Department cancels $2.6 million in DEI contracts, removes over 200 web pages
President Trump’s Department of Education dismantled its diversity, equity, and inclusion measures and removed its related staff this week.
“Following President Trump’s recent Executive Orders and initial guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Department removed or archived hundreds of guidance documents, reports, and training materials that include mentions of DEI from its outward facing communication channels,” a Thursday news release from the department states.
Employees responsible for leading DEI initiatives were placed on paid administrative leave while the department canceled “ongoing DEI training and service contracts which total over $2.6 million,” the news release states.
Further, two councils established to promote diversity and inclusion within the workforce have been disbanded.
The Department of Education will also remove over 200 web pages from its website “that housed DEI resources and encouraged schools and institutions of higher education to promote or endorse harmful ideological programs.”
“[T]he Department will continue its comprehensive review of all agency programs and services to identify additional initiatives and working groups that may be advancing a divisive DEI agenda, including programs using coded or imprecise language to disguise their activity,” the news release states.
The decision aligns with President Trump’s Monday executive order titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” which requires agencies to eliminate DEI-related offices, positions, and initiatives within 60 days.
The Education Department also announced its new senior appointees this week, including Rachel Oglesby, Jonathan Pidluzny, and Chase Forrester, all of whom previously served at the America First Policy Institute, according to a Thursday news release.
Additionally, President Trump appointed attorney Peter Kirsanow, a vocal critic of affirmative action in higher education, to chair the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, The College Fix previously reported.
In recent years, Kirsanow has strongly criticized university programs that exclude or segregate individuals based on race.
To further combat racial discrimination, Trump tasked the Departments of Justice and Education with ending affirmative action in grades K-20 in an executive order signed Tuesday.
The order asks the DOJ and Secretary of Education to ensure schools comply with the 2023 Students for Fair Admissions Supreme Court case, which outlawed affirmative action in higher education.
MORE: Trump promises to create ‘colorblind and merit-based’ society, end DEI hires
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