The orders cut funding for so-called DEI initiatives across all agencies in order to "end DEI inside the federal government," according to Trump administration officials. They also rescind numerous previous executive orders and actions from past administrations that aimed to promote diversity throughout the federal government.

Donald Trump began his presidency with a dizzying display of force, signing a blizzard of executive orders that signaled his desire to remake American institutions while also pardoning nearly all of his supporters who rioted at the U.

Longtime federal workers say they have become pawns in a battle for political control, that their DEI work is misunderstood and they fear they're under surveillance.