The federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued a directive requiring all federal departments and agencies to close their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) offices and place employees in these offices on paid administrative leave. The memo, sent by Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell, outlines actions to be completed by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22.
Key instructions include:
- Employee Notification: Departments must issue agency-wide notices informing employees of the closures and request that any efforts to disguise DEIA programs under vague or coded terms be reported.
- Administrative Leave: All DEIA office employees are to be placed on paid administrative leave immediately as the process to dismantle these offices begins.
- Media Removal: Agencies must remove all public-facing content related to DEIA programs, including websites, social media accounts, and other communications.
- Policy Withdrawal: Agencies are required to rescind all directives, materials, plans, and policies issued under the now-repealed Executive Order 14035, which previously supported diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives in the federal workforce.
The move marks a significant shift in federal policy, signaling a departure from the Biden administration’s DEIA-focused initiatives.
