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Home News Trump Revokes Civil Rights-Era Anti-Discrimination Rule Alongside DEI Programs

Trump Revokes Civil Rights-Era Anti-Discrimination Rule Alongside DEI Programs

by Celia

Since taking office on January 20, President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government. However, his actions extend beyond DEI, as he has also revoked a key Civil Rights-era rule that has protected millions of workers from discrimination.

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On January 21, Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity.” This order rescinded the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) rule, which was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. The EEO rule required federal contractors—employers of 3.7 million people today—to take affirmative action to ensure workers were not discriminated against based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. This included hiring, promotions, and pay.

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Revoking this 60-year-old rule eliminates a fundamental civil rights protection for American workers, labor experts say. “It is still stunning to me that he took such an extraordinary step,” said Fatima Goss Graves, CEO of the National Women’s Law Center. “He is going after something bigger: the basic idea that we should be able to work without discrimination.”

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While it remains illegal for employers to discriminate based on race, gender, or other traits, rescinding the EEO rule could have a chilling effect on workers’ ability to pursue discrimination claims. Josh Boxerman, a government affairs manager at the National Employment Law Project, told CBS MoneyWatch that this move puts workers at a disadvantage.

Trump’s actions could also impact private employers. Alex Hontos, a partner at Dorsey & Whitney and an expert on government contracting, said the executive orders could extend to the private sector. “It is clearly a stepwise approach and is going to apply to the private sector,” Hontos said.

Even before Trump’s orders, several major corporations, including Meta, Ford, McDonald’s, and Walmart, had already stepped back from DEI programs following a 2023 Supreme Court decision banning affirmative action in college admissions and pressure from conservative activists.

Trump’s goal is to restore a merit-based hiring system, according to officials and his executive orders. “It is the policy of the United States to protect the civil rights of all Americans and to promote individual initiative, excellence, and hard work,” Trump wrote in the order. He argued that DEI policies have led to “illegal, pernicious discrimination” that prioritizes birth over capability.

Numerous lawsuits have targeted DEI programs, alleging they discriminate against non-minorities or violate workers’ free speech rights. Erec Smith, a research fellow at the Cato Institute, said Trump is targeting a “divisive” version of DEI. “He’s getting rid of the critical social justice version,” Smith said.

Federal DEI programs are being eliminated under Trump’s directives. All federal employees in DEI roles were placed on leave by 5 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday. Agencies were also told to remove all DEI-related media and cancel upcoming trainings.

Additionally, Trump’s January 21 executive order requires federal agencies to identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of private institutions with DEI programs that “constitute illegal discrimination or preferences.” This part of the order “seems to be an attempt to intimidate the private sector,” said Boxerman. “This seems to be a clear effort to name and shame companies that are doing the right thing.”

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