# Cato Scholar Available to Comment on DEI Measures 

The Trump administration is cracking down on DEI initiatives.

February 3, 2025 • News Releases 

The Trump administration is cracking down on DEI initiatives. Last month, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to dismantle DEI programs within the federal government and its contractors. The administration argues that DEI initiatives are discriminatory and advocates for a return to merit-based employment and promotions.

[Erec Smith](https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/286/2t961mk4uvaq0wkoppm3tal89/0/a7e5e86690f3478e863cc956c7066ad83535bb9d24c9095371c2481b7dadabfb), a research fellow at Cato, has written about this topic in the past:

- [I’m a Black Ph.D. and Here’s Why I Left Academia](https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/286/2t961mk4uvaq0wkoppm3tal89/1/2982e469fa9f980b561bc396595aaeebba69415069d8376350989ff8c913927b)
- [DEI Should Be M.I.A. in the U.S. Military](https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/286/2t961mk4uvaq0wkoppm3tal89/2/7e7f9029e8f54535bc063564dfdc0fd2e02552c29961b26114d5bde6a91b0139)
- [We Are Too Good for DEI](https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/286/2t961mk4uvaq0wkoppm3tal89/3/ce8f3a1afa466d78108d38afe3327df03ac6a1f2deea83788140099e4ba0b1df)

Erec has also [testified](https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/286/2t961mk4uvaq0wkoppm3tal89/4/d41817cb22a315f24382c0f5cf762e797f0c9d983546140b2b945c1c979a4c8a) before a House Subcommittee about DEI. If you would like to speak with him about this issue, please reach out to [pr@​cato.​org](mailto:pr@cato.org).

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