Title and Author: 

Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, The White House 

Ending Illegal Discrimination And Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, The White House 

Trump’s Executive Orders on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Explained, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights  

 

Response to Text:  

DEI: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion 

President trump ordered several laws in regard to President Biden’s Executive order 13985 which ordered federal agency to further DEI. According to President Trump, this law has created waste and discrimination; however, no specific examples of this waste are provided. According to President Trump, “Americans dese a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making American great”. Furthermore, it was ordered that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will terminate any program that demonstrates discrimination.  

 

Lara Flath, David Schwartz, and Emily Safko created a guide to create understanding for these Executive orders in their article linked here. They listed these key points which help to summarize the orders: 

• The new administration’s effort to eliminate most DEI programs extends beyond the federal government to major corporations, foundations, non-profits, professional organizations and educational institutions. 
• Aggressive enforcement appears likely, as government departments have been instructed to identify nine potential private sector targets for enforcement actions. 
• Any recipient of government funding will be required to sign documents opening itself up to criminal prosecution if it maintains unlawful DEI programs. 
• A recent Department of Justice memo did allow, however, that “educational, cultural, or historical observances ... that celebrate diversity, recognize historical contributions, and promote awareness without engaging in exclusion or discrimination” are not prohibited. 

While I understand the importance of efficiency, to eliminate DEI is to regress in the fight for justice, inclusion, and fairness in many sectors. Below is an image describing the vision of DEI. Its focus is on the people to engage diversity for employees and leaders. DEI has goals for companies to build inclusive environments where everyone feels valued. Partnerships with common values with the purpose of equal opportunities and inclusiveness.

My fear is that with the elimination of DEI programs, we will regress in efforts towards equal opportunity. I also fail to recognize the purpose for the elimination for so many programs. It seems Trump administration values the bottom line over doing what is right for all Americans. I fail to recognize how eliminating these programs is beneficial for a country. It feels like we are going backwards in time. DEI and capitalism can co-exist.

An article from Forbes speaks to DEI and capitalism which can be found here. Creating environments where people feel engaged and included can create more productivity. Conversely, eliminating DEI programs can lead to expenses such as an increase in professional liability insurance and risk management.

Personally, I value basic human rights first before anything else. I see no evidence on how eliminating DEI programs is the right thing for America.