The National Women’s Law Center and 7 other national organizations dedicated to gender and racial justice, defending civil rights, and ensuring workplace fairness led a letter to Andrea Lucas, Acting Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), expressing our grave concerns regarding her recent actions to advance the Trump anti-opportunity agenda, including (1) the public letters Lucas sent to 20 major law firms on March 17, 2025, which falsely purport to carry the authority of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and request detailed information about the firms’ employment practices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and (2) the “What You Should Know About DEI-Related Discrimination at Work” document she issued on March 19 that purports to question the legality of such practices.

An EEOC Commissioner, even the Chair, has no unilateral authority to demand the requested information and certainly does not have the power to change or reinterpret federal anti-discrimination law based on political whims. These actions appear to be intended to intimidate private employers and will sow confusion regarding the legality of these programs. Efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the workplace are fundamental to preventing discrimination and remedying its impacts—the EEOC’s core mission. Pressuring employers to abandon these efforts will only create an environment that leaves workers more vulnerable to discrimination and, ultimately, leave employers more vulnerable to legal liability.

The letter urges Chair Lucas to immediately withdraw the March 17 letters and the “What You Should Know” document. Read the full letter here.