Trump Cancels 60-Year-Old Affirmative Action Employment Mandate for Federal Contractors

Six decades of race- and gender-based government hiring initiatives are set to end.

Proponents of affirmative action hold signs during a protest at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on July 1, 2023. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump has repealed a legal landmark from the earliest days of the federal government that obliged federal contractors to establish “affirmative action” programs aimed at increasing workplace diversity.

Trump’s Jan. 21 order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” is focused primarily on ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government and among its contractors.