Trump Revokes Ban on Federal Workplace Discrimination: What Is the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1965?

This week, U.S. President Donald Trump repealed an executive order that had prohibited workplace discrimination for nearly six decades while promoting affirmative action among federal contractors.

The Trump administration rescinded Executive Order 11246, which barred federal contractors from discriminating based on gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, race, color, religion, or sex. Originally, this order empowered the Labor Department to enforce anti-discrimination provisions through a contracting standards office.

In a memo released on Wednesday, the White House described the repeal as a step to “protect the civil rights of all Americans” and to “expand individual opportunity.” The memo claimed the order would eliminate what it called “radical DEI preferencing” in federal contracting and directed agencies to address private-sector discrimination instead.

The repeal also undid policies established by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, which had championed diversity and inclusion in federal hiring practices. Trump argued that such efforts contradicted federal civil rights laws and undermined national unity. In his order, he stated that diversity initiatives promote a “corrosive and pernicious identity-based spoils system” at the expense of traditional values like hard work and individual achievement.

What Is the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1965?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 24, 1965, aimed to create opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, and other underrepresented groups while protecting them from workplace discrimination.

The act prohibited discrimination based on national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, race, and marital or familial status. It applied to federal contractors and was introduced one year after the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Defending the repeal, Trump argued that the act’s provisions encouraged “illegal DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) discrimination and preferences.” His executive order extended this policy to the private sector, directing all federal agencies to enforce civil rights laws and oppose private-sector DEI mandates and programs.

Trump’s decision aligns with his broader vision of establishing a “merit-based” and “colorblind” society, as part of his campaign promise for re-election.