By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1: Purpose
Longstanding Federal civil-rights laws protect individual Americans from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. These civil-rights protections serve as a bedrock supporting equality of opportunity for all Americans. However, despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many influential institutions continue to use race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) or “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” (DEIA), which can violate these civil-rights laws. These illegal policies undermine traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement and threaten national unity.
Section 2: Policy
The United States is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans and promoting individual initiative, excellence, and hard work. All executive departments and agencies are ordered to terminate all discriminatory and illegal preferences, mandates, policies, programs, activities, guidance, regulations, enforcement actions, consent orders, and requirements.
Section 3: Terminating Illegal Discrimination in the Federal Government
Several executive orders and presidential memoranda related to DEI and DEIA policies are revoked, including:
- Executive Order 12898 (Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations)
- Executive Order 13583 (Establishing a Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce)
- Executive Order 13672 (Further Amendments to Executive Order 11478, Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal Government, and Executive Order 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity)
- The Presidential Memorandum of October 5, 2016 (Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the National Security Workforce)
Federal contractors and subcontractors must comply with civil-rights laws, and any references to DEI and DEIA principles in Federal acquisition, contracting, grants, and financial assistance procedures will be excised to streamline processes, improve efficiency, lower costs, and comply with civil-rights laws.
Section 4: Encouraging the Private Sector to End Illegal DEI Discrimination and Preferences
Heads of all agencies, with the assistance of the Attorney General, will take appropriate actions to advance the policy of individual initiative, excellence, and hard work in the private sector. The Attorney General will submit a report to the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy with recommendations for enforcing Federal civil-rights laws and encouraging the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI.
Section 5: Other Actions
The Attorney General and the Secretary of Education will issue guidance to all State and local educational agencies and institutions of higher education regarding compliance with Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Section 6: Severability
If any provision of this order is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order shall not be affected.
Section 7: Scope
This order does not apply to lawful Federal or private-sector employment and contracting preferences for veterans of the U.S. armed forces or persons protected by the Randolph-Sheppard Act. It also does not prevent protected speech or academic instruction advocating for, endorsing, or promoting unlawful employment or contracting practices prohibited by this order.
Section 8: General Provisions
This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. It does not create any right or benefit enforceable at law or in equity against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees, or agents.
THE WHITE HOUSE, January 21, 2025