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President Donald Trump has ordered all federal employees in diversity, equity, and inclusion roles to be put on leave.
On Tuesday (January 21), the Office of Personnel Management issued a memo to heads of departments and agencies ordering them to inform the affected employees by Wednesday (January 22) that they will be placed on paid administrative leave as the Trump administration gears up to close all DEI-related offices and programs, per NBC News.
The memo also directed the departments and agencies to remove all websites and social media accounts for their DEI offices. Federal agencies must submit a plan for firing the DEI employees by January 31, according to the memo.
The move comes after Trump signed an executive order on Monday (January 20) to end “radical and wasteful” diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in federal agencies.
“President Trump campaigned on ending the scourge of DEI from our federal government and returning America to a merit-based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “This is another win for Americans of all races, religions, and creeds. Promises made, promises kept.”
It's unclear how many employees will be affected by the move. Trump's DEI executive order was among 46 presidential actions he signed on Monday, many of which reversed Biden-era policies. Trump also moved to pardon people convicted in connection to the January 6 Capitol Riots.
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