STORY: Advocates of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, are criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump for shutting down government diversity programs by executive order this week, and pressuring the private sector to follow suit.

Civil rights advocates have argued such programs are needed to address longstanding inequities and structural racism, as they give women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other traditionally underrepresented groups more opportunities.

Executive orders Trump signed Tuesday dismantled federal DEI programs and placed their employees on paid leave.

“Could you imagine Biden doing this? I don’t think so. I don’t think so.”

He and his supporters say these programs are discriminatory and weaken the importance of merit in job hiring or promotion.

Separately, Trump has escalated pressure on the private sector to ditch diversity programs by signing an order that aims to dissuade firms on government contracts from using DEI programs and hiring on the basis of race and sex.

One order he signed asks government agencies to name up to nine publicly traded corporations, large non-profits or associations, foundations, and more, which would be targets for what it called, quote, “civil compliance investigations.”

Cindu Thomas-George is the founder of Shakti Training, a consulting firm that offers professional development experiences that promote DEI. She says she’s disappointed.

“I’m actually really surprised, because Donald Trump is supposed to be a great businessman. And there have been decades of studies that have proven that DEI is good for business. DEI is not about affirmative action, it’s about helping to co-create a culture and a workplace that everyone can thrive, regardless of your identities.”

Meanwhile – Dr. Nicole Avant, CEO of Avant Consulting Group, a Black, queer woman-owned company that helps other firms achieve equity, told Reuters that Trump’s orders could backfire.

“I do think that people will engage more in this work because they see he is very explicit. He’s not implicit in his white supremacist ideals. It is very much still in your face. And I think that will encourage people to fight back.”

The order demanding federal agencies to dismantle DEI programs had revoked executive policies dating as far back as 1965, on equal employment opportunities, environmental actions designed to protect communities of color, and “workforce balancing” efforts by federal contractors based on race, gender and religion.

Though the order signed on Tuesday says employment preferences for military veterans could continue.

Full details on how the Trump administration would enforce the private-sector “civil compliance investigations” were not immediately available.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters to address criticism from civil rights advocates.