by Sharelle B. McNair
April 29, 2026
Seeking anonymity out of fear of professional repercussions, the current and former staff members say they are concerned about the agency’s future as the practice of upholding the nation’s civil rights laws has been abandoned.
Staff of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) claim to be under pressure to prioritize job discrimination cases of “racism against white men” to match the agenda of President Donald Trump, The New York Times reported.
Agency investigators and lawyers are being forced to pursue and put some cases on the fast track with little evidence and major legal battles. More than a dozen current and former employees, identifying as Republicans and Democrats, blamed EEOC GOP chair Andrea Lucas, who is committed to carrying out some of Trump’s controversial executive orders.
Seeking anonymity out of fear of professional repercussions, the current and former staff members say they are concerned about the agency’s future as the practice of upholding the nation’s civil rights laws has been abandoned.
As Lucas has been an avid supporter of anti- diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, employees say cases showcasing claims of “reverse D.E.I.” and racism against white men have been accelerated to the top of case files. Commission spokesperson Connor Clegg boasted that the agency recovered nearly $660 million for roughly 18,000 discrimination victims during the 2025 fiscal year, including a record $528 million through settlements and mediation. “Instead of pulling punches, Chair Lucas is committed to following through on her promise to pursue a colorblind, evenhanded enforcement agenda,” Clegg said.
But former EEOC general counsel under President Barack Obama, David Lopez, called Lucas’s bold outreach to white men and behind-the-scenes reports of expedited discrimination cases against white people troubling. “It’s a head scratcher why the E.E.O.C.’s prioritization of limited resources based on race, both overtly and in practice, does not raise constitutional questions,” he said.
However, it may be Lucas who is under pressure from the WHite House. After being appointed to the position by Trump in 2025, the chair told staff that the Trump administration is pushing her and the team to produce anti-DEI cases that the administration favors. Vice President JD Vance even referred to the practice as “evil” after Lucas put out a video encouraging white men to come forward with job discrimination claims.
In a letter to CEOs, general counsels, and board chairs of America’s leading companies, she warned DEI policies or practices may be deemed illegal if employment decisions are based even just in part on a person’s race, sex, or other protected characteristic. “The EEOC stands ready to combat such discrimination,” she wrote, according to NPR, adding, “We are the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, not the Equitable Employment Outcomes Commission.”
To date, the EEOC has gone after companies and organizations like Nike and Planned Parenthood in discrimination probes. They investigated the athletic wear company’s hiring goals and career development practices to determine whether they disadvantage white people.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois settled for $500,000 in a lawsuit that accused the organization of discrimination against white employees with DEI efforts.
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