POLITICS NEWS – Trump repeals the 1960s Equal Opportunity Employment Act in an attempt to repeal DEI programs

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

President Trump has begun taking steps to fulfill several of his campaign promises in his first few days in office. During his campaign, he expressed a strong desire to repeal legislation and executive orders implemented by Biden. One such executive order by Biden established the framework for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government.

The rollback of DEI provisions occurred amidst a flurry of executive orders and actions Trump took on his first day in office. Trump revoked numerous Biden-era policies promoting equity and opportunity for marginalized communities, including Native Americans, Hispanics, Black Americans, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

In his executive order, Trump stated: “The injection of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) into our institutions has corrupted them by replacing hard work, merit, and equality with a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy.” As part of this statement, Trump issued an executive order targeting legislation from previous administrations dating back to the 1960s, including the Equal Opportunity Employment Act.

The executive order further stated: “These illegal DEI and DEIA policies also threaten the safety of American men, women, and children across the nation by diminishing the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination when selecting people for jobs and services in key sectors of American society, including all levels of government and the medical, aviation, and law enforcement communities.”