Trump Directs Suspension of All Federal DEI Employees by Wednesday Evening – One America News Network
OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:52 PM – Wednesday, January 22, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that federal employees working in DEI offices will be placed on paid leave following President Donald Trump’s executive order that prohibits Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the federal workforce.
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An internal memorandum from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) which instructed all DEI staff to be placed on leave by Wednesday evening was validated by Leavitt.
“Notify all personnel in DEIA offices that they will be placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes action to terminate all DEIA initiatives, offices, and programs,” stated the memo dispatched by Charles Ezell, the Acting Director of the OPM.
“To every reporter inquiring about this: I can confirm with pleasure,” Leavitt remarked in a post on X.
The memo observed that DEI programs: “created divisions among Americans by race, squandered taxpayer funds, and led to disgraceful discrimination,” while urging employees to report any modifications to “contract descriptions or personnel position descriptions since November 5, 2024 to obscure the link between the contract and DEIA or comparable ideologies.”
The closure of DEI offices throughout the federal workforce aligns with Trump’s initiative to reverse former President Biden’s objective of promoting diverse groups within positions of authority in the federal government.
Trump has continuously asserted that individuals should be considered for roles or positions based on their qualifications, intellect, and experience, rather than their sexual orientation, gender, or ethnicity.
“President Trump’s campaign focused on eradicating DEI from our federal government and restoring America to a merit-based system where people are hired based on their skills rather than their skin color,” Leavitt continued. “This represents yet another triumph for Americans of diverse backgrounds. Promises made, promises kept.”
Throughout his campaign, President Trump stressed the importance of dismantling DEI policies, asserting that these initiatives prioritize diversity quotas over appointing the most competent candidate for the role.
Moreover, the Trump administration is requesting the attorney general to provide “recommendations for enforcing Federal civil rights laws and taking additional measures to encourage the private sector to eliminate illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI,” within a 120-day timeframe.
“As part of this directive, each agency should identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations involving publicly traded companies, large non-profit organizations or associations, foundations with assets of $500 million or more, state and local bar and medical associations, and higher education institutions with endowments exceeding $1 billion,” the order elaborated.
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