Federal agencies are dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in response to President Trump’s executive order—and the intelligence community (IC) is no exception. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order targeting DEI programs within the federal government. And now, as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard takes over management of all intel agencies, every one of them including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the National Security Agency (NSA) have begun rolling back DEI policies.
“CIA is complying with the Executive Order,” an agency spokesperson told the Daily Caller. “We are laser-focused on our foreign intelligence mission. We are complying with the EO and [Office of Personnel Management] Implementing Guidance. CIA sent out a notice on 31 January stating that Agency Resource Groups (ARGs), Directorate Resource Groups (DRGs), and Workforce Partner Groups have been disbanded.”
A CIA page on Diversity and Inclusion now goes to a 404 error page. According to an archived page of the site, ARGs are groups composed of “employees and allies who share a common affinity.” The Caller has learned that the CIA had affinity groups for African American, Asian American, and LGBT officers.
In 2019, the agency touted its nomination by the company review site Glassdoor as one of the “Amazing Companies That Champion #LGBTQ Equality.” In a social media thread, the CIA highlighted its ARG (Agency Resource Group) known as the Agency Network for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Officers & Allies (ANGLE), which reportedly had “hundreds of members.”
The CIA has removed its Diversity and Inclusion page, which previously linked to the now-defunct 2024-2027 CIA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategy, the outlet reported. The strategy is no longer in effect and no longer appears on the agency’s website. Additionally, the CIA is scrubbing DEI-related content from both its internal and external websites. Meanwhile, the FBI, which disbanded its DEI Office in December, confirmed to The Caller that it is “fully complying” with President Trump’s executive order and has removed diversity from its list of “Core Values.”
“The FBI is fully complying with the Executive Order regarding DEI programs and implementation guidance provided by the Office of Personnel Management,” the bureau told the Caller in a statement. “As a result, Diversity has been removed from the FBI’s list of organizational Core Values. Visual and informational materials promoting Diversity as a Core Value are being removed from FBI space.”
In 2024, current and former agents and analysts alleged the bureau had relaxed its hiring standards. The officials alleged in a report that DEI was being prioritized in the hiring process, resulting in lower standards. After the New Year’s terrorist attack, the New Orleans Field Office received backlash for its history of promoting DEI. For instance, a press release from May 2024 announced plans for a “Diversity Agent Recruitment (DAR) event” to help the department find diverse applicants.
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