Department of Defense looking to pause observances of annual cultural and historical celebrations

WASHINGTON - The Department of Defense is among the first of government agencies to get begin completely eliminating the presence of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs in accordance with the new policy of President Trump on ending “Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs”.

The DOD’s Intelligence Agency has “paused” observances of celebrations such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pride Month and Black History Month.

“We’re not joking around,” said newly appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hesgeth, whose selection process can be read about here.

“There’s no changing of names or softly manipulating something. DEI is gone.”

The implementation of this sweeping change in policy was first reported on by Ken Klippenstein on X, formerly Twitter, and was a part of a memo which can be read below.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked at a press briefing on Tuesday whether or not Black History Month would continue to be celebrated.

“As far as I know, this White House certainly still intends to celebrate, and we will continue to celebrate American history and the contributions that all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed, have made to our great country,” she said.

Even taking that statement at face value, it appears to be a thinly concealed “probably not”, although time will tell. Perhaps Columbus Day is poised to come back in a big way.

As of now, the change only impacts activities and events related to the named holidays in the memo, while federal holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth will still result in time off for employees.

Trip Tagle is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact them, please email tnt5403@psu.edu.