Employees of diversity, equity and inclusion programs are to be placed on administrative leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday. Agencies were told to make plans for layoffs.
By Frances Vinall, The Washington Post
President Donald Trump’s administration took aim at government DEI programs, ordering federal diversity, equity and inclusion employees to be placed on leave no later than Wednesday and for DEI offices to be closed down, according to a memorandum sent Tuesday by the Office of Personnel Management.
The directive will eventually lead to these employees being laid off or reassigned, and followed executive orders on Monday in which Trump directed an end to what he called “radical and wasteful” federal government DEI programs.
OPM acting director Charles Ezell sent the memorandum to federal department and agency heads, instructing them to inform all employees of DEI offices by 5 p.m. Wednesday that they were being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately.