Hundreds of federal diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) employees were laid off by President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
The federal employees will be placed on paid administrative leave while their individual departments are shut down, according to an internal memo.
In the memo, issued Tuesday to heads of departments and agencies, Trump set a deadline of no later than 5 p.m. ET Wednesday for the DEI employees to be placed on paid administrative leave as their agencies prepare to close down.
All DEI-related offices and programs were ordered to remove websites and social media accounts for their offices. Some DEI employees previously used their social media accounts to post anti-Trump content.
Following his inaugural events on Monday, Trump took to his Truth Social app and typed “YOU’RE FIRED!”
However, some federal workers voluntarily resigned before Trump was sworn-in on Jan. 20.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was appointed by former President Joe Biden to serve as an advisor on the President’s Export Council. She responded to Trump’s post on Tuesday, saying she had already quit her position.
Bottoms took to Instagram to share her letter of resignation to Biden on Jan. 4.
She wrote in response to Trump’s post: “A day late and a dollar short. You can’t fire someone who has already resigned.”
Trump campaigned on a promise to end federal DEI programs on Day 1 of his second term in office.
The White House also released an order ending the use of DEI federal contractors and “directing federal agencies to relentlessly combat private sector discrimination.”
