The Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Civil Rights Division announced Wednesday that it is launching an investigation into the California Environmental Protection Agency (CAL EPA) to determine whether it is engaging in “discriminatory” employment practices.
The DOJ claimed that CAL EPA is promoting “hiring, promotion and retention practices and policies” in publicly available guidance documents which suggest the agency may be using protected characteristics to “advance racial equity,” according to a press release. Moreover, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) — which is part of CAL EPA — is utilizing such policies to carry out “discriminatory” employment practices in its “Racial Equity Framework,” according to the DOJ.
“Race-based employment practices and policies in America’s local and state agencies violate equal treatment under the law,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “Agencies that unlawfully use protected characteristics as a factor in employment and hiring risk serious legal consequences.”
The Trump administration has notably been targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the U.S. this year, including in the private sector and schools. President Donald Trump has previously vowed to “terminate” every DEIprogram “across the entire federal government.”
Additionally, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued instructions to eliminate DEI policies at the DOJ during her first day in office.
A spokesperson for CAL EPA did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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