The FBI announced on Thursday that it officially shut down its Office of Diversity and Inclusion last month, a move that coincides with anticipated measures to curtail “woke” initiatives in federal agencies as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on Monday.

“In recent weeks, the FBI took steps to close the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, effective by December 2024,” an FBI spokesperson confirmed in a statement to The Hill.

The now-defunct office, established in 2012, was originally tasked with fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace. According to the FBI’s website, its mission was “to provide guidance and implement programs that promote a diverse and inclusive workplace that allows all employees to succeed and advance.”

Trump, along with many Republican lawmakers, made the removal of such programs a cornerstone of their campaign, vowing to prioritize merit-based hiring and promotion across federal departments, including the Department of Justice, the Pentagon, and the Department of Education.

“President Trump has been very clear about ending the woke DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] garbage infecting this country, and the American people voted overwhelmingly to do just that,” said Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung in an interview with USA Today following Trump’s November election victory.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., argued on January 3 that federal agencies have been overly consumed by DEI initiatives. He suggested this focus had compromised security protocols and cited the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans as evidence of these failures.

On January 7, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., wrote to outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray, criticizing what she referred to as “radical” DEI policies within the Bureau. She expressed concern that these programs had jeopardized public safety, again referencing the New Orleans attack.

“I am deeply concerned that — under your leadership — the Bureau has prioritized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives over its core mission of protecting the American people,” Blackburn stated.

She pointed to a report prepared by retired FBI agents for the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. The report warned that “the law enforcement and intelligence capabilities of the FBI are degrading because the FBI is no longer hiring ‘the best and the brightest’ candidates.” It further asserted that the Bureau has been selecting candidates to meet DEI objectives rather than prioritizing merit and qualifications.

During her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for attorney general, was questioned about the legality of race- or sex-based discrimination within the framework of DEI initiatives. Her response was unequivocal: “No one should be discriminated against.”

The private sector has also been scaling back on diversity efforts. Major companies such as Walmart, Meta, Amazon, Ford, and McDonald’s, which previously embraced more inclusive policies following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, have begun to reduce these initiatives in recent years.

{Matzav.com}