The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued guidance for implementing President Trump’s executive order that terminates diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within federal agencies.
OPM is ordering agencies to move out quickly on ending these programs. Federal employees working in DEI offices are immediately being put on administrative leave as the government begins terminating these programs.
Specifically, the memo directs agency heads to take the following steps to begin the process of closing DEI offices by 5 PM EST on Wednesday, January 22:
- Send an agency-wide notice to employees informing them of the closure and asking employees if they know of any efforts to disguise these programs
- Send a notification to all employees of DEIA offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs
- Take down all outward facing media (websites, social media accounts, etc.) of DEIA offices
- Withdraw any final or pending documents, directives, orders, materials, and equity plans issued by the agency in response to now-repealed Executive Order 14035, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Workforce (June 25, 2021)
- Cancel any DEIA-related trainings, and terminate any DEIA-related contractors
Additionally, federal agencies are to give OPM a progress report no later than Thursday, January 23, 2025. Specifically, they are to report:
- A complete list of DEIA offices and any employees who in those offices as of November 5, 2024
- A complete list of all DEIA-related agency contracts as of November 5, 2024
- Any agency plans to fully comply with the above Executive Orders and this memorandum
Lastly, agencies are to give OPM a written plan by the end of the month on executing RIF actions for the DEI employees. The memo directs agencies to give OPM the following information by 5 PM EST on January 31, 2025:
- A written plan for executing a reduction-in-force action regarding the employees who work in a DEIA office. Agencies should coordinate with OPM in preparing these plans
- A list of all contract descriptions or personnel position descriptions that were changed since November 5, 2024 to obscure their connection to DEIA programs
More information is available in OPM’s guidance memorandum. For details on RIFs, see: What is a RIF and How Does it Work?.
Update: OPM has also directed agencies to start sending RIF notices to employees at DEI offices.
“Deep State” Pushback?
Regarding the last item in the memo about changes being made to obscure existing DEI programs, there have been reports of employees in some agencies working to defy the president’s order to shutter DEI offices. For instance, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) allegedly changed the job title of its former diversity officer from “Chief Diversity Officer” to “Senior Executive.”
Some agencies have been taking additional steps to prevent this from happening. The acting secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs, for instance, asked agency employees with any knowledge of efforts to change contracts or job descriptions to disguise DEI programs that have been marked for elimination to report them within 10 days. Failing to do so could result in “adverse consequences.”
The Hill reported that similar memos are being distributed governmentwide . It reviewed a memo that told federal employees to report any efforts they know of to block the president’s DEI order by disguising diversity programs within 10 days.
“There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information. However, failure to report this information within 10 days will result in adverse consequences,” according to the memo reviewed by The Hill.
President Trump’s Executive Orders
Ending the DEI programs is being done according to President Trump’s executive orders that were issued the day he took office. The one pertaining to DEI was named Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing. It revoked President Biden’s executive order promoting racial equity that was issued right after he took office.
The Trump Executive Order states:
[N]early every Federal agency and entity submitted “Equity Action Plans” to detail the ways that they have furthered DEIs infiltration of the Federal Government. The public release of these plans demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination. That ends today. Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect…
He also issued a memorandum that ends DEI initiatives within the Federal Aviation Administration that he said were causing air travel to be unsafe. It orders the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administrator “to immediately return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring, as required by law.”
What is Administrative Leave?
According to OPM, “Administrative leave (also referred to as “excused absence”) is an administratively authorized absence from duty without loss of pay or charge to leave.”
It adds:
Administrative leave is not an entitlement, and agencies are not required to grant it. However, in special circumstances covered by Governmentwide directives or in reaction to emergencies, agencies may have policies and practices in place that provide for automatic application of administrative leave.
For more information and examples, see OPM’s online fact sheet about administrative leave.