'Act of intimidation': Education Dept. suspends officials following Trump's DEI order – USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – Dozens of U.S. Department of Education officials were suddenly put on paid administrative leave Friday night, their union said, due to President Donald Trump’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government.
The employees worked in multiple offices across the agency and included civil rights attorneys, public relations and IT specialists, people who helped students defrauded by colleges and others, according to Brittany Holder, a spokesperson for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). 
The staffers were explicitly told by the Education Department that the decision to place them on leave was “not being done for any disciplinary purpose” but was pursuant to the president’s DEI-related executive order, according to a memo obtained by USA TODAY.
Sheria Smith, president and chief negotiator of AFGE Local 252, which represents nearly 3,000 Education Department employees, told USA TODAY late Sunday that at least 60 employees received notices on Friday. The memo said the workers would continue to receive their full salaries and benefits and would not be required or expected to do any work-related tasks or to come into the office during the leave. The document also said their email access would be suspended. 
“We suspect this was an act of intimidation,” said Smith, adding the union is drafting potential grievances. “But I know many employees who are not going to up and quit. The members I’ve talked to are resolute to continue working for the American public.”
The actions come as the Education Department says it has canceled millions of dollars in contracts related to DEI training and services and removed more than 200 web pages that previously housed DEI resources for schools and colleges. Informational resources for LGBTQ+ students, universities with the largest amounts of Hispanic students and tribal colleges have gone dark in recent weeks.
Madi Biedermann, an Education Department spokesperson, confirmed Monday that the agency is making personnel changes. She did not specify how many employees were placed on leave Friday or why they were suspended.
“President Trump was elected to bring about unprecedented reform to the federal civil service to ensure it is merit-based and efficient at serving the interests of the American people,” she said in a statement. “At the Department of Education, we are evaluating staffing in line with the commitment to prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in schools and putting student outcomes above special interests.”
AFGE National President Everett Kelley said the Trump administration’s actions violate its collective bargaining agreement.
“Union contracts are enforceable by law, and the president does not have the authority to make unilateral changes to those agreements,” Kelley said. “If our contracts are violated, we will aggressively defend them.”
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According to Smith and Holder, affected staffers said the decision appeared to be related to employees’ participation in a diversity training called the “Diversity Change Agent” program. The instructional course was previously described by the agency as an attempt to “foster an inclusive culture that respects individual talents, values differences, and allows our workforce to fully contribute to our organizational success.” 
Internal emails provided by the union from March 2019 show Education Department officials being “strongly encouraged” to get involved with the training during Trump’s first term, Smith said. She added that the free training was still available as late as December.
“This feels like a fraudulent inducement, as many say they were strongly encouraged to take these courses,” Smith said.
Read more:Trump axed support for tribal and Hispanic-serving colleges. They’re not happy about it.
Smith feels the actions to dismantle her department resemble the Project 2025 agenda (which Trump has renounced).
“I think they are doing what was stated in Project 2025: at some point, put everyone on administrative leave in an effort to get rid of our agency, all without congressional approval,” Smith said. “I didn’t know that all you have to do is get rid of the workers through an executive order?”
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Smith said her union is reaching out to several members of Congress, which provides oversight of federal agencies and has the power to create or dismantle them.
“I thought we have checks and balances for a reason,” she said.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
Terry Collins is a national correspondent at USA TODAY. You can reach him at tcollins@usatoday.com and on X @terryscollins.

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