--- title: The Human Cost of Trump Firing All Federal DEI Workers description: Professor Shaun Harper explains how President Donald Trump's decision to eliminate all federal DEI-related jobs negatively impacts workers. canonical: https://time.com/7210295/cost-trump-firing-dei-workers/ author: Shaun Harper article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-01-28T11:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:49:54.332Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Human Cost of Trump Firing All Federal DEI Workers og:description: Professor Shaun Harper explains how President Donald Trump's decision to eliminate all federal DEI-related jobs negatively impacts workers. og:url: https://time.com/7210295/cost-trump-firing-dei-workers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt573732ff49e53fdb/6998b2c49fbc7c5b45d97dc0/Donald-Trump-Oval-Office.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Donald Trump in the Oval Office og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Human Cost of Trump Firing All Federal DEI Workers twitter:description: Professor Shaun Harper explains how President Donald Trump's decision to eliminate all federal DEI-related jobs negatively impacts workers. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt573732ff49e53fdb/6998b2c49fbc7c5b45d97dc0/Donald-Trump-Oval-Office.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Human Cost of Trump Firing All Federal DEI Workers > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=1b55d153-8780-4879-a521-af93c26e0edf&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Karoline Leavitt, Youngest White House Press Secretary, Makes Her Debut in the Briefing Room [Watch (HLS stream): Karoline Leavitt, Youngest White House Press Secretary, Makes Her Debut in the Briefing Room](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ef89jJ8V.m3u8) (5:39)  _Published 2025-01-28. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to hold that office, made her debut Tuesday in the first White House briefing of Donald Trump's second term in office._ by [Shaun Harper](https://time.com/author/shaun-harper/) ## Shaun Harper Jan 28, 2025 11:00 AM UTC White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to hold that office, made her debut Tuesday in the first White House briefing of Donald Trump's second term in office. by [Shaun Harper](https://time.com/author/shaun-harper/) ## Shaun Harper Jan 28, 2025 11:00 AM UTC Just days into his second term, President Donald Trump placed [federal staff](https://time.com/7209037/trump-dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-dismantling/) working on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on paid leave—with the intent of eventually [laying them all off](https://time.com/7209907/federal-agencies-removing-dei-guidance/). Workers who led DEI programs at [University of Texas](https://www.chronicle.com/article/after-dei-ban-ut-austin-eliminates-a-division-and-fires-its-former-diversity-staff), [University of Florida](https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/education/campus/2024/03/01/university-of-florida-fires-all-diversity-equity-inclusion-employees/72807436007/), and other higher education institutions located in states where conservative legislators eliminated DEI offices, programs, and positions have also recently lost their jobs. And then there are those workers who have lost their jobs at companies like [Walmart](https://www.fastcompany.com/91262169/walmart-is-facing-backlash-from-investors-after-cutting-dei-programs), [McDonald’s](https://time.com/7205169/mcdonalds-dei-affirmative-action-supreme-court/), and [Meta](https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5079454-meta-diversity-equity-inclusion-rollback/), which have recently unraveled DEI efforts. Amidst the dramatic saga, we too often forget that the professionals who abruptly lost their jobs are people. The overwhelming majority of these workers who have lost their jobs are Americans—and many of them are women of color. Their humanity deserves compassion and appreciation. Media coverage about the [roll back of DEI](https://time.com/7210039/what-is-dei-trump-executive-order-companies-diversity-efforts/) activities has largely been focused on which programs and policies are being phased out, why such regression is occurring at this time, and what conservatives are misunderstanding and misrepresenting. In the context of education, attention also has been placed on the anticipated effects on diverse students. But not enough emphasis is being devoted to the actual people who do high quality DEI work—professionals who are losing jobs, salaries, and stability. Plus, these workers have then had to endure President Donald Trump and other powerful lawmakers baselessly [misrepresent](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/) their work as “illegal and immoral” and accuse them of [being unqualified](https://time.com/7206543/the-los-angeles-fires-have-nothing-to-do-with-dei/) so-called “DEI hires.” Immediately after the White House announced that federal DEI workers were being placed on administrative leave, hosts and guests on conservative cable news networks [celebrated](https://www.foxnews.com/video/6367771184112). “Bye, Bye