Associated Press: Trump administration directs all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on leave

January 22. 2025

Executive Director Noreen Farrell is quoted in a syndicated Associated Press article about Trump’s executive order to end federal DEI programs, and subsequent announcement that all DEI federal employees will be put on immediate paid leave, leading to layoffs.

Noreen Farrell, executive director of gender rights group Equal Rights Advocates, said that she was hopeful that the Trump administration “will not go out of its way to undo the rule,” which she said has proved popular in some state and cities that have enacted similar policies. …

Despite the sweeping language of Trump’s order, Farrell said, “the reality of implementing such massive structural changes is far more complex.”

“Federal agencies have deeply embedded policies and procedures that can’t simply be switched off overnight,” she added.

The message reached a broad audience, with the article being syndicated by more than 300 local, state, and national news outlets. Read the article.