Sunday, February 02, 2025

Trump diversity order hits federal workers in non-DEI jobs, Washington Post says

Reuters
Sat, February 1, 2025

Annual LGBTQ+ Capital Pride parade in Washington


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dozens of U.S. government workers linked to diversity initiatives but whose jobs are not directly related to diversity, equity and inclusion have been placed on leave after President Donald Trump ordered the elimination of DEI positions, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

The Post said its findings suggest some federal agencies may be using the order by Trump, a Republican, to broadly target "people who have expressed interest or participated in programs related to" DEI.

The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

DEI programs seek to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBT people and other traditionally underrepresented groups. Civil rights advocates argue such programs, generally backed by Democrats, are needed to address longstanding inequities and structural racism.

At least 50 employees at the Education Department who were involved in initiatives such as diversity training or an affinity group were affected, even though "almost none of them worked in jobs directly related to DEI," the newspaper reported.

It identified similar occurrences at the Energy Department and the Office of Personnel Management, affecting around a dozen other federal workers.

Trump last week signed an order calling for the elimination of government diversity programs, including the ending of all federal offices and jobs related to DEI and put all federal DEI office staff on paid leave as their offices face closure.

(Reporting by John Kruzel; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by William Mallard)



What is DEI? More on the initiative, what companies rolled back DEI, Trump DEI order

Mariyam Muhammad, Columbus Dispatch
Fri, January 31, 2025 


Diversity, equity and inclusion programs, commonly referred to as DEI, have been discussed frequently in recent years. You may have heard of it at the school you attend, your place of work or an organization you're part of.

Here's a quick look at what DEI is.

What is DEI?

DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. It refers to programs that ensure people from different backgrounds, cultures, identities, and experiences feel accepted in their environments, whether at school, work, or other organizations.

In its 2021-23 DEI plan, Ohio's Department of Development defined DEI like this:

Diversity: The condition of having or being composed of differing elements; variety; human variety of experiences, identities, and perspectives that our employees bring to state employment.


Inclusion: To take in or comprise as a part of a whole or group; the practice of understanding and applying diversity to improve work culture and influence the way we serve Ohioans.


Equality: The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunity; fairness; the right of and access to resources to achieve the outcome of equality.

Many organizations, including businesses and schools, adopted DEI standards and guidance over the last several decades to ensure people of all backgrounds feel welcome and accepted, and to support success for traditionally underrepresented groups.

According to Ohio State University's Office of Diversity, research has shown that DEI programs, when nurtured kindly, encourage behaviors such as:

Critical thinking.


Reducing harmful stereotypes.


Strengthening the ability to communicate.


Working and playing across lines of identity and difference.
Some companies have scaled back on DEI recently

President Donald Trump announced the end of government DEI programs in an executive order. Since and before then, many large companies scaled back their DEI policies. According to Time Magazine, some of those companies include:


Target.


Amazon.


Walmart.


Meta.


McDonald's.


Harley-Davidson.


Lowe's.


Ford.


John Deere.


Tractor Supply.


Brown-Forman.
What companies are keeping their DEI programs?

Even with President Trump's executive order to end DEI programs, companies still have the choice to continue with their DEI initiatives. Companies that remain committed to their DEI programs include:

Apple.


Costco.


Ben & Jerry’s.


E.l.f Beauty.


JP Morgan.
Trump includes DEI comments when discussing Washington, D.C., plane crash

During a press conference on Thursday, President Donald Trump criticized DEI programs implemented by the Obama and Biden administrations in relation to the deadly Washington plane crash.

Trump argued that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in hiring lowered the standards for air traffic controllers without providing evidence of this claim.

Trump also said the Army helicopter pilot should have seen the approaching American Airlines flight and avoided it, according to a report by USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch

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