WSJ: Over 1,000 civil servants set to be laid off in Trump’s DEI crackdown

The Trump administration has ramped up its efforts to reduce the number of civil servants working on Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies.

Sources close to the matter revealed to the Wall Street Journal that the White House has directed various ministries and agencies to broaden the scope of employees slated for dismissal, particularly those whose work could be linked to minority rights or DEI initiatives, per Caliber.Az.

Initially, the presidential personnel office had instructed agencies to close their DEI departments and place employees in those units on paid leave, with the intention of dismissing them later. However, in a more recent move, the White House has instructed agencies to "dig deeper," seeking to identify and cut employees whose roles may be indirectly related to DEI or minority rights protections.

Sources told The Wall Street Journal that the Trump administration anticipated the number of dismissals to be higher than initially expected. Many employees, particularly those within government departments, are reportedly struggling to determine whether their roles are tied to DEI tasks. Some individuals already placed on paid leave have expressed surprise at being included in the cuts.

Although it is difficult to determine the exact number of civil servants who will be affected by the move, it is known that in late January, the Department of Veterans Affairs dismissed 60 employees, each with an average annual salary of $136,000.

Additionally, on January 21, President Trump announced that over 1,000 individuals who were appointed during the previous Biden administration would begin the dismissal process as part of a broader restructuring effort.

By Tamilla Hasanova