Federal employees are being instructed to identify colleagues involved in DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) roles or face potential "adverse consequences."

 

Jan. 23, 2025, 7:53 AM GMT+6

Federal Employees Warned to Report DEIA-Related Roles or Face Consequences

Federal employees received emails on Wednesday instructing them to report colleagues in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) roles that might have been overlooked by government supervisors, with warnings of potential consequences for non-compliance.

"We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs using coded or imprecise language," read the emails, obtained by NBC News.

The correspondence directed employees to notify the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) if they were "aware of any change in contract descriptions or personnel position descriptions since November 5, 2024, intended to obscure connections to DEIA or similar ideologies."

"There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting," the email stated, but it warned that failing to report within 10 days "may result in adverse consequences."

By Wednesday night, employees across multiple federal agencies and departments had reportedly received the same notice.

The White House has not clarified the nature of these "adverse consequences" or how the directive will be enforced.

The OPM issued a memo on Tuesday instructing department and agency leaders to send the notice to employees by 5 p.m. Wednesday. The agency provided a template email, and it remains unclear if any department heads modified or omitted the DEIA reporting language.

This directive aligns with earlier moves under the Trump administration. On Wednesday, agency heads were also instructed to place federal employees in DEIA roles on paid leave by the end of the workday.

Former President Donald Trump, on his first day back in office, signed an executive order to dismantle DEIA "mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear."

"These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination," read the OPM template letter for distribution to federal employees.

This action is part of a broader series of anti-diversity measures introduced by Trump. Earlier in the week, he signed an executive order limiting government recognition to only two genders, effectively excluding non-binary and gender-nonconforming individuals from federal acknowledgment.