Rokita Part of 22-State Effort Asking to End DEI Federal Contracts
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is leading a 22-state effort supporting the Trump administration’s elimination of DEI from federal contracting.
AG Rokita said he supports the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed rule to rescind long-standing regulations that require affirmative action plans for federal contractors, calling the current requirements “clearly unconstitutional.”
“The federal government has no right to mandate affirmative action plans that prioritize ideology over merit,” Attorney General Rokita said. “These regulations promote unlawful discrimination, undermine true equal opportunity, and needlessly burden employers. Federal contractors should hire based on skill and experience, not political agendas.”
In President Trump’s executive order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” he ordered the federal government to end discriminatory DEI practices including affirmative action programs and arbitrary workforce balancing based on race and sex for federal contractors.
Included in a letter from Rokita sent this week, he argues that the executive branch did not have the statutory authority under federal law to mandate affirmative action requirements on federal contractors in the first place.
“The Department of Labor’s move to eliminate these burdensome affirmative action mandates is a step toward fairness,” Rokita added. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we’re once again restoring common sense and ensuring federal contractors can focus on merit-based hiring, free from discriminatory practices based on race or sex.”
Last month, Rokita and Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced that all state contracts must now include revised language stating contractors must not pursue DEI initiatives that treat people differently on the basis of race or sex.
