Among the barrage of executive orders signed by President Trump upon assuming office was an order revoking a longstanding Executive Order that placed affirmative action requirements on federal government contractors. On January 21, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” revoking Executive Order 11246 based on the President’s position that it perpetuated “illegal discrimination in the Federal Government.”

Executive Order 11246 – signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 – prohibited federal contractors from discriminating in employment decisions on a wide range of protected characteristics, including race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and national origin. EO11246 specifically applied to employers, including construction contractors and subcontractors, with contracts valued in excess of $10,000 with the federal government business in one year. Additionally, EO11246 required government contractors to take affirmative action to ensure that equal opportunity was provided in all aspects of employment and prohibited retaliation against job applicants and employees for asking about, discussing, or sharing pay information.

President Trump’s January 21order directs the federal contracting process be “streamlined to enhance speed and efficiency, reduce costs, and require Federal contractors and subcontractors to comply with our civil-rights laws.” Specifically,...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi4gFBVV95cUxQNE0tSHdrVkZGaFZFOHRwbVdP...