Trump's CIA Bans 'Affinity Groups,' Axes Rainbow Lanyards, 'Black History Month'
The Trump administration’s brutal crackdown on DEI is rapidly reshaping three letter federal agencies in a push to focus more on national security issues by axing all “affinity groups.”
Mark Zaid wrote on x:
“It goes beyond what happened at DHS & NASA today.”
“CIA employees were told all resource & affinity groups are canceled. No black history month or MLK celebration, or any other ethnic recognition months. DEI folks are to be fired rather than allowed to rotate to former offices,” he wrote.
“CIA is also apparently banning lanyards that have to do with affinity groups. Women’s Council had to take down website & cancel all events, incl women’s history month,” he wrote in another post.
“They are also compiling lists of members within affinity groups. Because that’s not reminiscent of 1930s,” he wrote.
President Donald Trump‘s plan to dismantle the DEI apparatus in every federal agency was confirmed by the new CIA director, John Ratcliffe, on Thursday,
Trump’s order required:
“All executive departments and agencies (agencies) to terminate all discriminatory and illegal preferences, mandates, policies, programs, activities, guidance, regulations, enforcement actions, consent orders, and requirements.”
“I further order all agencies to enforce our longstanding civil-rights laws and to combat illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities,” the order said.
This was followed by the order from the Office of Personnel Management to put all federal staff holding jobs in which they implemented DEI rules to be put on leave.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also under fire after it attempted to shift an employee who was its chief diversity officer to the title of “senior executive.”
Republican Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri posted on X:
“The ATF defied @realDonaldTrump’s order to place DEI workers on leave, instead giving their DEI officer a new title.”
“They attack citizens’ rights, ignore leadership, and act as though they’re above the law. Enough is enough. Time to abolish the ATF!”
Lisa T. Boykin was the ATF’s chief diversity officer until the DEI order was issued, demoting her title to “senior executive” in the agency.
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