"Several federal websites go offline temporarily following order to adhere to Trump’s DEI directive."

 The Office of Personnel Management issued a memo, acquired by NBC News, directing that all federal government mentions of “gender ideology” be eliminated by 5 p.m. on Friday.

Feb. 1, 2025, 5:28 AM GMT+6 / Updated Feb. 1, 2025, 6:11 AM GMT+6

Several government websites briefly went offline Friday after federal agencies were instructed to comply with a new White House order removing certain language related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Websites for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Census Bureau, and the Justice Department, among others, were temporarily inaccessible, though the FAA and Justice Department sites were restored shortly after.

This directive came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring that the federal government recognize only male and female genders. A memo from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), obtained by NBC News, instructed all federal agencies to eliminate references to "gender ideology" by 5 p.m. Friday.

The White House did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the duration of the website changes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed it took down its data portal to comply with the new executive order. The CDC assured that the data page would eventually return.

A message on the CDC data page stated: “Data.CDC.gov is temporarily offline to comply with Executive Order 14168 Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government and the OPM notice dated January 29, 2025." It added, "The website will resume operations once in compliance."

This action follows the removal of dozens of webpages across federal health agencies, including the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Several pages related to HIV, including resources for healthcare providers and information on racial disparities, transgender individuals, gay and bisexual men, and youth risk behaviors, were taken down by Friday.

Additionally, several pages from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which manages foreign aid, medicine distribution, and disease prevention efforts, were also removed. Federal employees were also working to implement orders that prohibit DEI efforts within the military and civilian agencies, including the elimination of resource groups and the cessation of cultural awareness celebrations, according to internal communications.

The Health and Human Services website, specifically its reproductive rights page, which contained information on abortion and reproductive care, was among the pages taken offline. On Friday, the CDC began removing content related to gender identity, affecting pages on HIV as well.

An email sent Wednesday by Charles Ezell, acting director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, instructed federal employees not to promote “gender ideology,” a term used by conservative groups to describe views on sex and gender that they consider too progressive. The memo reiterated that only male and female genders should be recognized in federal communications.

Some CDC pages, including those on contraception and emergency contraception, were also removed. While detailed information on contraception and the abortion pill (mifepristone) can still be found through more specific searches on the CDC website, the main landing pages on these topics have been made inaccessible.

In a December interview, Trump stated that he “probably” would not restrict access to medication abortions during his second term in office.