NBC News - Months before the presidential election, a woman of color who is a federal worker prepared to lose her job. She started buying her children clothing in larger sizes last summer. Presents under the Christmas tree were scant. And she stopped taking her kids to Target “so that they won’t ask you for a bunch of stuff that you won’t be able to afford,” she said. This week, she was among the workers placed on paid leave after President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs in federal agencies. Despite her preparations, she was still surprised and upset by how quickly the order was implemented. “It’s disheartening that we’ve become pawns in this grapple for control,” the woman said.
She and others affected by Trump’s order said they are angry at their jobs being eliminated and fearful at what comes next. “I’ve put 23 years of blood, sweat and tears into this agency,” said another employee who had worked for the same agency for more than two decades. A third worker in a Cabinet-level agency told NBC News that his group helped create an internal policy for employees who transition genders. By Wednesday evening, the once-public policy was no longer on the agency’s website.
Trump’s order is one of several he signed this week on DEI efforts. Separate orders directed the Federal Aviation Administration to end DEI efforts and rescinded a 1965 order prohibiting discrimination in hiring by federal contractors. Trump and his allies have labeled DEI programs as discriminatory.
The repercussions of Trump’s executive order were also felt among
workers not placed on paid leave. “Right now there is a lot of fear,” a
worker said. “It feels like we are in Cuba.” More
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