President Donald J. Trump Removes DEI From the Foreign Service – ]

RESTORING INDIVIDUAL DIGNITY, WORK ETHIC, AND EXCELLENCE: Today, President Donald J. Trump enacted a memorandum that dismantles the controversial “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) framework from the Foreign Service.

• The memorandum instructs the Secretary of State to eliminate the “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility” Core Precept from the criteria used for tenure and promotions within the Foreign Service.
• It further stipulates that U.S. government decisions regarding Foreign Service recruitment, hiring, promotion, or retention will be devoid of considerations based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, thereby rejecting discriminatory equity ideologies within any aspect of the Foreign Service.
• Relevant agencies are mandated to identify and take necessary action against any Foreign Service Officer found to have engaged in illegal discrimination knowingly and willfully.

PRIORITIZING MERIT: President Trump asserts that government hiring processes should solely reflect merit-based criteria.

• The previous administration is accused of embedding divisive and discriminatory policies throughout the State Department.
• Under President Biden, the State Department allegedly tied promotion eligibility to an employee’s capacity to pass a DEI loyalty assessment.

  • In 2023, Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, Biden’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the State Department, remarked: “We made the change that if you wanted to be considered for promotion at the Department of State, you must be able to document what you are doing to support diversity, equity and inclusion and accessibility. This is how you are judged for promotion.”

• Biden’s State Department also introduced a “Five-Year Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan,” which included a department-wide “DEIA Climate Survey” and implemented an aggressive recruitment strategy targeting so-called “underrepresented groups.”
• It is contended that Foreign policy roles should be occupied by the most qualified individuals, rather than being filled through quotas or ideological mandates.

COMMITMENT TO AMERICA, NOT IDEOLOGICAL NARRATIVES: President Trump aims to restore fairness and accountability within federal hiring processes by abolishing DEI initiatives across the government.

• In his initial week of office, President Trump signed an Executive Order reinstating merit-based hiring and promotions across federal agencies.
• He also enacted an Executive Order to dissolve radical and costly DEI programs and preferential practices.
• President Trump stated: “We will terminate every diversity, equity, and inclusion program across the entire federal government.”