The Biden administration has asked agencies to study gender and racial pay gaps among their ranks as Republicans gear up to ax federal diversity programs if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House.
The Office of Personnel Management provided guidance and requested analysis on pay equity in a memo sent Thursday to agency and department heads. Ensuring equal pay for the federal workforce is a top priority for President Joe Biden under executive orders he has signed, which would likely be revoked during a potential second Trump administration as GOP lawmakers have targeted equity efforts.
Robert Shriver, OPM’s acting director, said in the memo his agency finalized a rule earlier this year barring agencies from considering salary history when setting pay for new federal employees.
“We don’t want agencies to perpetuate gender pay discrimination that occurred outside of Government when hiring people into Government jobs,” Shriver said. “But our work is not finished, and we need to do more.”
