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By: FEDweek StaffLeading House Democrats on civil service issues have said the Trump administration’s order on employee training has “shut down initiatives across the nation—inside and outside the federal government—meant to combat bias and discrimination in the workplace.”
The Biden administration is expected to cancel or that order, but for the meantime agencies have been sending the contents of their training programs for OPM’s review for what the order calls race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating and other “offensive and anti-American” concepts.
In a letter to OMB asking for a briefing and fuller documentation on the order, they said that administration statements that the order would have a limited impact by only affecting training that perpetuates divisive concepts “do not appear to be accurate.” They cited decisions by a number of departments and agencies to indefinitely suspend all diversity and inclusiveness type training.
Because the order extends to recipients of government grants and contracts, it also has “caused multiple universities and other entities in receipt of federal funds to roll back crucial efforts meant to combat discriminatory and biased behavior,” they wrote.
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