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Donald Trump issued an executive order that will end all DEI programs in the government. The announcement sent shockwaves and confusion throughout the United States, as many wondered if this would affect them and their jobs. Others aren’t aware of what DEI means and its significance in the federal workforce.
Learn what DEI roles and departments in the federal workforce do and more about Trump’s executive order below.
Definition of DEI
DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. DEI programs were gradually introduced a federal programs after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. The act was constructed to prevent any discrimination in a workplace based on religion, race, sexual orientation and more.
In 1965, then-President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Executive Order #11236, which prohibited discrimination in the federal workforce and required federal contractors to have a nondiscrimination policy, to create an affirmative action plan for women and minorities, to implement certain programs in order to accomplish this plan and to assign an official to oversee equal recruitment and employment.
Trump’s DEI Executive Order Explained
President Trump has directed the FAA to prioritize safety with merit-based hiring, ending discriminatory DEI practices.
This restores fairness, competence, and confidence in air travel for all Americans. pic.twitter.com/ahffbaeHSG
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 22, 2025
Trump signed an executive order to terminate all DEI programs within the government. According to the White House’s statement, Trump deemed DEI and DEIA policies “illegal” and claimed they “violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws” and “also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.”
“Hardworking Americans who deserve a shot at the American Dream should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex,” Trump noted in the executive order. “These illegal DEI and DEIA policies also threaten the safety of American men, women, and children across the nation by diminishing the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination when selecting people for jobs and services in key sectors of American society, including all levels of government, and the medical, aviation, and law-enforcement communities. Yet in case after tragic case, the American people have witnessed first-hand the disastrous consequences of illegal, pernicious discrimination that has prioritized how people were born instead of what they were capable of doing.”
What Does the Federal DEI Department Do?
There is not one federal DEI department in the government; there are multiple offices, and therefore, programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion. These programs were designed to ensure equitable workplaces, particularly for communities that have been marginalized.
How Many Federal DEI Employees Are There?
The exact number of federal DEI employees is unclear, but Trump specified a few roles that these employees hold, “including but not limited to ‘Chief Diversity Officer’ positions,” in the government, “meaning that any employee attached to these labels will lose their jobs.”
According to NBC Chicago, the federal workforce has more than 2 million jobs.
