Trump Admin Nixes $420 Million In Contracts, Saves Millions More Canceling ‘DEI’

President Donald Trump’s executive order terminating all federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs has already affected 395 government employees, a senior administration official told Fox News on Saturday.
The newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, also revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that $420 million in current and future DEI-related contracts had been canceled. Fox News further reported the cancellations on Friday.
Following the executive order signed on Inauguration Day, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directed federal agencies to begin shutting down DEI offices by close of business on Wednesday. While affected employees have been placed on paid leave, their future employment status remains uncertain.
Charles Ezell, Acting Director of OPM, issued a memo on Tuesday night, instructing federal agencies to dismantle all DEI programs and comply with strict deadlines. Agencies were required to notify all employees of the closures by January 22, place DEI staff on paid leave, shut down DEI-related online platforms, cancel related training and contracts, and report any attempts to conceal DEI activities through ambiguous language.
By January 23 at noon, department heads were required to submit detailed inventories of all DEI offices, employees, and contracts active as of November 5, 2024, to OPM. Additionally, by 5 p.m. on January 24, agencies were tasked with presenting reduction-in-force plans for DEI personnel and identifying any altered job descriptions or contracts tied to DEI programs, Fox reported.
The executive order, one of many signed by Trump on his first day back in office, also officially recognized only two genders and announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.
On Tuesday, Trump doubled down on his anti-DEI agenda with two additional executive actions. One order prohibited race- and sex-based preferences in workplaces and educational institutions under the guise of DEI. Another rescinded a Biden-era directive prioritizing DEI-focused hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration.
Trump’s Monday executive order repealed a Biden policy titled Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, which had been signed on President Biden’s first day in office.
Observers have noted Trump’s rapid pace in implementing his agenda as he wraps up his first week in office. In addition to issuing a torrent of executive orders, he surveyed disaster-hit areas in North Carolina and California and supported his Cabinet nominees in heated Senate confirmation hearings.
During his inaugural address on Monday, the 45th and 47th president pledged, “Change starts today, and it will change very quickly.” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich later amplified this sentiment on social media, stating, “Now, comes SHOCK AND AWE.”
According to Fox News, Trump’s whirlwind first week in office has seen him deliver on key campaign promises while flexing executive power. Within hours of taking the oath of office, Trump had taken steps to roll back Biden-era policies on immigration, trade, energy, and diversity.
Trump sparked significant controversy with his decision to pardon or commute the sentences of roughly 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Among those granted clemency were individuals who had attacked law enforcement officers, a move that drew criticism even from some within the GOP.
In addition to these measures, Trump dismissed several top officials, announced a massive $500 billion tech investment, and held multiple unscripted, wide-ranging press conferences. His presidency also made headlines for renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”