Newly elected president Donald Trump has directed US government workers involved in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs to take immediate leave while still being paid.
As per BBC, since the president returned to office on Monday, January 20, he quickly followed through on several key promises by taking direct actions.
Afterwards, the offices and programs related to DEI will be closed.
During his campaign, he criticized DEI practices many times, claiming that they were unfair.
DEI programs are intended to encourage and support people from different backgrounds to participate in the workplace.
In his inaugural address, Trump pledged to "forge a society that is colour-blind and merit-based.”
In addition, the memo also included several instructions, one of which was to remove public websites associated with DEI offices.
As per the outlet, the federal agencies must create and submit a list of their DEI offices and the employees working there.
Then by January 31, these agencies must provide a detailed written plan on how they will handle layoffs with those DEI offices.
Trump’s executive order targeted DEI and DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) labelling them as “illegal.”
The order argued that these policies could potentially violate key civil rights laws that are designed to protect Americans from discrimination.
