Trump Administration Realizes Civil Servant Dismissals... DEI Staff Forced into Mandatory Leave

President Trump Orders DEI Staff on Leave Just One Day After Signing Executive Order
Websites and Social Media Accounts Shut Down
Federal Employee Unions Strongly Oppose, Vow Legal Action

Donald Trump, President of the United States, is holding up the executive order he just signed at the inauguration event held on the 20th (local time) at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., USA. (AFP·Yonhap News)

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order reducing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts just one day after signing an executive order to strengthen control over federal employees on the 20th (local time). The federal employee unions collectively opposed the move and hinted at legal action.

According to foreign media such as The Hill and Bloomberg on the 21st (local time), the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) instructed heads of departments and agencies to place DEI staff on leave and to shut down related websites and social media accounts by 5 p.m. on the 22nd.

Charles Egel, the next director of OPM, sent a closure notice across the agency and also directed employees who are aware of attempts to conceal similar programs to report them.

This action follows the executive order signed by President Trump on the 20th, which calls for the termination of "radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferential policies."

President Trump has argued for the elimination of the so-called "Deep State" (entrenched powers within the federal government). As part of the anti-corruption measures, on the 20th, he signed executive actions including freezing federal hiring except for essential positions, converting a significant number of federal employees to the "Schedule F" category which allows easier dismissal, and ending telework for federal employees.

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) announced on the 21st (local time) that it has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and Charles Ezel, the next director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), regarding an executive order. The photo shows a portion of the original lawsuit document. Source: Screenshot of the lawsuit document

The Hill noted, "This appears to be an attempt to overturn an executive order issued by President Joe Biden in 2021 aimed at removing potential employment barriers for certain demographic groups."

Accordingly, federal agencies and departments must report all measures taken to comply with the memo by the 23rd and submit a list of all DEI personnel as of November 2024.

Public sector unions strongly opposed the Trump administration's move. The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), representing employees from 37 federal agencies and offices, called the executive order a "dangerous regression" as it enables easy dismissal of public sector employees. According to the UK Guardian, the NTEU filed a lawsuit on the 21st related to the executive order and requested an injunction to block its implementation.

Dorin Greenwald, NTEU National President, told the Guardian, "Yesterday's executive order is a dangerous step backward to a political patronage system explicitly rejected by Congress 142 years ago," adding, "We are filing a lawsuit to have this order recognized as illegal."