Employees in any federal diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility offices will be placed on paid administrative leave “effective immediately,” according to a post from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

President Donald Trump has vowed to reform the federal workforce and sharply reduce regulatory efforts. On Monday he ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a week and weakened job protections for civil servants, the first salvoes in his campaign to shrink the federal bureaucracy.

The Trump administration's latest directive requires federal agencies to eliminate DEI programs, remove associated webpages, and place DEI office employees on paid leave by January 31, 2025, as part of efforts to restore merit-based hiring practices.