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News » Trump axes historic Equal Employment Protection order

Trump axes historic Equal Employment Protection order

U.S. President Donald Trump signs executive orders on day one of administration, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo from The White House/Youtube.

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — United States President Donald Trump has revoked Executive Order 11246, a civil rights-era directive that has protected federal contract workers from discrimination for nearly 60 years. 

This decision marks a shift in federal employment policy and has broad implications for both businesses and workers across the U.S.

Impact on federal contractors

The revocation directly affects approximately 20% of the U.S. workforce employed by federal contractors. Under the new order, the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs must cease promoting diversity and stop holding federal contractors accountable for affirmative action measures. Federal contractors have a 90-day window to adjust to these changes.

Legal protections remain

While this executive order has been revoked, workers still maintain protections under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, along with applicable state and local laws. However, the scope of these protections may be more limited compared to the previous executive order.

Corporate response

The business community has shown varied reactions to this development. Some major corporations had already begun scaling back their DEI initiatives before this announcement, including Walmart, Lowe’s, McDonald’s, and Meta. However, others are maintaining their commitment to diversity:

  • JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon affirmed continued support for diverse communities
  • Goldman Sachs maintains its focus on diverse talent acquisition globally
  • Costco shareholders recently rejected a proposal to report on potential risks of DEI efforts
  • Apple urged shareholders to vote against the proposal to cut back DEI efforts, set to be discussed at the company’s 2025 annual shareholder meeting on February 25.

Future implications

The order requires the Attorney General to submit recommendations within 120 days regarding civil rights law enforcement and measures to address discrimination in the private sector. 

Stefanie Camfield, associate general counsel of Engage PEO, suggests businesses examine their DEI policies to ensure compliance with current federal laws and perhaps prepare for changes that might extend to the private sector. She warns, “President Trump will likely use his executive power to influence DEI programs in the private sector as well.”

Judy Conti of the National Employment Law Project condemned the move as a setback for civil rights, stating that it undermines efforts to root out discrimination. 

“This is not a return to so-called ‘meritocracy,'” she said in a statement. “Rather, it’s an attempted return to the days when people of color, women, and other marginalized people lacked the tools to ensure that they were evaluated on their merits.”

NAACP President Derrick Johnson described the order as exacerbating America’s racial disparities. “His appalling executive order will only worsen America’s racial hierarchy and benefit the oligarch class,” Johnson said in a statement.

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