Trump puts all US government diversity staff on paid leave ‘immediately’

BBC:

President Donald Trump has ordered that all US government staff working on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) schemes be put on immediate paid administrative leave.

The White House confirmed that all federal DEI workers had to be put on leave by 17:00 EST (22:00 GMT) on Wednesday, before the offices and programmes in question were shut down.

In an executive order issued on Tuesday, Trump also called for an end to the “dangerous, demeaning and immoral” programmes.

It is unclear how many people are affected by the order, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 800,000 federal workers, said.

Since his inauguration, the president has acted swiftly on a number of key pledges through a raft of unilateral actions.

He repeatedly attacked DEI practices on the campaign trail, arguing that they were discriminatory.

In his inaugural address, Trump pledged to “forge a society that is colour-blind and merit-based”.

DEI programmes aim to promote participation in workplaces by people from a range of backgrounds.

Their backers say they address historical underrepresentation and discrimination against certain groups including racial minorities, but critics say such programmes can themselves be discriminatory.

On Tuesday, a memo was sent from the US Office of Personnel Management to the heads of government agencies, instructing them to place DEI employees on leave.

The memo had a number of requests, including the removal of public websites for DEI offices.

By Thursday, federal agencies must compile a list of DEI offices and workers. By 31 January, agencies must submit “a written plan” for executing lay-offs in DEI offices.

Trump’s executive order, meanwhile, took aim at what it called the “illegal” policies of DEI and DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility), framing them as being in opposition to US law.

It said these policies had the capability to “violate” important underlying civil rights laws that protect Americans from discrimination.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move “is another win for Americans of all races, religions, and creeds”, and fulfils a campaign promise made by Trump.