How can President Trump bring back meritocracy

To restore a merit-based workforce, President Trump has a powerful tool in the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). This office within the Department of Labor, which enforces Executive Order 11246, is uniquely positioned to eradicate unlawful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices that detract from the core principle of meritocracy. Recent actions by the OFCCP, such as its complaint and subsequent victory against American Airlines’ DEI practices, highlight how the agency can hold companies accountable for violating federal laws and prioritize merit-based hiring over discriminatory DEI quotas.

The OFCCP’s mandate is clear: enforce fair hiring practices that prioritize qualifications over irrelevant characteristics like race, gender, and disability. By actively auditing federal contractors, the OFCCP can ensure that companies adhere to merit-based systems that reward talent and hard work—not quotas or preferential treatment. This proactive role is a crucial tool for tackling the pervasive influence of DEI-driven policies that push employers to prioritize diversity over merit.

"The OFCCP’s mandate is clear: enforce fair hiring practices that prioritize qualifications over irrelevant characteristics like race, gender, and disability."

The Trump administration can reinvigorate the OFCCP’s authority to promote hiring processes grounded solely in qualifications and hard work. In doing so, the president can ensure that American workers are evaluated based on the value they bring to the job—regardless of identity. This would represent a restoration of the American principle of fairness, where hard work and skill determine success.

Through the OFCCP, President Trump can lead the charge in returning meritocracy to the workplace, ensuring that the most qualified individuals, not those who meet arbitrary diversity targets, are the ones who have the opportunity to thrive. In doing so, Trump can make significant strides toward making the American Dream attainable once more for all hardworking Americans.