U.S. agencies under President Donald Trump pushed ahead on Thursday on his orders to reshape the federal bureaucracy, scrapping diversity programs, rescinding job offers and sidelining more than 150 national security and foreign policy officials.
The Republican president has made little secret of his disdain for the sprawling 2.2 million-strong federal workforce and in particular for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, which promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other traditionally underrepresented groups.
In a speech delivered via video on Thursday to the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said his orders ending DEI programs would make America a "merit-based country" once again.
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