On Wednesday, Trump issued an executive order revoking Executive Order 11246, a historic anti-discrimination rule designed to ensure fair workplace practices among federal contractors. Signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the rule prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity for companies receiving federal contract money.
Executive Order 11246 was part of a broader effort to use federal contracting as a tool to improve workplace standards and advance civil rights nationwide. A year after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, this rule explicitly required federal contractors to take “affirmative action” to prevent discrimination against job applicants and employees. For six decades, it empowered the Department of Labor to enforce these standards through its Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
Trump’s executive action ends these protections, describing them as outdated and labeling them “radical DEI,” short for diversity, equity, and inclusion. In a statement, Trump claimed that DEI programs foster “reverse discrimination” and asserted that his decision was a step toward fairness in federal contracting.
“Federal contractors will no longer be pushed to balance their workforce based on race, sex, gender identity, sexual preference, or religion,” Trump said in the statement. He called his revocation “the most important federal civil rights measure in decades.”
Executive Order 11246 was a groundbreaking labor standard that built on the principles of the Civil Rights Act. It not only banned workplace discrimination but also required federal contractors to actively ensure equal employment opportunities for all workers. Over the years, it expanded to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.
The order was instrumental in promoting affirmative action across industries, shaping hiring practices, and advancing equity in federal workplaces. Civil rights advocates have long lauded it as a cornerstone of anti-discrimination policy.
Since returning to office, Trump has made dismantling DEI initiatives a key policy priority, targeting programs across federal agencies, corporations, and educational institutions. This latest move underscores his administration’s ongoing campaign to roll back affirmative action and diversity policies.
The revocation of Executive Order 11246 leaves a major gap in workplace protections for employees of federal contractors.
