Labor Department Stops All Discrimination Investigation and Enforcement Activity

On Jan. 24, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) halted investigation and enforcement into government contractors’ compliance with anti-discrimination law and affirmative action programs, according to an order from Vincent Micone, acting secretary of labor.

The order followed the Executive Order from earlier in the week in which President Donald Trump directed the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to stop promoting diversity and affirmative action.

OFCCP audited sometimes thousands of contractor sites annually under the now revoked executive order, Bloomberg Law reported. The current order applies to all pending cases, conciliation agreements, investigations, and complaints.

Bloomberg Law reported Trump’s executive order last week didn’t address the OFCCP’s power to enforce Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, which includes workers with disabilities, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act, which protects military veterans. Micone’s order, however, said that these programs would be suspended pending further guidance.