The Office of Personnel Management announced recently that it is making some changes to the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) this year.
In accordance with two executive orders issued by President Trump, the agency is removing the 13 diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) questions that were added in 2022 as well as questions related to gender ideology.
Additionally, OPM has decided to delay this year’s FEVS to alleviate the administrative burden on agencies as they prioritize President Trump’s urgent governmentwide initiatives, many of which have looming deadlines. Consequently, OPM will administer the FEVS later in the year instead of in May 2025 as originally planned. A new date was not announced.
The two executive orders cited by OPM were Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.
Trump’s EO on DEIA directed the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to terminate “all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”
The second EO clarifies the definition of “sex” as biologically distinct between men and women, emphasizing the use of “sex” over “gender” in federal policies and documents. It mandates agencies to enforce sex-based rights and protections, including in prisons, shelters, and workplaces, and prohibits the promotion of gender ideology in federal funding and communications. The order also rescinds previous executive orders on gender and dissolves the White House Gender Policy Council.
OPM also announced that it will be updating the U.S. OPM Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Website to remove DEIA and gender ideology-related features and content.
Additionally, OPM will mark reports from 2012 to 2024 as containing inconsistent content with the Executive Orders (EOs). Furthermore, OPM encourages agencies to do the same regarding FEVS content on their websites.
