The Department of Defense (DoD) is terminating all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
“The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at Dept. of Defense,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a post on X. “The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.”
The post included a handwritten note that said, “Those who do not comply will no longer work here.”
The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at @DeptofDefense.
The Pentagon will comply, immediately.
No exceptions, name-changes, or delays. pic.twitter.com/KwRtxYRIbG
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) January 26, 2025
On Monday, Jan. 19, 2025, the first day of his second presidency, President Donald Trump signed a record number of executive orders — including one terminating all federal DEI programs, AFROTECH™ previously reported.
The order mandated the closure of all DEI offices and placed all government employees in those offices on paid leave.
Charles Ezell, the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), issued a memo instructing the heads and acting heads of departments and agencies to inform all employees about the shutdown by the end of business on Jan. 22, 2025.
The memo also directed agency leaders to inform employees directly involved in DEI programs to remove all DEI-related websites and social media accounts, cancel any associated contracts or training, and encourage employees to report any attempts to disguise DEI programs through coded or vague language, according to Fox News.
“Dear agency employees, We are taking steps to close all agency DEIA offices and end all DEIA-related contracts in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions,” the memo read. “These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.”
The memo required agency heads to provide the OPM with lists of all DEI offices, employees, and related contracts in effect as of Nov. 5, 2024, as well as all contract or personnel position descriptions that had been altered to obscure DEI language or intent. Agency heads were to provide plans on how they would comply with this by noon on Jan. 23, 2025, with all details to be reported by Jan. 31, 2025.
They were also required to submit a written plan to the OPM by Jan. 31, outlining how they would execute a reduction in force concerning DEI employees.
The Trump administration has ordered federal agencies to provide formal plans for laying off the employees by Jan. 31, AFROTECH™ noted.
Trump also issued two other executive actions targeting DEI: One aimed at ending discrimination in the workplace and higher education based on race and sex under the pretense of DEI initiatives and another that eliminated a Biden administration policy prioritizing DEI hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration, per Fox.
“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, per NBC News. “This is another win for Americans of all races, religions, and creeds. Promises made, promises kept.”
