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Federal agencies have been told to move to terminate “to the maximum extent allowed by law, all federal diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility and ‘environmental justice’ offices and positions” within 60 days, according to a U.S. Office of Personnel Management memo dated Friday.Related video above: Trump administration orders federal DEI workers on paid leaveAgencies have until Jan. 31 to submit written plans for how they intend to execute a “reduction-in-force,” the memo said, although it stressed that “agencies can and should begin issuing RIF notices to employees of DEIA offices now.”The move is part of a larger clampdown on DEI by the Trump administration. It comes days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning DEI programs. The White House has already ordered government DEI employees to be placed on administrative leave, and the president has cut high-profile military personnel and ended the use of DEI in hiring and federal contracting.OPM has also requested lists of any job or contract descriptions that were changed since the November election to hide their DEIA connections. Failure to report these changes could result in “adverse consequences,” according to emails that federal employees received Wednesday, CNN previously reported.Examples of programs involving DEI in major federal agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Diversity & Inclusion, and the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity Policy at the Department of Defense.The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal workers’ union, has pushed back against Trump’s plans to close DEIA offices, insisting the moves are part of a larger plan to get rid of federal workers.“Ultimately, these attacks on DEIA are just a smokescreen for firing civil servants, undermining the apolitical civil service, and turning the federal government into an army of yes-men loyal only to the president, not the Constitution,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement earlier this week.While Trump and his allies have vowed to root out DEI in the government, former President Joe Biden signed a number of executive orders expanding workplace DEI protections to include a broader group of Americans, from pregnant people and military spouses to rural communities and caregivers.Opponents of DEI programs claim that they are discriminatory and attempt to solve racial discrimination by disadvantaging other groups, particularly white Americans. But supporters and industry experts argue the decades-old practice has been politicized and is widely misunderstood.The Trump administration’s attacks on DEI will likely face legal challenges. CNN previously reported that civil rights and advocacy groups are preparing for the numerous legal fights that would come from Republican efforts to dismantle DEI.This story has been updated with additional details. CNN’s Tami Luhby, Donald Judd and Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.
Federal agencies have been told to move to terminate “to the maximum extent allowed by law, all federal diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility and ‘environmental justice’ offices and positions” within 60 days, according to a U.S. Office of Personnel Management memo dated Friday.
Related video above: Trump administration orders federal DEI workers on paid leave
Agencies have until Jan. 31 to submit written plans for how they intend to execute a “reduction-in-force,” the memo said, although it stressed that “agencies can and should begin issuing RIF notices to employees of DEIA offices now.”
The move is part of a larger clampdown on DEI by the Trump administration. It comes days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning DEI programs. The White House has already ordered government DEI employees to be placed on administrative leave, and the president has cut high-profile military personnel and ended the use of DEI in hiring and federal contracting.
OPM has also requested lists of any job or contract descriptions that were changed since the November election to hide their DEIA connections. Failure to report these changes could result in “adverse consequences,” according to emails that federal employees received Wednesday, CNN previously reported.
Examples of programs involving DEI in major federal agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Diversity & Inclusion, and the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity Policy at the Department of Defense.
The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal workers’ union, has pushed back against Trump’s plans to close DEIA offices, insisting the moves are part of a larger plan to get rid of federal workers.
“Ultimately, these attacks on DEIA are just a smokescreen for firing civil servants, undermining the apolitical civil service, and turning the federal government into an army of yes-men loyal only to the president, not the Constitution,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement earlier this week.
While Trump and his allies have vowed to root out DEI in the government, former President Joe Biden signed a number of executive orders expanding workplace DEI protections to include a broader group of Americans, from pregnant people and military spouses to rural communities and caregivers.
Opponents of DEI programs claim that they are discriminatory and attempt to solve racial discrimination by disadvantaging other groups, particularly white Americans. But supporters and industry experts argue the decades-old practice has been politicized and is widely misunderstood.
The Trump administration’s attacks on DEI will likely face legal challenges. CNN previously reported that civil rights and advocacy groups are preparing for the numerous legal fights that would come from Republican efforts to dismantle DEI.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Tami Luhby, Donald Judd and Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.
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