Hundreds of State Department employees will receive restitution after an internal review under Secretary Marco Rubio found they were denied promotions during the Biden administration for not meeting new diversity, equity and inclusion standards.
In addition to removing the diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) precept from the State Department’s promotion process, officials said roughly 295 employees who were marked down for not showing they would ‘seek diversity in staff’ will now receive pay increases, administrative promotions and letters of commendation.
‘The Trump administration is providing restitution to State Department employees who were adversely impacted by the previous administration’s ideological agenda,’ a State Department official said.
The department conducted an internal review of 7,319 employees who competed for promotion in 2024. Those employees were judged on five precepts: communication, leadership, management, knowledge and DEIA. Under President Donald Trump, the DEIA precept was replaced with a new criterion: ‘fidelity,’ Fox News Digital previously reported.
Promotion board members were instructed to low-rank employees who exhibited a ‘lack of sensitivity to the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA),’ according to a State Department official.
The DEIA promotion precept was damaging to those who displayed ‘little indication of seeking diversity in staff,’ the official claimed.
‘The Biden administration imposed ideological litmus tests on civil servants, penalizing competent and deserving government employees in the process,’ principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
‘Under President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department rewards excellence, which is the right thing to do for our workforce, for our country, and for the American people.’
The Trump administration’s restitution plan marks a broader rollback of DEI-based policies across federal agencies, part of Trump’s pledge to restore merit-based advancement in government service.
The State Department’s previous hiring guide for 2022–2025 required foreign service employees to ‘demonstrate impact in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility,’ according to the internal documents.
Entry-level applicants were expected to proactively seek to ‘improve one’s own self-awareness with respect to promoting inclusivity.’ Mid- and senior-level supervisors were told to recruit and retain diverse teams, respond immediately to noninclusive workplace behaviors and ‘consult with impacted staff before finalizing decisions.
On his first day in office in 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to pursue policies that advance ‘equity.’
‘Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our Government,’ he stated.
‘It is therefore the policy of my Administration that the Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.’
Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment and has not yet received a reply.