Late last week, employees at the Department of Labor received a long email strongly urging them to file whistleblower complaints and report instances of “diversity, equity, and inclusion”-related discrimination or retaliation. In short, employees were told to alert the government of DEI compliance in any way.
The email, sent on Friday and viewed by WIRED, felt like it was a “reminder to narc on your coworkers for doing DEI,” says a DOL employee who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. The notice was titled “Reporting DEI-Related Discrimination, Retaliation, and Related Whistleblower Disclosures” and came from a “DOL Guidance and Information” email account. It was not signed by any particular member of DOL leadership.
“DEI-related discrimination occurs when any employment action (hiring, promotion, training access, mentoring, assignments, awards, etc.) is motivated in whole or in part by an employee’s or applicant’s race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or other protected characteristics,” states the email. Further details about what exactly constitutes “DEI-related discrimination” included “restricting networking events or professional development to specific racial, sex, or ethnic groups”; “awarding recognition, compensation, or opportunities based in part on contribution to ‘diversity goals’ rather than metrics”; and “any preference or disparate treatment justified by ‘diversity’ or ‘equity.’”
The email also reminds employees that the statute of limitations for reporting is three years, which would in theory allow employees to report events from before President Donald Trump took office in January 2025. Instructions about how to file a whistleblower report with the Office of Special Counsel were also included in the email.
The DOL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, his administration has taken aim at DEI initiatives. In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” ordering agencies to end all DEI initiatives and actions. Shortly after, federal employees received emails asking them to report colleagues whose jobs related to DEI, threatening “adverse consequences” if they didn’t.
The DOL employees who spoke to WIRED say they had no idea why the email was sent now, so long after the initial executive order. “It’s pure witch-hunt territory–very dangerous and could be easily abused. Many of us had DEI activities in our performance standards under the previous administration. This would make those a punishable offense,” says a second DOL employee who also requested anonymity. “Someone with an axe to grind could go back and say, ‘This person did a DEI training three years ago. This was discriminatory.’ And you’d get in trouble for basically doing your job. I think they’re trying to institute a culture of fear.”
Earlier this month, the DOL quietly installed Kenneth Wolfe, the head of the agency’s faith office, to lead the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which is tasked with ensuring federal contractors abide by anti-discrimination laws. According to the 2027 budget for the DOL, the OFCCP will be phased out and eventually absorbed into a new Office of Civil Rights. As head of the DOL faith center, Wolfe organized a monthly worship service that employees told WIRED at the time made them feel uncomfortable.
