{"id":25127,"date":"2023-02-22T20:53:55","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T20:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/02\/22\/biden-pushes-federal-agencies-to-meet-diversity-inclusivity-goals\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:08:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:08:30","slug":"biden-pushes-federal-agencies-to-meet-diversity-inclusivity-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/fedlife\/2023\/02\/22\/biden-pushes-federal-agencies-to-meet-diversity-inclusivity-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden pushes federal agencies to meet diversity, inclusivity goals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

President Joe Biden issued a fresh executive order aimed at pushing the federal agencies he oversees to better meet the needs of underserved communities, even as his workforce struggles to diversify itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2021, Biden signed executive order 13985 as the lodestar for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in federal programs. Since then, executive agencies have sought ways to promote equality in how they make policy and administer programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative to reject the narrow, cramped view of American opportunity as a zero-sum game,\u201d Biden said in the order issued Feb. 16. \u201cAchieving racial equity and support for underserved communities is not a one-time project. It must be a multi-generational commitment, and it must remain the responsibility of agencies across the federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden has underscored the importance of diversity both in the communities his administration serves and in the workforce he employs<\/a>. In 2021, he issued another order to reform federal HR practices. However, the identity of the federal workforce, which is predominately male, white and non-disabled, has shifted little since 2017, according to an inaugural report <\/a>published by the Office of Personnel Management on Feb. 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the White House prepares to unveil its 2024 proposed budget early next month, according to news reports,<\/a> the latest order furthers diversity standards for budgets down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, it has been the expectation of the administration that 15% of the more than $600 billion<\/a> the government spends each year in federal contracting will go to small disadvantaged businesses by 2025. The latest order adds a similar goal to be met one year earlier. OMB is tasked with setting that figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The order also sets out budget season considerations for what funding agencies might need related to these initatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStarting with formulation of the fiscal year 2025 budget and for each subsequent year, the director of OMB shall consider how the president\u2019s budget can support the Equity Action Plans … in order to reinforce agency efforts to meaningfully engage with and invest in underserved communities and advance equitable outcomes,\u201d the official document reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The directive also tells agencies to ensure that the location of federal buildings takes into consideration neighborhoods and that are near existing employment centers and are accessible by public transit. Such considerations are part of the selection criteria<\/a> for the next FBI headquarters set forth by the General Services Administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\t