Trump signs executive orders on immigration, January 6, TikTok
President Donald Trump has signed executive orders while addressing a wide range of topics from the Oval Office.
Days after taking office, President Donald Trump sent a clear message to corporate America: Follow the federal government’s lead and “end illegal DEI discrimination” or face a civil rights investigation.
Trump’s executive order prevents the federal government from forcing contractors to diversify their workforce and federal agencies to use civil rights-era laws to “unlawful private sector DEI priorities, mandates, policies, programs and to counter activities”.
DEI’s policies “undermine our national unity, because they deny, discredit, and undermine traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an illegal, flawed, and harmful identity-based system.” . Order said.
A widely anticipated reversal of decades of affirmative action and diversity precedent will have an immediate chilling effect on corporate DEI efforts.
Although the federal government has no direct say over the private sector’s diversification practices, it does have broad jurisdiction over companies that rely on federal funding or hold government contracts.
Trump’s action is expected to have an immediate chilling effect.
Trump’s executive order fulfills his campaign promise to “end” the DEI and reverse Joe Biden’s “Wake-up” of America — goals that have been championed by his closest allies and by crowds at his rallies. Expressed happiness.
Trump has called the DEI illegal discrimination against white Americans. Trump adviser and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has called DEI. “Just another word for racism.” DEI spending is also a priority of Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” Musk’s effort to reduce the federal budget.
“It’s going to start a tidal wave of companies censoring themselves and on the other end of that for fear of lawsuits with the federal government,” said Joseph Senner, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley. DEI are reducing efforts.” South Carolina. “Even if they are doing everything that complies with federal law, they can still find themselves subject to an investigation, which can be costly and time-consuming to defend against.”
DEI rollback threatens workplace progress, civil rights leaders warn
Less than five years after George Floyd’s killing forced corporations to embrace greater equality in their workforces and leadership ranks, civil rights leaders have warned of a rollback — in the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. Telegraphed – threatens to reverse progress for women and people of color. Over the past six decades, the workplace has built up.
Diversity and civil rights advocates say affirmative action policies are needed to fight discrimination in cubicles and executive suites and on factory floors.
Every year, thousands of companies win federal contracts, serve hot meals or develop missile defense systems. For decades, the U.S. government has come up against discrimination by taking a slice of the hundreds of billions spent on goods and services each year.
In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order holding federal contractors to higher standards than other employers to ensure that women and people of color were hired, trained and Equal opportunities for advancement.
Nearly six decades later, an analysis of federal contractor data by USA Today Disclosure from the Center for Investigative Reporting It appeared that those firms were not meeting this commitment.
The deep racial divide cuts through the workforce of federal contractors, which employ 1 in 5 American workers. While the employee ranks at these companies have diversified, the top jobs with excellent pay and benefits largely do not mirror those of the private sector, the analysis found.
“Less than 48 hours into office, President Donald Trump has reneged on his promise to champion workers, fundamental protections of equal opportunity in the workplace,” said Fatima Goss-Graves, CEO and president of National Women’s Women’s. which have been around for 60 years.” Law Center, said in a statement. “These protections were enforced by the Department of Labor, and by removing this critical watchdog, Trump has opened workers up to discrimination in the workplace.”
Employers commit to sticking to their DEI policies.
Tim Bartle, CEO of the HR Policy Association, which represents hundreds of senior human resources executives nationwide, said his organization will work with the Trump administration to ensure that America’s largest Employers can “find the best talent regardless of race, gender, religious beliefs. To win in the marketplace.”
“This EO does not change the law, nor does it change employers’ commitment to workplaces that attract and retain the best qualified talent,” Bartle said. is.”
Trump’s executive power to reduce DEI part of broad response
Trump’s executive order purging Johnson is the latest move in a series of dismantling affirmative action and diversity policies in the United States.
Within hours of his inauguration, Trump rescinded Biden’s executive orders to weave DEI into the fabric of the federal government. A visiting White House official told reporters Monday that more DEI initiatives are coming for the private sector.
Even before Trump took office, companies scaled back their corporate diversity efforts to align with his administration. Last week, Amazon and Meta became the latest to make substantial changes.
The push to end diversity initiatives began during Trump’s first term and has intensified since he left office.
In the past few years, the private sector, criticized by conservative foundations, think tanks and political activists, has pushed back on diversity efforts. These changes accelerated shortly after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in higher education in 2023, and shortly after a shift in American workers’ attitudes toward DEI.
Anti-DEI activist Robbie Starbuck’s social media pressure campaigns have forced more than a dozen companies, from Tractor Supply to Walmart, to offer DEI discounts.
“I see a lot of people saying DEI is dead. It’s not,” Starbuck said on X. “It is cornered and in a position to die but we must be disciplined and work tirelessly to stamp out this ideology. There is no mercy.”
To that end, Trump has stocked his administration with anti-DEI allies — from Vice President JD Vance, who as an Ohio senator, introduced legislation barring government contractors from using federal funds for DEI initiatives. So will Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, who has filed dozens of lawsuits against “whack” corporations.
Trump tapped Andrea Lucas, an outspoken critic of the DEI, to lead the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which has enormous influence over American employers. Lucas said she would “root out race and sex discrimination fueled by illegal DEI.”
In December, Trump asked Harmeet Dhillon to head the Justice Department’s civil rights division, citing his record “prosecuting corporations that use wake policies to discriminate against their workers.” use.” The Civil Rights Division was established in 1957 to enforce laws to prevent discrimination against black people and other historically disadvantaged communities.
Contributing: Davis Winkie
