U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs across the U.S. government includes orders for USAID officials to report attempts by their peers to conceal these efforts by rewording contract language or job descriptions.
“As we work together to implement an America First agenda, we understand there might have been some efforts by individuals to rebrand these offices, positions, programs, contracts, and grants,” USAID Acting Administrator Jason Gray wrote in an internal message sent to staff on Wednesday and seen by Devex.
The memo instructs staff members who are aware of efforts “to obscure the connection between the contract or grant and DEIA or similar ideologies” made since the U.S. election on Nov. 5 to report these to the email address DEIAtruth@opm.gov within 10 days.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
