By Wednesday, federal agencies must begin shutting down all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices, placing staff on paid leave, per a memo from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The directive includes dismantling DEI programs, canceling related training, and removing public-facing materials. Agencies must also provide lists of DEI employees and contracts, along with plans for workforce reductions, by week’s end.

The memo follows an executive order from President Donald Trump halting all federal DEI programs and repealing Biden-era policies promoting DEI hiring and training.

Trump also mandated that the federal government recognize only two genders, male and female, and signed additional orders banning race- and sex-based preferences in education and workplaces.

Trump stated these actions aim to uphold civil-rights protections and combat what he called “dangerous and demeaning” DEI practices, asserting that such programs undermine equality and violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964.