DEI,” posted Fox News [on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/foxnews/p/DFJUD6PNyWm/). Perhaps they didn’t realize that they were rejoicing the undeserved loss of American jobs. Maybe they didn’t understand that those people who spent years (in some instances decades) attempting to make America truly great for all citizens suddenly may not be able to afford to pay rent or their mortgages. Some of these workers now won’t be able to afford daycare for their kids or elder care for their aging parents. Others have children in college whose tuition payments are suddenly in limbo because of politics. Some will lose their healthcare benefits. Too many of these workers will struggle to find other jobs because of the false narratives that are being told about DEI. Now is a terrible time for a DEI professional to find a job. Maybe Trump and other DEI obstructionists didn’t fully consider this before they ruined these American workers’ careers. Or perhaps they did, but ultimately were more interested in the preservation of an America that isn’t equitable or inclusive. Is it possible that Trump wants heterosexual, Christian white guys to permanently occupy the majority of top leadership positions in our nation under the guise of merit? It was ignorant and short-sighted to lay off federal DEI professionals without meeting with them, without experiencing their work firsthand, and without even attempting to confirm if the alleged widespread wrongdoings were true. And celebrating the firings of hard-working Americans on cable news shows, social media platforms, and in conservative policymaking venues is cruel. These people, as well as the Americans they serve, deserve better. ## Transcript [00:00] Good afternoon, everybody. How are we? [00:03] Good to see all of you. [00:05] It's an honor to be here with all of you. [00:07] A lot of familiar faces in the room, [00:09] a lot of new faces. [00:10] And President Trump is back. [00:12] And the golden age of America has most definitely begun. [00:16] The Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities, [00:21] not just the legacy media who are seated in this room, because, [00:25] according to recent polling from Gallup, [00:27] Americans trust in mass media has fallen to a record low. [00:32] Millions of Americans, especially young people, [00:35] have turned from traditional television outlets and [00:38] newspapers to consume their news from podcasts, [00:41] blogs, social media and other independent outlets. [00:45] It's essential to our team that we share President Trump's message [00:49] everywhere and adapt this white House to the new media landscape in 2025. [00:54] To do this, I'm excited to announce the following changes will be made to [00:58] this historic James S Brady Briefing Room where Mr. Brady's legacy will endure. [01:04] This white House believes strongly in the First Amendment, [01:07] so it's why our team will work diligently to restore the press passes of [01:11] the 440 journalists whose passes were wrongly revoked by the previous administration. [01:17] We're also opening up this briefing room to [01:20] new media voices who produce news related content, [01:23] and whose outlet is not already represented by one of the seats in this room. [01:28] We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, [01:31] social media influencers and content creators to [01:34] apply for credentials to cover this white House. [01:38] And you can apply now on our new website, whitehouse.gov. [01:43] Slash new media starting today. [01:46] This seat in the front of the room, [01:49] which is usually occupied by the press secretary's staff, [01:52] will be called the New Media Seat. [01:54] My team will review the applications and [01:57] give credentials to new media applicants who meet [01:59] our criteria in past United States Secret Service requirements [02:03] to enter the white House complex. [02:05] And before I turn to questions, [02:06] I do have news directly from the president of the United States that was just [02:10] shared with me in the Oval Office from President Trump directly. [02:15] An update on the new Jersey drones after research and study. [02:19] The drones that were flying over new Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be [02:24] flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons. [02:29] Many of these drones were also hobbyists, [02:32] recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones. [02:36] In meantime, in the time it got worse due to curiosity, [02:40] this was not the enemy. [02:42] A statement from the president of [02:44] the United States to start this briefing with some news. [02:47] And with that, I will turn it over to questions. [02:49] Thanks, Caroline. A question that we've asked [02:51] your predecessors of both parties in this job. [02:54] When you're up here in this briefing room speaking to the American public, [02:57] do you view yourself and your role as speaking [03:00] and advocating on behalf of the president or providing the unvarnished truth? [03:04] That is not to lie, [03:05] not to obfuscate to the American people? [03:08] I commit to telling the truth from this podium