Federal DEI Staff Put on Paid Leave

Trump said all federal diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) employees must be on paid leave before Wednesday evening.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management sent a memo on Tuesday directing heads of departments to put staff on leave and remove any websites or social media accounts related to diversity and equity, inclusion, and accessibility, by Wednesday, 5 pm.

CBS News first obtained a copy of the memo, which White House Press Secretary KarolineLeavitt later confirmed.

Charles Ezell (acting director of OPM) also instructed that the heads send a notice to all employees about the closure. He also asked them if they knew of any similar programs being disguised.

The order follows the Monday executive Order by President Trump titled “Ending Radical Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”

This move appears to be an attempt to reverse President Biden’s Executive Order to remove any potential barriers to employment for the demographic outlined in 2021.

The federal agencies and departments are required to report by Thursday on the steps they have taken to conform with the memo and provide an updated list of DEIA staff as of November 20,24.

The heads are also required to submit a written plan by January 31 to implement Trump’s order.

Trump stated during his inaugural address that “under my leadership, we will restore fair and equal justice, under the Constitutional Rule of Law, and bring law and Order back to our Cities.”

This week, I’ll also put an end to the government’s policy of trying to socially engineer race into all aspects of public and personal life. “We will create a merit-based and colorblind society,” he said.