Federal Employees Ordered to Remove Pronouns from Email Signatures

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal employees at multiple agencies were ordered to remove pronouns from their email signatures by Friday afternoon, January 31, 2025, in compliance with executive orders signed by President Donald Trump aimed at curbing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government.

Internal memos obtained by ABC News revealed that agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Transportation, issued directives to employees to comply with the policy. “Pronouns and any other information not permitted in the policy must be removed from CDC/ATSDR employee signatures by 5 p.m. ET on Friday,” stated a memo from Jason Bonander, the CDC’s Chief Information Officer.

The directive cited two executive orders signed by Trump on his first day in office, which called for the elimination of “radical and wasteful DEI programs” and sought to restore “biological truth to the federal government.” Employees were instructed to remove pronouns from email signatures, government grant applications, and other official communications.

The Department of Transportation issued a similar directive on Thursday, coinciding with its response to a plane crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The Department of Energy also notified employees on Thursday, stating the changes were necessary to comply with Trump’s executive order to remove DEI “language in Federal discourse, communications, and publications.”

It remains unclear whether other federal agencies received similar instructions. Spokespersons for the Transportation Department, Energy Department, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and CDC did not immediately respond to requests for comment from ABC News.

The mandate has sparked frustration among some federal employees. “In my decade-plus years at CDC, I’ve never been told what I can and can’t put in my email signature,” said one employee, who requested anonymity due to fear of retribution.

In addition to the pronoun removal, a memo issued Wednesday by the Office of Personnel Management directed agencies to review email systems, such as Outlook, and disable features that prompt users for their pronouns.

This move is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to dismantle DEI initiatives across the federal government. One of the executive orders requires agencies to terminate all DEI offices and positions “to the maximum extent allowed by law.” The administration has also implemented policies requiring federal employees to return to in-office work or participate in a deferred resignation program, offering eight months of pay and benefits for those who resign by February 6.