Workers Rights Organizations Condemn the Dismantling of Workplace Civil Rights Enforcement Agency

On April 16, 2025, the Department of Labor (DOL) placed hundreds of staff of a critical civil rights enforcement agency, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), on administrative leave, including the staff of every OFCCP regional office across the country, save one. 

OFCCP is an office within the Department of Labor that monitors and enforces critical civil rights protections for workers employed by federal contractors — approximately 20% of the U.S. labor force. By auditing contractors’ employment practices, investigating complaints, and helping contractors take proactive steps to prevent and identify discrimination, OFCCP ensures businesses that have the privilege of contracting with the federal government do not use taxpayer dollars to unlawfully discriminate against working people. 

Having already gutted OFCCP’s work to promote equal opportunity for women, people of color, and other historically oppressed communities, the Trump administration is now making cuts that will undermine decades of progress that expanded opportunity for disabled workers and veterans, which led to historic high employment levels for these communities.

During his first week in office, Trump repealed a historic civil rights-era executive order — enforced by OFCCP—that for 60 years has upheld a fundamental promise: when businesses work for the federal government, they commit to actively combat discrimination and create opportunities for all workers. The rescission of that executive order robbed OFCCP of a key tool for combatting discrimination. 

But OFCCP is still responsible for enforcing federal laws that protect people with disabilities and veterans from workplace discrimination and require contractors to take proactive steps to create equal opportunity for these workers. These new cuts will undermine decades of progress that expanded opportunity for disabled workers and veterans and led to historic high employment levels for these communities. And they come on the heels of other cuts that disproportionately harm these communities, including firings at the Department of Veterans Affairs that threaten veterans’ access to services and benefits and the elimination of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living which threatens the ability of disabled people and their families to access supports they need to thrive.

In response to the decision to place hundreds of OFCCP staff on administrative leave, a group of 7 national civil rights and workers rights organizations issued the following statement:

“These staffing cuts at OFCCP effectively dismantle the work of this vital civil rights enforcement agency, leaving employees nationwide more vulnerable to discrimination. Having already gutted OFCCP’s work to promote equal opportunity for women, people of color, and other historically oppressed communities, the Trump administration is now making cuts that will undermine decades of progress that expanded opportunity for disabled workers and veterans, which led to historic high employment levels for these communities. This will have dire consequences for our nation’s workers, including those who already experience high rates of discrimination and barriers to gaining, keeping, and advancing in employment. The Administration’s broad assault on fundamental civil rights protections will be felt across every industry and workplace. 

Since his first day in office, Trump has targeted any and all efforts to open the doors to opportunity for women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities. Our nation made a fundamental promise in adopting our civil rights laws to address widespread discrimination and expand opportunity for all workers. By gutting OFCCP and other civil rights enforcement agencies, the Trump administration is dismantling the scaffolding that makes our civil rights laws work. But we refuse to go backwards, and we will continue to fight for the rights of all workers to be free from discrimination.”

This joint statement is on behalf of the following organizations:

National Women’s Law Center
American Association of People with Disabilities
Equal Rights Advocates
National Employment Law Project
National Partnership for Women and Families
National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights