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The Donald Trump administration is carrying out a significant overhaul of the federal government, specifically targeting affirmative action hires and federal diversity, equity, and inclusion staff.
Knewz.com has learned that the changes came after the new President signed an executive order dismantling the diversity and inclusion programs of the federal government.
It has been reported that Trump has called the programs "discrimination" and has vowed to restore a hiring process strictly based on merit.
Per the new directive from the Trump administration, federal agencies are required to compile a list of federal diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and staff members—against whom they are supposed to develop a plan to execute a “reduction-in-force action.”
Furthermore, the Office of Personnel Management shared a memo on January 21 that instructed federal agencies to place diversity, equity, and inclusion staff on paid leave by 5 p.m. January 22.
By the same deadline, the agencies were asked to take down web pages focused on the same.
"Agencies must also cancel any DEI-related training and end any related contracts, and federal workers are being asked to report to Trump’s Office of Personnel Management if they suspect any DEI-related program has been renamed to obfuscate its purpose within 10 days or face 'adverse consequences,'" reports have mentioned.
It is worth noting that Trump had expressed during his campaign circuit he was against federal programs that promote equity and inclusion—a sentiment shared by his Secretary of Defense nominee Peter Hegseth.
Trump said at a Las Vegas rally in June that if he won the White House race in 2024, "The woke stuff will be gone within a period of 24 hours. I can tell you."
Notably, Hegseth has also reportedly questioned the appointment of women in active military combat and has also called for pardoning military personnel accused and charged with war crimes.
Speaking on an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show podcast, Hegseth essentially called the deployment of women in combat a handicap to the military and suggested that it makes the armed forces less effective.
"Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, that means casualties are worse," the Defense Secretary nominee said during an interview on the podcast.
He further claimed that "diversity in the military is a strength" because men of different races and communities can perform at a similar level, while that is not the case with women.
He said on the podcast that by opening combat slots to women, “we’ve changed the standards in putting them there, which means you’ve changed the capability of that unit.”
The overhaul of federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs is part of the long list of executive orders enforced by the Trump administration, a significant number of which aim at restricting immigration while driving a greater military presence at the border.
Trump's executive orders also made major cuts to the pathways to reach the United States, including the refugee program for those fleeing danger and persecution, according to reports.
Trump reiterated his stance on immigration during his inaugural address, where he said:
"As commander in chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do."