Federal Employees Ordered to Erase Pronouns from Emails Under Trump Mandate

In a sweeping directive issued late last week, multiple federal agencies instructed employees to strip pronouns from their email signatures by 5 p.m. Friday. The mandate, driven by executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office, marks a dramatic rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the federal government.

Internal memos obtained by [Your News Outlet] show that agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Department of Energy (DOE) all received similar instructions. According to one message sent to CDC staff Friday morning, “Pronouns and any other information not permitted in the policy must be removed from CDC/ATSDR employee signatures by 5 p.m. ET.”

The move has sent shockwaves through federal offices.

“I’ve worked at the CDC for over a decade, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said one employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation. “It’s a small thing, but it sends a big message—our identities and inclusivity don’t matter to this administration.”

At the DOT, the directive was issued Thursday, the same day the agency was grappling with the fallout from a tragic plane crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Employees were instructed to remove pronouns not just from emails, but from all official communications, including grant applications and interdepartmental memos.

“They’re erasing more than just words—they’re erasing progress,” said a longtime DOT employee who also requested anonymity. “This isn’t about efficiency. This is about ideology.”

The orders cite Trump’s executive directive aimed at eliminating what his administration calls “radical and wasteful DEI programs” and restoring “biological truth” in federal discourse. Critics argue that the phrase is a thinly veiled attack on LGBTQ+ recognition in the workplace.

A memo from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), issued Wednesday, further instructed agencies to disable features in email systems, such as Outlook, that prompt users to add pronouns.

Neither the White House nor spokespeople for the affected departments responded to requests for comment.

The directive has ignited backlash among advocacy groups and some lawmakers. “This is a blatant attempt to roll back workplace protections for LGBTQ+ federal employees,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). “It’s part of a larger war on inclusion and equity.”

While it remains unclear how widely the directive has been implemented, federal workers across multiple agencies are bracing for further restrictions as the administration moves to dismantle diversity-focused policies put in place over the past four years.

“This is just the beginning,” said the CDC employee. “We’re all waiting to see what’s next.”