Trump Cancels 60-Year-Old Affirmative Action Employment Mandate for Federal Contractors

President Donald Trump has repealed a legal landmark from the earliest days of the federal government that obliged federal contractors to establish “affirmative action” programs aimed at increasing workplace diversity. Trump’s Jan. 21 order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” is focused primarily on ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government and among its contractors. By equating DEI initiatives with earlier efforts known as “Affirmative Action,” the order also cancels Executive Order 11246, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on Sept. 24, 1965, as the first major policy implementation stemming from the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964....