Congressional Black Caucus blasts Trump DEI action as step backward

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), one of the largest in Congress, blasted President Trump on Wednesday for rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government. 

Since the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to end affirmative action admissions in colleges, CBC Chair Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) said, “MAGA Republicans have set their sights on cutting off access to economic opportunity for Black and minority communities in the federal government, on college campuses, and in corporate America.”

“This executive order is nothing short of an attempt to take our country backward and does nothing to help our communities grow economically or address the costs of living for hardworking American families,” Clarke said.

Trump’s executive order, signed Monday, calls on the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management to coordinate with federal agencies to terminate “all discriminatory programs.”

The order directs the assistant to the president for domestic policy to have monthly meetings with deputy secretaries to assess DEI programs and determine ways to end them.

Ahead of November’s election, Trump and Republicans vowed to end DEI and labeled such programs as discriminatory. 

At his rally in D.C. ahead of his inauguration, Trump said the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action means “the United States is allowed to go by the merit system, which is what made us great in the first place.”

The CBC, which welcomed its largest class ever this year, represents some 20 million Black Americans around the nation. 

The group has been an ardent supporter of DEI policies and programs, often citing studies that show diversity initiatives improve the government and corporations' ability to better serve communities.

The CBC is now calling for Republicans to stand by them and the rest of the Democratic Party “rather than working to take away opportunities for our communities.”

“Under the Biden Administration, Democrats worked to prioritize racial equity with a whole of government approach. President Trump’s executive actions undermine that progress and will only make our country less prosperous,” Clarke said.