President Trump Rescinds Decades-Old Environmental Justice Executive Order

On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14173, entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” to end what he describes as “illegal DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] and DEIA [diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility] policies.” Among other things, the order rescinds Executive Order 12898, which was issued in 1994 to address environmental justice.