Trump Uproots Biden DEI Initiatives From Federal Institutions

President Donald Trump ordered an end to so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (or DEI). One of his administration’s first moves: firing Coast Guard Commandant Linda Lee Fagan.

Benjamine Huffman, Trump’s acting secretary of Homeland Security, fired Fagan for reasons including an “‘erosion of trust’” through sexual assault coverups and an “excessive focus” on DEI, according to Fox News. The Coast Guard had fallen short in its duties, including border security.

Fagan first took command of the Coast Guard in June 2022. Later that year, The Federalist reported, the branch was still punishing members who did not accept the Covid vaccine. 

The Coast Guard had been rolling out a “D&I [Diversity and Inclusion] Action Plan” from 2019 to 2023, aiming at “meaningful and sustainable transformation.” One of its goals was to “attract and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce,” but in 2023 — Fagan’s second year in command — a U.S. Government Accountability Office report revealed that the branch had missed its recruitment target for the fourth fiscal year in a row.

Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Eli Crane wrote Fagan and former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last year, demanding “answers” for the Coast Guard’s “indoctrination training.” They specifically took issue with the branch’s “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) inclusivity training programs.”

Trump signed the anti-DEI executive order, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” on his first day in office. So Fagan’s firing suggests Trump is sending DEI to die.

Captured by Ideology

Trump’s order outlined the way former President Joe Biden infiltrated the federal government with DEI. 

“The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military,” the order reads. “This was a concerted effort stemming from President Biden’s first day in office.”

It specifically mentioned Biden’s executive order on “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through The Federal Government.” To fulfill this order, according to Trump’s order, “nearly every federal agency and entity” submitted “Equity Action Plans” reporting on its progress to subvert the government with DEI. 

“The public release of these plans demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination,” the order reads. “That ends today.” 

Cleaning House

So Trump ordered the “termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.” He tasked the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the director of the Office of Personnel Management, and the attorney general with enforcing this change.

“Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great,” the order reads. “Federal employment practices, including Federal employee performance reviews, shall reward individual initiative, skills, performance, and hard work and shall not under any circumstances consider DEI or DEIAf actors, goals, policies, mandates, or requirements.” 

The order tells the AG and director of OPM to “review and revise, as appropriate, all existing Federal employment practices, union contracts, and training policies or programs” for compliance.

It directs administration officials to “terminate” the following: “all DEI, DEIA, and ‘environmental justice’ offices and positions”; “‘equity action plans”; “‘equity’ actions, initiatives, or programs”; “‘equity-related’ grants or contracts”; and “all DEI or DEIA performance requirements for employees, contractors, or grantees.” Deputy heads must “assess the operational impact … and cost” of Biden’s DEI policies and recommend steps for compliance.

Officials must also provide a list of the following: “department DEI, DEIA, or ‘environmental justice’ positions, committees, programs, services, activities, budgets, and expenditures” that existed on Nov. 4, 2024 (including “an assessment” of whether they’ve been “misleadingly relabeled”); federal DEI grantees since the beginning of Biden’s presidency; and federal DEI contractors. 

The order calls for a “monthly meeting” to “inform and advise the President, so that he may formulate appropriate and effective civil-rights policies.” The meeting will cover the “prevalence” and “costs of DEI, DEIA, and ‘environmental justice’”; obstacles to compliance; department and agency progress; and “potential areas for additional Presidential or legislative action to advance the policy of equal dignity and respect.”

Logan Washburn is a staff writer covering election integrity. He is a spring 2025 fellow of The College Fix. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo’s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.