Trump administration asks federal agencies to terminate diversity roles

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump’s administration asked US federal agencies on Jan 24 to terminate roles and offices related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes, a memo circulated by the Office of Personnel Management showed.

Why it’s important

Mr Trump, a Republican, has issued a series of executive orders seeking to

dismantle DEI programmes

since he took office on Jan 20.

DEI programmes seek to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBT people and other traditionally underrepresented groups. Civil rights advocates argue that such programmes, generally backed by Democrats, are needed to address longstanding inequities and structural racism.

Mr Trump and his allies say

DEI programmes unfairly discriminate against other Americans

and weaken the importance of candidates’ merit in job hiring or promotion.

Key quote

“In accordance with that order, each agency, department, or commission head shall take action to terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all DEI, DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility), and ‘environmental justice’ offices and positions within sixty days,” the memo said.

Context

Mr Trump has also pressured the private sector to join his attack on DEI. Civil rights advocates say his push marks a significant setback to decades-long efforts to ensure equality in federal hiring and contracts.

It was not immediately clear from the memo how many DEI staff members each federal agency has. REUTERS