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May 19, 2025 |  By: Associated Press

Governors and lawmakers this year have about doubled last year’s actions targeting DEI initiatives

Republican-led states are accelerating efforts to stamp out diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, expanding from higher education to other government functions since President Donald Trump fully embraced the movement.

Governors and lawmakers this year have about doubled last year’s actions targeting DEI initiatives, which had roughly doubled those of 2023, according to an Associated Press analysis aided by the bill-tracking software Plural.

The surge comes as Trump’s executive orders seeking to halt DEI initiatives ripple through the federal government, universities and schools, despite legal challenges.


Limits on DEI initiatives in higher education recently approved by legislatures in Missouri and Oklahoma raise the total number of similar state laws and gubernatorial orders to two dozen since 2023. That includes bills passed earlier this year in Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming. More are under consideration in additional states.

The Missouri measures show the growth of the movement. A provision limiting DEI in higher education got left out of the state budget last year. But it got included this year after new Republican Governor Mike Kehoe issued an order barring executive agencies from using state funds on DEI positions and activities.