![]() |
Jon Cherry/Getty Images |
Looking back, the agency has granted more than $1 billion for DEI initiatives since 2021, according to an advocacy group.
The Department of Education announced on Jan. 23 that it was taking steps to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from the agency, which includes putting related staff on paid leave.
“These actions are in line with President Trump’s ongoing commitment to end illegal discrimination and wasteful spending across the federal government.” said a statement from the agency. “They are the first step in reorienting the agency toward prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in our schools.”
The decision follows President Donald Trump’s executive order “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing” issued on Jan. 20.
The agency announced a slew of recent senior recruitments on the same day as the DEI declaration, who will work toward implementing Trump’s orders in the education sector. The previous administration’s department head Miguel Cardona has been replaced with acting Secretary of Education Denise Carter as Trump’s nominee for the post, Linda McMahon, awaits Senate clearance.
In the DEI termination announcement, the department’s list of notable actions begins with “Dissolution of the Department’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, effective immediately.” The Council had been set up by former President Barack Obama following his 2011 executive order focusing on diversity and inclusion.
The department said it canceled more than $2.6 million worth of ongoing DEI training and service contracts, and placed staff tasked with implementing the prior administration’s DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave.
More than 200 web pages from the department’s website that housed DEI resources have been identified for removal. These web pages “encouraged schools and institutions of higher education to promote or endorse harmful ideological programs,” said the federal agency.
Another program ended by the agency is the Employee Engagement Diversity Equity Inclusion Accessibility Council under the Office for Civil Rights. --->READ MORE HERE
![]() |
Pool/Reuters |
US President Donald Trump issued executive orders shortly after he was sworn in to change the US government's policies on gender and diversity, following through on promises he made on the campaign trail.
He rolled back orders from the Biden administration that the Trump White House called "unpopular, inflationary, illegal, and radical practices within every agency and office of the Federal Government".
Two of the orders he revoked included a Biden directive aimed at preventing discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
Trump also signed an order recognising two sexes only - male and female – and declaring that they cannot be changed.
"These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality," the order says.
It adds: "'Sex' is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of 'gender identity'."
In his inaugural address earlier in the day, Trump used different phraseology, saying: "As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female."
Trump has made wider promises about what conservatives decry as "woke" culture, gender and diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
Another directive that he revoked had been designed to address "racial equity and support for underserved communities."
An administration official said one of the orders would "end DEI inside the federal government", cutting funding to DEI programmes across all agencies and including a review of offices renamed because of DEI initiatives.
Several large US companies have ended or scaled back their DEI programmes since Trump was elected, including McDonald's, Walmart and Facebook parent company Meta. --->READ MORE HEREFollow link below to a relevant story:
Federal agencies begin removing DEI guidance from websites in Trump crackdown
If you like what you see, please "Like" and/or Follow us on FACEBOOK here, GETTR here, and TWITTER here.
No comments:
Post a Comment