President Trump issued two EOs targeting and eradicating DEI programs and initiatives:

Executive Order 14151, titled "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," orders the termination of all "discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs preferences, and activities… under whatever name they appear." This EO also directs federal agencies, employees, contractors, grantees to "terminate, to the maximum extend allowed by law" all DEI/DEIA-related grants, contracts, and performance requirements. It requires federal agencies, within sixty days of the EO (by March 21, 2025), to submit a list of all agency or department DEI/DEIA or "environmental justice" positions, communities, services, activities, budgets, and expenditures in existence on November 4, 2024 and determine if any of these have been "misleadingly relabeled in attempt to preserve their pre-November 4, 2024 function".
Executive Order 14173, titled "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," directs federal agencies to terminate "all discriminatory and illegal preferences, mandates, policies, programs, activities…" and to "combat illegal private sector DEI-preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities." It orders the Office of Federal Contract Compliance and Programs (OFCCP) to immediately cease promoting diversity and eliminate affirmative action and "workforce balancing" requirements. It requires all federal grant recipients to certify compliance that "it does not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws." This EO also encourages the private sector to end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences and requires heads of federal agencies to generate reports identifying "the most egregious discriminatory DEI practitioners" in their respective sectors.

These EOs claim to protect civil rights and merit-based opportunity by "ending illegal DEI" and DEI discrimination in the federal workforce, federal contracting, and spending. They direct federal departments and agencies "to take strong action to end private section DEI discrimination, including civil compliance investigations."

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