FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2025
January 21, 2025
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-639-6405/202-374-6491
[email protected]
Eliminating Federal Diversity Programs Is Smokescreen for Undoing Merit-Based Workforce
Targeting DEI programs is yet another way for Trump to subvert hiring rules, union says
WASHINGTON – American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley today issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s executive order targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within federal agencies:
“The federal government has the lowest gender and racial pay gaps of all employers, precisely because employment decisions are made based on one’s ability to do the work and not on where they went to school or who they supported in the last election.
“Undoing these programs is just another way for President Trump to undermine the merit-based civil service and turn federal hiring and firing decisions into loyalty tests.
“Our nation’s military leaders have said that eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within the Defense Department risks undermining military readiness.
“Programs that promote an inclusive workforce ensure that the rules are applied evenly to everyone, plus they help build a federal government that looks like the diverse population it serves.”
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