On November 18, 2025, EEO Leaders (a group that includes former officials of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, who have served across numerous presidential administrations) issued a formal response to, and summary of, what they call the Trump Administration’s attacks on equal employment opportunity (FIGHT BACK_ MOVE FORWARD.docx).
Titled “The Time Is Now – Fight Back/Move Forward”, the response posits that the administration has made efforts to gut equal protection. Its hope is to work with employers to outline potential new strategies to support employers who remain committed to taking proactive steps to advance equal employment opportunity.
The response takes the position that the Trump Administration’s aim is to unwind decades of progress toward fairness and equality, and to undermine lawful efforts of employers and other organizations, which can provide insights for employers on how to comply with these orders while simultaneously continuing to work toward fairness and equality in the workplace.
And just yesterday, former federal employees filed a class action lawsuit against the Trump Administration in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Fell v Trump, accusing the Administration of unlawfully firing employees who it claims were involved in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work. The complaint alleges that these terminations were “intended to punish perceived political enemies, as well as to eliminate from the federal workforce people of color, women, non-binary employees, and those, like Plaintiffs, who advocated for or were perceived as advocating for protected racial or gender groups.” The plaintiffs allege First Amendment violations, discrimination and retaliation among other claims.