Update: September 24, 2025: In July 2025, the EEOC denied portions of our FOIA request seeking information about the activities of EEOC field offices that were targeted for closure by the Department of Government Efficiency, such as how many intakes these offices handled, how many investigations they opened, and how many charges they resolved. This data is critical to understanding how these local offices serve the public and the harm that would result if these offices were to close. On September 24, NWLC appealed the denial of this portion of our request. Our other FOIA requests to EEOC remain pending.

On April 15, 2025, NWLC submitted requests to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The EEOC is the primary agency tasked with enforcing federal workplace antidiscrimination laws, and workers seeking to enforce their rights under these laws must first file a charge at EEOC. NWLC submitted these FOIA requests to shed light on recent actions that threaten the agency’s independence and undermine the enforcement of workers’ civil rights protections.

Among other things, NWLC is seeking information about:

  • President Trump’s unlawful and unprecedented dismissal of two EEOC commissioners.
  • The possible termination of leases on eight EEOC field offices targeted by the Department of Government Efficiency, which serve as the first point of contact for many workers seeking to report discrimination.
  • Reports that the EEOC has stopped processing all charges alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, which would be an abdication of the agency’s duties and create uncertainty for workers about their avenues for seeking relief.
  • The public letters that EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas sent to 20 law firms seeking information about their diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, without any legal basis, and the so-called “settlement agreement” that EEOC announced with four of those firms on April 11, shortly after the firms also reached deals with the White House.