Analysis
Tracking Trump's executive orders: DEI programs in Foreign Service
Date Signed: March 19, 2025
Status: Implemented
Key Provisions:
- The Executive Office has declared that the “discriminatory” hiring practices outlined in Executive Order 14173 will now also be applied to appointments and hiring in the foreign service.
- The Executive Office reaffirmed their harmful position that DEI-related actions are unlawful and mandates that hiring be based solely on merit.
- President Trump also ordered that employees and foreign service members cannot advocate for or support policies that support or mention “Discriminatory Equity Ideology” (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accountability).
Interfaith Alliance Counterpoints:
- Interfaith Alliance condemns the removal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) considerations from hiring and promotion in the Foreign Service, as mandated by this Executive Order.
- These employment practices are a safeguard against discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, and religion, and help to create a more inclusive and equitable workforce. These efforts ensure that individuals from all backgrounds - especially those who have historically faced discrimination - have a fair chance to succeed based on merit, fostering a Foreign Service that reflects the diversity of the nation it represents.
- The administration’s decision disregards these practices’ critical role in addressing systemic barriers and ensuring equal opportunity in federal employment. By removing these guardrails, the Trump administration is putting marginalized communities at a greater risk of being subjected to employment discrimination, including based on their deeply held religious and spiritual beliefs.
Transcript
New Report Sheds Light on the the Growing Threat of Christian Nationalism
A new report by the Public Religion Research Institute finds that support for Christian nationalism is growing in the U.S., with nearly one-third of Americans qualifying as adherents or sympathizers and higher concentrations in parts of the South and Midwest. The study highlights strong links between these beliefs and support for authoritarianism, political violence, and anti-immigrant policies, underscoring concerns about their impact on democracy and religious freedom.
Pluralism is Democracy in Action
On July 4, America will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That day in 1776, the nation’s founders put forward a bold vision for a new democratic experiment, one rooted in shared values, with power derived from the people rather than imposed by a monarch or religious authority:
