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By Megan Cerullo
Edited By Aimee Picchi, Anne Marie Lee, Jordan Freiman
/ CBS News
President Donald Trump signed executive orders Monday and Tuesday that aim to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government. “We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based,” Mr. Trump said in his inauguration speech on Monday.
Furthermore, a memo from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Tuesday evening called for all federal DEI employees to be placed on leave by Wednesday evening.
The orders cut funding for so-called DEI initiatives across all agencies in order to “end DEI inside the federal government,” according to Trump administration officials. They also rescind numerous previous executive orders and actions from past administrations that aimed to promote diversity throughout the federal government.
Mr. Trump said he will direct the Office of Management and Budget to end all related mandates, policies and programs across agencies, including all initiatives that aim to promote diversity, equity and inclusion within departments. His aim is to restore what the administration considers to be a merit-based hiring system, according to officials and the text of the order.
Mr. Trump’s effort to eradicate all traces of DEI within the government will be an ongoing effort.
The memo from OPM sent Tuesday directs the heads of all U.S. agencies to place all federal employees in diversity, equity and inclusion roles on leave by 5 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday. Agencies must also “take down all outward facing media (websites, social media accounts, etc.) of DEIA offices,” cancel upcoming DEI trainings and terminate contracts with DEI-related contractors by the same time Wednesday.
The agencies must also submit “a written plan for executing a reduction-in-force action regarding the employees who work in a DEIA office,” by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 31, the memo stated.
Trump officials and members of the Department of Justice will meet with different agencies monthly to evaluate how ongoing DEI programs are allegedly discriminating against Americans. The groups will “figure out ways to end those,” Trump officials said.
Tuesday’s order also goes beyond just federal agencies, and directs the attorney general within 120 days to submit “recommendations for enforcing Federal civil-rights laws and taking other appropriate measures to encourage the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI.”
Mr. Trump is also directing the attorney general to create a plan to deter the private sector from adopting or continuing DEI programs.
“As a part of this plan, each agency shall identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations or associations, foundations with assets of 500 million dollars or more, State and local bar and medical associations, and institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars,” Tuesday’s order read.
The orders also includes a review of spaces that have been renamed under DEI initiatives. It’s unclear how they will affect the private sector. A Trump administration official Monday advised businesses to “wait and see” how further guidance will pertain to them.
Incoming White House officials doubled down on Mr. Trump’s distaste for inclusion efforts by proclaiming that there are only two sexes that the federal government will recognize: male and female. Mr. Trump signed an executive order Tuesday stating that it’s policy of the federal government to only recognize “two sexes, male and female,” reversing the ability of Americans to mark “other” or “X” on federal forms.
“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female,” Mr. Trump said at his inauguration.
“So what we’re doing today is defining that it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These are sexes that are not changeable, and they are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality,” an incoming Trump official said Monday regarding the executive order. “You are no longer going to have robust and long drop-down menus when asking about sex.”
Among other things, the order will ensure that federal funds will not be used to promote gender inclusivity.
A number of major U.S. employers including Meta, McDonald’s and Walmart have wound down their diversity programs following a 2023 Supreme Court decision banning affirmative action in college admissions, and under pressure from conservative political activists.
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.
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