The Trump administration has taken swift action to halt federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and scrub related content from government websites, sparking a significant shift in federal policy.
At a Glance
- Trump administration orders removal of DEI content from federal websites
- Public health data and webpages temporarily disappear
- Executive Order recognizes only male and female genders
- Federal employees instructed to remove pronouns from email signatures
- Websites affected include CDC, State Department, and U.S. Census Bureau
Sweeping Changes to Federal Websites
In a dramatic move, the Trump administration has directed federal agencies to remove “gender ideology” from websites, contracts, and emails. This directive, aimed at complying with President Trump’s Executive Order, has led to the temporary disappearance of public health data and entire webpages across various government platforms.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has instructed federal agencies to disband employee resource groups, terminate related grants and contracts, and replace the term “gender” with “sex” on forms. This sweeping action has affected websites of the National Parks Service, State Department, U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Prisons, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Trump administration is putting a pause on most federal government websites Friday evening in an effort to eliminate DEI content and any language opposed to President Trump’s agenda, Fox News Digital has learned. pic.twitter.com/DOcfsdwukP
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 31, 2025
The CDC’s data portal was taken offline to comply with the Executive Order, with plans to restore it later. Public health information removed includes CDC guidance on contraception, HIV and transgender people, and supportive school environments for transgender kids. Some CDC pages on contraception and emergency contraception were temporarily blank, though detailed searches could still find information.
“Data.CDC.gov is temporarily offline in order to comply with Executive Order 14168 and the OPM notice dated January 29, 2025, ‘Initial Guidance Regarding President Trump’s Executive Order Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government’,” a CDC notice stated.
The Health and Human Services website on reproductive rights was also removed, signaling a broader effort to align federal health information with the administration’s policies.
Changes to Federal Workplace Policies
Federal employees have been directed to cease support for DEI efforts and cultural awareness celebrations, too. In a striking example of the new policy’s reach, an email from a federal agency stated, “All employees are required to remove any gender identifying pronouns from email signature blocks by 5:00 PM today.”
This policy extends to federal prisons and shelters, which are now to be segregated by sex. The order also prohibits federal funding for transition services and revokes protections for transgender military personnel, affecting an estimated 9,000 to 14,000 troops.
On a Friday evening, most federal government websites were temporarily paused around 5:00 p.m. to remove DEI content and language deemed contrary to the Trump administration’s agenda. Websites of the Federal Aviation Administration, Census Bureau, and Justice Department were among those briefly taken offline.
Has any President implemented change this massive so quickly before?