Guidance Regarding RIFs of DEIA Offices

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a memorandum as a follow up to its earlier January 21 guidance on Executive Order 14,151 to eradicate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) from the government. OPM's memo declared that heads of agencies "shall take action to terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all DEI, DEIA, and 'environmental justice' offices and positions within sixty days." The memorandum instructed that "agencies can and should begin issuing RIF notices to employees of DEIA offices now." The memo instructed that agencies should "define the competitive area solely in terms of the DEIA office where the employees worked." By defining the competitive area as a single office and eliminating all positions in that office, OPM assured that these employees would not have some of the rights ordinarily afforded to certain employees - for example, to join another office or bump a less senior employee.