The government is moving to follow President Trump’s executive orders on straws and DEI in purchasing.
According to the General Services Administration, the Trump administration is directing federal agencies to no longer consider a company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion practices when deciding whether to procure its goods or services.
The Wall Street Journal reports that this reverses Biden’s policy of pushing companies to consider DEI when purchasing goods and services.
The GSA is also ending a federal effort to replace plastic straws with paper straws in federal operations, bringing procurement policy in line with President Trump’s executive order.
The Biden administration aimed to phase out federal procurement of single-use plastics from all federal operations by 2035.
Additionally, the GSA is overhauling federal procurement practices. The regulations grew to more than 2,000 pages.
“It’s burdensome, outdated, and doesn’t allow agencies to buy at the speed of need,” said Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service.
It’s not clear how much can be done without Congress. Congress sets many preferences for certain types of companies, such as those owned by people with disabilities or Native American tribes.
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