Trump administration revokes decades-old DEI hiring guidelines with new merit-based rule
The Office of Personnel Management issued an interim rule that eliminates references to the 1978 Uniform Guidelines, shifting federal hiring toward a purely merit-based approach.
In a move aligned with the Trump administration’s broader effort to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion measures, the Office of Personnel Management released a final interim rule that strips the 1978 Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures from federal hiring regulations. The revision follows a Justice Department legal opinion deeming the guidelines unconstitutional because they encouraged race-based decisions.
By removing the “disparate impact” language, the rule aims to ensure that hiring across roughly two million civilian federal workers is judged solely on merit, qualifications, and ability to perform. OPM Director Scott Kupor emphasized that the change reflects legal guidance while preserving rigorous, job-related standards. Effective upon publication in the Federal Register, the rule will stay open for a 60-day comment period before OPM decides on permanence. This action marks the latest step in the administration’s campaign to eliminate DEI frameworks from federal policy.
Why it matters
It reshapes how the federal government selects employees, potentially affecting hiring fairness and diversity across millions of civil service jobs.
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