Federal agencies are currently in the process of stripping their online resources aimed at underrepresented Americans, a move attributed to an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump that seeks to limit diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Agencies have responded by canceling training sessions for staff and closing down diversity offices in an effort to align with this executive order, which mandates that DEI personnel be placed on paid leave and eventually terminated.
Several agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security, have taken steps to remove references to DEI from their websites. Links that previously directed visitors to DEI-related content now result in “Page Not Found — 404” alerts or feature notifications indicating that the content has been archived.
The initiative to eliminate mentions of diversity has led to considerable confusion and questions among staff members at various agencies. In the absence of definitive guidance, personnel from the Defense Department have been inconsistently removing content from websites.
For instance, the Army briefly took down its sexual assault guidelines, prompting concerns over the optics of this action, especially in light of allegations against Trump’s defense nominee, Pete Hegseth. However, the guidelines were restored the following day.
The removed materials included resources designed to help government bodies better recruit a diverse workforce and create inclusive environments for employees and students in educational institutions. Critics assert that these rollbacks could lead to significant changes in hiring practices and a regression to historical discriminatory behaviors.
Among the materials taken down was a website dedicated to the inaugural Treasury Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, established during the Biden administration. Georgetown law professor Dorothy Brown, who was part of the committee, commented on the negative impact this order could have on workplace diversity. “Conservatives might argue that targeting individuals based on race is wrong, but that is essentially what Trump is advocating for,” she stated.
This week, the State Department dismantled its Office of Diversity and Inclusion and removed all related links from its website. This office was launched by former Secretary of State Antony Blinken shortly after he took office and was tasked with developing plans to recruit minorities and women into the workforce.
In a recent directive, Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to fly only the American flag or flags that pay tribute to prisoners of war and the wrongfully detained. This effectively prohibited the display of LGBTQ+ pride and Black Lives Matter flags, which were allowed during the Biden era.
The Education Department followed suit on Thursday by archiving or eliminating hundreds of guidance documents, reports, and training materials. The department disclosed that it terminated contracts amounting to more than $2.6 million related to DEI training for staff.
Among the deleted documents were resources aimed at supporting LGBTQI+ students, an overview of civil rights laws regarding discrimination based on race, and guidelines to prevent the biased use of artificial intelligence. A statement from the Education Department contended that these pages promoted harmful ideological agendas.
Trump has characterized DEI initiatives as forms of discrimination, insisting on a return to purely “merit-based” hiring practices. Many conservative organizations have welcomed the changes, including Parents Defending Education, which has taken legal action against diversity programs in schools and applauded the moves to eliminate such initiatives.
Critics, including Antonio Ingram from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, pointed out that attacks on DEI often target programs designed to broaden hiring pools without altering hiring standards. He highlighted that current disparities based on race and gender result from a long history of excluding women and people of color from opportunities, rather than being an incidental outcome.
He warned that the removal of strategies aimed at ensuring a diverse government workforce could have lasting consequences. “Generations will likely not realize what they missed due to the extensive erasure and redirection of federal resources,” he expressed. “The real tragedy lies in the lost opportunities to create a more inclusive and just environment.”
In educational settings, advocates are concerned that this reduction will strip away resources that have historically supported students from marginalized backgrounds, including tools that aid educators in addressing achievement disparities.
The Education Department has eliminated several bodies, including the Diversity and Inclusion Council set up under President Barack Obama, and the Employee Engagement Diversity Equity Inclusion Accessibility Council, previously associated with its Office for Civil Rights.
Additionally, the department withdrew its Equity Action Plan, initially aimed at enhancing college access, affordability, and completion for underserved students, according to an outdated version of the plan’s webpage.
On a related note, the Office for Civil Rights recently dismissed 11 complaints concerning book bans that allegedly created hostile environments for students. The complaints, which addressed limitations on titles dealing with race and LGBTQ+ topics, were deemed meritless, and all guidance framing book bans as violations of civil rights laws has been rescinded.
