On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump escalated his assault on diversity programs by pressuring the private sector to join the initiative, ordering aviation officials to review diversity hires, and informing employees of DEI government offices and programs that they would be placed on paid leave.
The measures come one day after Trump issued a series of executive orders on his first day in office to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs aimed at promoting opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people, and other historically underrepresented groups.
Civil rights advocates argue that such programs are necessary to address long-standing inequities and structural racism.
In a new executive order issued on Tuesday, Trump urged businesses to “end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences” and directed government agencies to identify private companies that may be under investigation.
It repeals executive policies dating back to 1965 on environmental issues, equal employment opportunities, and encouraging federal contractors to achieve workforce balancing based on race, gender, and religion.
“As a part of this plan, each agency shall identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations or associations, foundations with assets of 500 million dollars or more, State and local bar and medical associations, and institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars,” according to the decree.
Full details on how the Trump administration intends to enforce “civil compliance investigations” were not immediately available.
The order issued on Tuesday states that federal and private sector employment preferences for military veterans may continue.
Separately, the Trump administration directed US federal government departments and agencies to dismantle all DEI programs, informing employees that they would be immediately placed on paid leave.
The government should notify employees of any government offices or units focused solely on DEI that their programs will be closed and employees placed on leave by the end of business on Wednesday, according to a memorandum from the Office of Personnel Management.
Trump also signed a memorandum on Tuesday that ends a Biden administration initiative to promote diversity in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ordering the FAA Administrator to immediately halt DEI hiring programs, according to the White House.
Trump directed the FAA to conduct a safety review and replace any employees who failed to demonstrate their competence.
“President Trump is immediately terminating this illegal and dangerous program and requiring that all FAA hiring be based solely on ensuring the safety of airline passengers and overall job excellence,” according to a fact sheet released by the administration.