texas law protecting girls’ sports.

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Accuracy in Media additionally exposed Texas public school administrators for admitting on video to undercover journalists that employees similarly circumvent the state law prohibiting Critical Race Theory (CRT) in classrooms. The public-school monopoly needs to feel the pressure from both sides – from the state and the family – for it to start focusing on education rather than indoctrination. Parents who suspect their kids are being brainwashed with ideologies that conflict with their values should be able to vote with their feet for schools that better meet their needs.

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