Biden signs DEIA Executive Order most comprehensive federal diversity initiative since LBJ

President Biden signs Executive Order 14035, establishing the most comprehensive federal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) initiative since the Great Society era. The order requires all federal agencies to assess barriers to equity in hiring, promotion, and professional development and submit Strategic DEIA Plans. It directs agencies to establish Chief Diversity Officer positions, expand DEIA training, advance pay equity, reduce reliance on unpaid internships that disadvantage low-income applicants, and improve collection of workforce demographic data. The order reverses Trump's September 2020 executive order banning diversity training in the federal government and builds on Biden's Day 1 equity order (EO 13985). By the time Trump takes office in 2025 and immediately dismantles all federal DEI programs, the Biden administration had embedded DEIA structures across dozens of federal agencies.