President Donald Trump’s executive order terminating all federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs has already impacted 395 government employees, according to a senior administration official who spoke to Fox News on Saturday.
In addition, the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, announced on X (formerly Twitter) Friday that approximately $420 million in current and impending contracts—primarily focused on DEI initiatives—had been canceled, Fox added.
Following Trump’s signing of the order on Inauguration Day, the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) instructed agency and department heads to begin shutting down all DEI offices by the close of business Wednesday. Employees in those offices were placed on paid leave, though it remains unclear when or if they will face termination.
Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management Charles Ezell issued a memo to department and agency heads on Tuesday evening, outlining strict directives for the termination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The memo required that by the close of business on January 22, agencies must inform all employees about the DEI shutdown.
Additionally, employees directly involved in DEI were to be placed on paid leave immediately, all DEI-related websites and social media accounts were to be taken down, related contracts or training canceled, and employees were instructed to report any attempts to disguise DEI programs through coded or vague language.
By noon on January 23, agency and department heads were required to provide OPM with detailed lists of all DEI offices, employees, and contracts active as of November 5, 2024.
Furthermore, by 5 p.m. on January 24, agency heads were mandated to submit to OPM a written plan for executing reduction-in-force actions targeting DEI employees, along with a comprehensive list of any contract descriptions or personnel position descriptions altered since November 5, 2024, to try and hide their connection to DEI programs, Fox noted further.
The executive order was one of many signed by Trump on his first day in office. It included government recognition of only two genders and the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.
On Tuesday, he issued two additional executive actions targeting DEI initiatives. One executive order aimed to end workplace and higher education discrimination by prohibiting race- and sex-based preferences implemented under the guise of DEI.
The other was a memo rescinding a Biden-era policy that prioritized DEI-focused hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration.
Trump’s Monday executive order rescinded President Joe Biden’s promotion of diversity initiatives, “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government,” which he signed on his first day in office, noted Fox.
Trump is moving at a breakneck pace to implement his agenda, observers noted as he nears the end of his first week in office.
Besides issuing dozens of executive orders, the president surveyed disaster-stricken areas in North Carolina and California, and supported his Cabinet nominees during contentious Senate confirmation battles.
In his inauguration address on Monday, the 45th and 47th president vowed that things across the country would “change starting today, and it will change very quickly.”
And moments later, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich took to social media to tease, “Now, comes SHOCK AND AWE.”
They weren’t exaggerating, noted Fox News. Within his first eight hours in office, Trump signed a flurry of executive orders and actions, delivering on several key campaign promises while showcasing his executive authority and addressing some long-standing grievances.
Trump immediately cracked down on immigration, moving toward a trade war with key allies and adversaries and rolling back many of former President Joe Biden’s policies. These included dismantling much of Biden’s federal diversity initiatives and energy and climate provisions.
The president also stirred significant controversy by pardoning or commuting the sentences of approximately 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Among those granted clemency were individuals who had assaulted police officers, leading to critiques from some GOP lawmakers.
In addition, Trump dismissed several top government officials, announced a high-profile half-trillion-dollar tech investment, and held unscripted, wide-ranging news conferences during his first two days back in the White House.
He even made headlines by renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
