Federal Workers Could Face ‘Adverse Consequences’ For Not Outing DEI Colleagues

Federal workers are being pressured to identify any colleagues still involved in DEI work following Donald Trump’s rapid removal of federal DEI employees.

As part of President Donald Trump’s swift removal of federal DEI workers, other federal workers are being forced to identify any colleagues whose job relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

On Wednesday, just two days after Trump was sworn back into office, emails were sent to federal employees warning that they could face “adverse consequences” if they fail to report colleagues working in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility roles that may have gone under the radar of government supervisors, NBC News reports.

The warning is a result of a policy that placed all federal DEI workers on paid leave by the end of the day before being laid off.

To confirm their exits, the Trump administration is calling on remaining federal workers to out their colleagues doing DEI-related work.

“We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language,” the emails stated.

Federal workers are being instructed to report to the Office of Personnel Management if they are “aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since Nov. 5, 2024, to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies,” the email adds.

“There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information. However, failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences.”

The move comes after the series of executive orders Trump signed on his first day in office Monday, which aimed to dismantle DEI and accessibility “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,” the OPM said in its memo, which provided a template email that multiple heads could use to distribute to employees.

Much of Trump’s initial actions have been aimed at reversing DEI efforts made by previous administrations, including President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1965 executive order for affirmative action.