From cultural musicians being banned from performing to diversity-related posters being taken down, federal agency workers say that professional groups meant to support employees, many of whom are from marginalized backgrounds, are under threat from President Donald Trump’s executive order that seeks to end government employee diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Several workers across federal agencies told NBC News that their employee resource groups (ERGs), which are voluntary, employee-led affinity groups, have been put on pause, with meetings and events abruptly canceled to comply with the executive order. Others involved in the ERGs said they pre-emptively shut down their groups themselves or removed the email distribution lists out of fear that any potential noncompliance with the directive could threaten their jobs.
The impact, workers say, has been devastating and it’s already begun to change the work environment for the worse.
“I’ve been here for four years, and in that time, we’ve made progress to help employees just have a better lived work experience,” said one Treasury Department employee who belongs to an LGBTQ-related ERG but requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation. “Four years later in the snap of fingers, our work is being completely undone. … It’s one step forward, two steps back. I feel despair at the moment.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the move was an example of “promises made, promises kept.”
“President Trump campaigned on ending the scourge of DEI from our federal government and returning America to a merit based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin,” she said. “This is another win for Americans of all races, religions, and creeds.”
Changes to the ERGs began shortly after Trump’s first day in office last week, during which he signed the executive order taking aim at DEI programs, which he has labeled as an example of “immense public waste and shameful discrimination.” While the administration has begun to put on leave federal employees whose work is classified under “DEI,” those who spoke to NBC News said they were shocked that the directive has also extended to their voluntary groups, many of which operate socially and offer a space for people to connect, make friendships and network.
A federal employee who works at a science and technology-related organization, who also requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the resource group activities at her agency were paused last week, and a happy hour and meeting were removed from her calendar. Additionally, she said a volunteer musical group that was part of the Hispanic ERG was told by group leadership that it could no longer perform at any official company events.
In the past, the group made appearances at company parties, retirement celebrations and more. Now, its ability to even practice on federal property is up in the air, she said. It stings, she said, as the ERGs were much more than just a collection of people with common backgrounds, and many members of the groups devoted some of their personal time to attend events, organize celebrations and more.
“They were a really strong signal to the workforce that they believed that belonging was an important part of your job satisfaction and your ability to bring your full self to work,” she said of the groups. “You felt like you belonged there.”
Another worker at a different federal agency who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation and led an LGBTQ-related resource group said that he has “never been more scared at work.” He mentioned that he had been instructed last week to take down his ERG’s internal website immediately. But upon attempting to do so, he said, he discovered that the page had already been scrubbed, and it now populates an “access denied” message.
The instructions have been alarming as his ERG has never been used to “promote or push any sort of policy,” the worker said. He explained that the group typically convenes for outings like baseball games, or monthly Zoom calls to catch up.
“There are affinity groups for parents of mentally disabled or physically disabled children. It provides the ability for people to meet like people, to share positions in life and to identify struggles and ways to get over the struggles,” he said.
The experience has left him anxious for what’s to come, the worker said. He explained that he and his fellow group members have decided to disband the ERG and get rid of the distribution lists, which they fear could be used to target employees in the future. The move was also in light of a recent memo from the Office of Personnel Management that in part instructed agency and department heads to provide lists of DEI offices in their divisions and employees.
“We went ahead and deleted everything else, because we don’t want people to be swept up in becoming part of a list,” the worker said. “That was a really sad step — having to pull the trigger ourselves and just end up deleting our entire existence.”
The Treasury Department employee said that members the LGBTQ-related ERG have so far not been given official guidance on the group. But the employee, who uses they/them pronouns, said they have been “highly encouraged” by some at the department to move the group’s activities to private, friend-to-friend communications. They said they have also taken down their email distribution lists out of an abundance of caution.
The worker, who mentioned they witnessed the removal of a poster entitled, “Employment Discrimination is Illegal,” said that many have likened the recent changes to DEI-related programs and the ERGs to a potential new Lavender Scare, in which thousands of gay employees were fired or pushed to resign from the federal workforce from the 1940s through the 1960s because of their sexuality.
“Everyone is very nervous that even being out at work will result in being perceived as a ‘DEI hire’ and being targeted for removal and not knowing if they were let go because of the nature of their work or because they are LGBT,” they said.
The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
The changes across ERGs are among a deluge of new directives affecting the federal government under the Trump administration. Not only has the president ordered DEI offices and programs to shut down, but he also issued a separate order directing the Federal Aviation Administration to end DEI efforts, claiming that these initiatives led to those with “‘severe intellectual’ disabilities, psychiatric issues, and complete paralysis” to be hired over other individuals. And in an email obtained by NBC News, mentors at a State Department internship program were ordered to report any DEI-related projects and separate any interns working on those projects.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
