Federal workers placed on leave by Trump's DEI order are angry and fearful of what lies ahead

Longtime federal workers say they have become pawns in a battle for political control, that their DEI work is misunderstood and that they are under surveillance.

Many who work in the federal government knew that an incoming Trump administration would take aim at diversity, equity and inclusion jobs within their ranks. It was just a matter of when and how far he’d go. 

For most employees, it happened at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, when they got notices that they would be forced to take paid leave, according to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The memo followed President Donald Trump's executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs in federal agencies.

“I’m mad,” said a federal employee placed on leave from the agency where he has worked for more than two decades. He requested anonymity out of fear of being unable to find future employment in the government.

“I’ve put 23 years of blood, sweat and tears into this agency," he said.

In Monday’s inaugural address, Trump promised to put an end to "government policy trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life" and forge a society that is "color-blind" and "merit-based." His executive order is a culmination of rhetoric and pledges by Trump and his advisers, as well as an extension of previous actions he took in his first term to erase diversity initiatives.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/federal-workers-trump-dei-orders-angry-fearful-future-rcna188603

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