every single day. [03:11] I commit to speaking on behalf of the president of the United States. That is my job. [03:16] And I will say it's very easy to speak truth from [03:18] this podium when you have a president who is [03:20] implementing policies that are wildly popular with the American people. [03:25] And that's exactly what this administration is doing. [03:27] It's correcting the lies and the wrongs of the past four years. [03:31] Many of the lies that have been told to your faces in this very briefing room. [03:35] I will not do that. [03:36] But since you brought up Truth Seeker, [03:38] I would like to point out, [03:39] while I vowed to provide the truth from this podium, [03:42] we ask that all of you in this room hold yourselves to that same standard. [03:46] We know for a fact there have been lies that have been pushed by [03:49] many legacy media outlets in this country about this president, about his family. [03:54] And we will not accept that. [03:56] We will call you out when we feel that [03:58] your reporting is wrong or there is misinformation about this white House. [04:03] So, yes, I will hold myself to [04:05] the truth and I expect everyone in this room to do the same. [04:07] I just had a substantive question yesterday. [04:10] The white House Office of Management and Budget directed across the board freeze, [04:15] with some exceptions, for individual assistance, [04:17] we understand, to federal grants. [04:19] It's caused a lot of confusion around the country. [04:22] How does that uncertainty service the president's voters? [04:25] Well, I think there's only uncertainty in this room amongst the media. [04:27] There's no uncertainty in this building. [04:29] So let me provide the provide the certainty and the clarity that all of you need. [04:33] This is not a blanket pause on [04:35] federal assistance and grant programs from the Trump administration. [04:39] Individual assistance that includes. [04:42] I'm not naming everything that's included, [04:44] but just to give you a few examples. [04:46] Social security benefits. [04:47] Medicare benefits. [04:49] Food stamps. Welfare benefits. [04:51] Assistance that is going directly to individuals will not be impacted by this pause. [04:57] And I want to make that very clear to any Americans who [05:00] are watching at home who may be a little bit confused. [05:02] And the reason for this is to ensure that every penny that is going out [05:06] the door is not conflicting with [05:08] the executive orders and actions that this president has taken. [05:11] So what does this pause mean? [05:13] It means no more funding for illegal programs. [05:16] It means no more funding for the Green New scam that [05:19] has cost American taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. [05:23] It means no more funding for transgenderism and [05:27] wokeness across our federal bureaucracy and agencies. [05:30] No more funding for Green New Deal social engineering policies. [05:33] Again, people who are receiving individual assistance assistance. [05:37] You will continue to receive that. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7210295/cost-trump-firing-dei-workers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7210295/cost-trump-firing-dei-workers/"},"headline":"The Human Cost of Trump Firing All Federal DEI Workers","datePublished":"2025-01-28T11:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:49:54.332Z","description":"Professor Shaun Harper explains how President Donald Trump's decision to eliminate all federal DEI-related jobs negatively impacts workers.","url":"https://time.com/7210295/cost-trump-firing-dei-workers/","keywords":["politics"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt573732ff49e53fdb/6998b2c49fbc7c5b45d97dc0/Donald-Trump-Oval-Office.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shaun Harper","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/shaun-harper/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt573732ff49e53fdb/6998b2c49fbc7c5b45d97dc0/Donald-Trump-Oval-Office.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump in the Oval Office","caption":"Donald Trump in the Oval Office","creditText":"Yuri Gripas—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/politics/","name":"politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7210295/cost-trump-firing-dei-workers/","name":"The Human Cost of Trump Firing All Federal DEI Workers"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Karoline Leavitt, Youngest White House Press Secretary, Makes Her Debut in the Briefing Room","description":"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to hold that office, made her debut Tuesday in the first White House briefing of Donald Trump's second term in office.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Ef89jJ8V/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2025-01-28T20:31:43.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ef89jJ8V.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7210295/cost-trump-firing-dei-workers/","duration":"PT5M39S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7210295/cost-trump-firing-dei-workers/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```