On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices within the federal government. DEI practices aim to promote equal treatment and prevent discrimination for all people, especially marginalized groups. The Trump administration has consistently referenced DEI as an unconstitutional civil rights issue.
During former president Joe Biden’s term, DEI practices were prevalent within the federal government. According to the White House, Biden’s support led to 90 federal agencies releasing Equity Action Plans and prompted a $7 billion investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Furthermore, according to PR Newswire, global DEI spending will reach $15.4 billion by 2026.
Biden’s endorsement also impacted the private sector. According to Forbes, in 2024, 94% of companies use a DEI acronym in their sustainability reports.
However, the Trump administration has taken several actions to reduce DEI practices within the federal government. The day after his inauguration, Trump signed another executive order ending the promotion of diversity as well as stating that DEI is illegal discrimination. The order also terminated the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, which prevents discrimination within the hiring process.
After the two executive orders were signed, the Trump administration stopped all federal funds from supporting DEI. “[The Trump administration] has literally been doing word searches of the grants to find keywords like gender, or diversity [and], anything to do with LGBTQ+,” employment lawyer Joe Schmitt said.
These grants previously supported Americans throughout the country. The grants associated with DEI included renter relief programs that provided financial support to minority renter communities. Other programs impacted included non-profits that delivered food to underprivileged groups. “People who relied upon organizations to eat will no longer be able to get food,” Schmitt said.
However, on Feb. 21, U.S. district court judge Adam B. Adelson barred the Trump administration from enforcing Trump’s executive orders in the lawsuit of National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump. According to Holland & Knight, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott seeked to void these orders on two assertions. Firstly, he stated that the orders violated the Fifth Amendment by forcing the government to reveal incriminating information. Secondly, he emphasized that the orders infringed on the First Amendment by threatening to remove funds for speech supporting DEI.
Abelson determined that the orders were unconstitutional not because of the First Amendment violations, but rather the Fifth Amendment ones.

This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on March 27, 2025