The Office of Personnel Management issued a final interim rule that eliminates references to the 1978 Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, a framework that has guided federal hiring for decades.
The revision follows a Justice Department opinion that the guidelines, which emphasize race‑conscious decision‑making and the concept of disparate impact, conflict with constitutional principles.
By removing the guidelines, the rule shifts federal hiring toward a merit‑based approach that prioritizes qualifications and job performance over racial outcomes.
OPM Director Scott Kupor emphasized that the new regulation aligns with legal guidance while preserving rigorous, job‑related standards for recruiting the most qualified workforce.
The rule took effect upon publication in the Federal Register and will remain open for public comment for 60 days, after which OPM will decide whether to make it permanent.
OPM oversees hiring, promotion, and workforce management policies for roughly two million civilian employees across executive‑branch agencies.
This amendment represents a broader effort to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the federal government, extending beyond the closure of DEI offices and training programs.
Since the start of the current administration, officials have highlighted college rollbacks of DEI programs, introduced policy changes affecting transgender athletic participation, parental rights, race‑conscious programs, and merit‑based admissions.
Federal actions have included terminating DEI‑related grants, ending contracts with companies that adopt DEI policies, imposing new requirements on federal contractors, and warning educational institutions about potential funding losses tied to DEI practices.
