
President Donald Trump wasted no time springing into executive action after Tuesday’s inauguration. Within the first 24 hours of presidency, Trump has rescinded a total of 78 executive actions put into effect by former President Joe Biden.
While some orders ranged from pardoning 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants to enacting a 75-day extension on the TikTok ban while a deal is being worked out, his removal of key civil rights laws has many Americans in turmoil.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Act, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 and revoked by Trump on Tuesday, prohibited employment discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin by organizations receiving federal contracts and subcontracts. This order was then amended in 1967 by President Johnson to include sex in the list of attributes.
According to The A Register, the US Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, overseeing equal opportunity in the United States, was ordered to cease “promoting diversity” effective immediately; Trump indicated that his orders would restore merit-based hiring.
Trump’s anti-DEI agenda didn’t stop there, as all US government diversity staff was put on paid leave immediately as of Tuesday afternoon, with plans to lay them off. The memo also came with several requests, one of which was the removal of the public DEI office websites.
Tuesday’s order comes after a stark decision from Trump the day prior, declaring that all DEI offices, positions and programs be terminated within 60 days.
Companies such as Apple, Target and Costco have publicly defended their DEI programs, showing they have no plans to move forward with the removal with the orders.
“At Apple, we believe that how we conduct ourselves is as critical to Apple’s success as making the best products in the world. We seek to conduct business ethically, honestly, and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and our Business Conduct and Compliance policies are foundational to how we do business,” Apple said in its proxy statement Friday.
Lawmakers and civil rights organizations debate these radical changes as destroying DEI projects, which, according to many, would undo decades of workplace inclusion and equality advancements. Critics argue that such measures could impede innovation and collaboration inside firms by increasing prejudice and creating a less diverse workforce.
However, supporters of the executive orders say that a merit-based system eliminates what they see as preferential treatment based on demographic traits and guarantees efficiency and fairness. The continuous national discussion regarding the function of DEI programs in the public and private sectors is emphasized by this ideological gap.
In response to these events, several civil rights organizations have declared their intention to file a lawsuit against the presidential orders, claiming that they infringe on the constitutional prohibition against discrimination. A lengthy judicial struggle for the future of equal employment opportunities in the US is expected to be sparked by many lawsuits intended to stop the reversal of DEI measures. Organizations and workers are forced to deal with uncertainty as this situation develops about promoting workplace diversity and implementing anti-discrimination rules.