As Trump targets DEI, Republican-led states intensify efforts to stamp
it out
[May 16, 2025]
By DAVID A. LIEB
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Republican-led states are accelerating
efforts to stamp out diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,
expanding from higher education to other government functions since
President Donald Trump fully embraced the movement.
Governors and lawmakers this year have about doubled last year's actions
targeting DEI initiatives, which had roughly doubled those of 2023,
according to an Associated Press analysis aided by the bill-tracking
software Plural.
The surge comes as Trump's executive orders seeking to halt DEI
initiatives ripple through the federal government, universities and
schools, despite legal challenges.
"The federal attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion from the Trump
administration have further cleared the path for conservative state
legislators,” said Shaun Harper, a professor of education, business and
public policy at the University of Southern California who founded the
National DEI Defense Coalition.
“We are seeing the multiplication of the anti-DEI effort literally
everywhere,” Harper added.
Details vary by state, but many efforts contain at least some aspects of
a four-pronged plan outlined two years ago by a pair of conservative
think tanks. The legislative model promoted by the Manhattan Institute
and the Goldwater Institute focused on higher education, seeking to
abolish DEI offices and staff, end mandatory diversity training, ban
compulsory diversity statements and outlaw racial or sexual preferences
in hiring and admissions.
Now Republican-led states are using the same model to prohibit DEI
initiatives in state and local governments.
“Despite the Trump administration taking action, the states cannot rely
on the federal government to root out DEI for them,” said Timothy
Minella, senior fellow at the Goldwater Institute.
What are DEI initiatives trying to address?
Efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion have existed for
years in higher education institutions, businesses and government
bureaucracies. Supporters say such initiatives benefit everyone by
helping people navigate diverse societies and understand people's
differing viewpoints and experiences. Their goal is to promote student
bodies and workplaces where everyone feels valued.
That is why some DEI offices have tailored services to people of
particular races, genders, sexual orientations and cultures and
disabilities. Some institutions also have factored in equity goals when
admitting students, providing scholarships or making employment
decisions, to try to reflect society at large.
Findings in a poll conducted earlier this month by The Associated Press-NORC
Center for Public Affairs Research show that while “DEI” has become a
politically toxic term for many Americans, some components of DEI
programs have much less opposition.
The poll found about 4 in 10 Americans “strongly” or “somewhat” favor
DEI programs in colleges and universities, while about 3 in 10 oppose
those initiatives and about 3 in 10 are neutral.
Support is higher for courses on racism and scholarships for students of
color, among other services designed to help students from
underrepresented groups.
President Joe Biden's administration required diversity and equity goals
in various government programs.
Trump has reversed those efforts, denouncing DEI policies as a form of
discrimination that threatens merit-based decision-making. The
Republican roll-back gained momentum after the Supreme Court in 2023
struck down racial affirmative action in college admissions. With
Trump's return to the presidency, a growing number of businesses have
voluntarily withdrawn their DEI programs.
How are the new state laws defining DEI?
There is no universal definition about what’s covered by those
initiatives. But most state laws and gubernatorial orders focus on
initiatives related to race, ethnicity, gender or sex.
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A mural by artist Tene Smith is seen near the entrance of Chicago
Women in Trades, a nonprofit dedicated to training and retaining
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Some measures, such bills passed in Oklahoma and Wyoming, further
narrow their definition of DEI activities to those that grant
preferential or differential treatment of individuals based on such
factors.
The state measures don’t typically mention people with disabilities,
military veterans or those from lower-income households, even though
they might also be included in an institution's equity efforts, said
Paulette Granberry Russell, president of the National Association of
Diversity Officers in Higher Education.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts extends well beyond race,
gender and sexuality, but it has been framed in ways that targets
those populations and demonize those populations,” she said.
Some workers targeted by Trump’s anti-DEI measures claim they are
being used to justify firing people who happen to be minorities and
women. One class-action complaint by federal workers alleges that
Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders discriminate against employees who
aren’t white men.
Where are DEI efforts being targeted?
Limits on DEI initiatives in higher education recently approved by
legislatures in Missouri and Oklahoma raise the total number of
similar state laws and gubernatorial orders to two dozen since 2023.
That includes bills passed earlier this year in Arkansas, Idaho,
Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming.
More are under consideration in additional states.
The Missouri measures show the growth of the movement. A provision
limiting DEI in higher education got left out of the state budget
last year. But it got included this year after new Republican Gov.
Mike Kehoe issued an order barring executive agencies from using
state funds on DEI positions and activities.
New laws in Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming target DEI
initiatives in state and local governments as well as higher
education.
What have governors been doing?
More governors are issuing directives now.
On his first day in office in West Virginia in January, Republican
Gov. Patrick Morrisey ordered an end to DEI staff positions and
activities that grant preferential treatment based on race,
ethnicity or sex in executive departments and state-funded
institutions. On his second day, Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun
issued a similar order. Kehoe's anti-DEI order came in his second
month as Missouri governor.
Texas was among the first states in 2023 to legislate against
spending on DEI programs in higher education. Republican Gov. Greg
Abbott expanded upon that this year, ordering all state agencies to
“comply with the color-blind guarantee” of the U.S. and state
constitutions. His executive order described DEI concepts as
“blatant efforts to divide people” with “new forms of racism.”
What's next in the anti-DEI crosshairs?
A new Idaho law signed by Republican Gov. Brad Little not only bans
DEI offices and programs in higher education but also addresses
what's taught in the classroom. It prohibits colleges and
universities from requiring students to take DEI-related courses to
meet graduation requirements, unless they're pursuing degrees in
race or gender studies.
It's the first such law nationally, according to the Goldwater
Institute, which teamed up with Speech First to develop a model they
describe as the “Freedom from Indoctrination Act.” DEI opponents are
hoping more states will soon follow.
“Our goal is to get rid of the DEI mandates for general education
and programs in order to get a degree," Minella said.
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