US embassies tell suppliers to follow DEI ban
MADRID—The Trump administration has told local suppliers to US embassies and missions as well as recipients of US grants to comply with its ban on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs or risk losing payments.
“The US embassy in Spain, like all of our embassies around the world, is communicating to our local suppliers of products and services the new framework based on the recent executive orders signed by President Trump,” said a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Spain.
“We want to ensure that our contracts comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws and that suppliers do not operate programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion in violation of existing federal laws,” the spokesperson added.
Payments freeze
The warnings reflect President Donald Trump’s aim to extend outside the United States an executive order issued in January that directed government agency chiefs to dismantle DEI policies at federal agencies, federal contractors and in the private sector.
This has created a legal standoff back home, after years in which US companies have embraced DEI policies that track race and ethnicity data and set diversity targets in hiring and other corporate practices.
According to the letter sent to companies outside the United States, failure to submit the required information and confirm compliance will result in a freeze on payments.
Reuters has been unable to establish how many companies have received letters nor how much their combined contracts are worth.
But the anti-DEI pressure from Washington highlights the extraterritorial reach of US policies.
