Dozens of Dept. of Ed. employees placed on leave following Trump's anti-DEI order: REPORT
The employees in question took part in a ‘Diversity Change-Agent Training Program.’
Trump has vowed several times to abolish the Department of Education entirely.
Following President Donald Trump’s executive order dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the federal government, dozens of employees at the Department of Education have been placed on leave.
On Friday, the employees in question received letters stating the conditions of their paid administrative leave. Despite not receiving an official reason for their temporary absence, certain employees said they believe their participation in a voluntary “Diversity Change-Agent Training Program” was the factor common to all of them, as they explained to ABC News.
The letters also specifically made reference to Trump’s anti-DEI executive order, which cracks down on DEI within the federal government.
[RELATED: Rutgers cancels DEI-based conference in response to Trump executive orders]
The affected workers will still receive full pay during their indefinite absence.
They will also no longer be able to log in to their work emails while on leave.
Some critics of Trump’s move allege that employees were encouraged to attend the “Diversity Change-Agent Training Program” during Trump’s first term.
President Trump has, on several occasions, stated his opposition to the Department of Education and his desire to abolish it. Recently, for example, the president spoke of his Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon, saying he wants “her to put herself out of a job [in the] Education Department.”
The president is reportedly planning to soon issue an executive order to fulfill his vision of ending the Department.
[RELATED: Sen. Mike Rounds sponsors legislation to ‘abolish the Department of Education’]
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has also recently introduced legislation in the House to entirely dismantle the Department of Education, saying: “Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. should not be in charge of our children’s intellectual and moral development.”
Campus Reform has contacted the Department of Education for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
