On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order repealing President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Executive Order 11246, which required government contractors to implement affirmative action policies.
The new order significantly halts any form of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) “discrimination” within federal agencies, contracting, and government spending, as highlighted by the White House.
Under the new directive, the federal government will shift to a merit-based hiring system, emphasizing “individual initiative, skills, performance, and hard work” as the main criteria for employment and promotions.
A key element of Trump’s action is the reversal of Johnson’s 1965 order.
With Trump’s new order, the Office of Management and Budget will “streamline the federal contracting process to enhance speed and efficiency, reduce costs, and require Federal contractors and subcontractors to comply with our civil rights laws,” according to a fact sheet from the White House.
Additionally, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs will no longer be permitted to pressure “contractors to balance their workforce based on race, sex, gender identity, sexual preference, or religion” as outlined in the order.
The White House claims that “radical DEI” has undone “progress made in the decades since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 toward a colorblind and competence-based workplace” and contends that DEI fosters authoritarian practices.
At a rally in Capital One Arena on Sunday, Trump reiterated his vow to dismantle former President Joe Biden’s DEI mandates and reinstate a merit-based approach. “We’re going to stop the destructive and divisive Diversity Equity and Inclusion mandates all across government and private sector and return our country to the merit system,” Trump declared.
Trump first promised to eliminate DEI practices from the government in 2023, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions.
{Matzav.com}