Former Federal Equity Officer Struggles After Losing Job
Dia Harris, the first chief equity officer at the Administration for Children and Families, was one of over 200 workers marked for termination by the Department of Government Efficiency after President Donald Trump ordered the removal of federal diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The agency, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, works on issues including foster care, home energy assistance and early education.
Harris took the position in 2022, after working in human resources and other roles, and said he wanted to make a difference. In late 2024, as colleagues anticipated changes under the incoming administration, he and his boss shifted his title to senior adviser in the agency’s Office of Community Services. Harris viewed the work as continuing the effort to help people in need. He was later fired.
After losing the federal job, Harris worked part time at a supermarket, supplemented his income with another part-time job and drew on help from his mother. He also used retirement savings to cover his mortgage and credit card bills, with the money expected to run out by the following year. Harris had previously earned six-figure salaries in the private sector and took a pay cut to enter federal service.
His experience came amid a broader reduction in the federal workforce: about 426,000 of the country’s 2.2 million civilian federal employees had left government since Trump returned to office, including 32,000 full-time workers who were fired. The administration had described DEI initiatives as divisive and destructive; Harris’s dismissal reflected the resulting shift in federal policy.
Federal DEI Cuts Leave Workers Like Harris Paying the Price
The Trump administration’s drive to dismantle federal diversity, equity and inclusion work has meant more than a change in agency language. Dia Harris, the first chief equity officer at the Administration for Children and Families, was one of over 200 workers marked for termination by the Department of Government Efficiency after Trump ordered federal DEI initiatives removed.
Harris joined the agency in 2022 after working in human resources and other roles, taking a pay cut because he wanted to make a difference. As the administration prepared to take office, he and his boss changed his title to senior adviser in the Office of Community Services. Harris saw the position as carrying on work to help people in need. He was eventually fired.
The consequences were immediate. Harris took a part-time supermarket job, had another part-time job and relied on help from his mother. He also used retirement savings to pay his mortgage and credit card bills, with those funds expected to run out the following year. Before entering government, he had earned six-figure salaries.
About 426,000 civilian federal employees had left government since Trump returned to office, including 32,000 full-time workers who were fired. The administration called DEI divisive and destructive. But Harris’s experience shows how the sweeping policy translated into lost work and financial insecurity for an employee whose agency served vulnerable Americans.
Federal DEI Role Ends as Harris Faces Private-Sector Job Strain
The federal government is eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion roles, and Dia Harris’s dismissal was part of that policy change. Harris was the first chief equity officer at the Administration for Children and Families, a position created during the Biden administration. More than 200 employees were targeted for dismissal by the Department of Government Efficiency after President Donald Trump ordered federal DEI initiatives removed.
Harris had previously held private-sector human-resources jobs, earning six-figure salaries, before taking a pay cut for the federal role in 2022. In late 2024, as colleagues anticipated the new administration’s policy, Harris and his boss changed his title to senior adviser in the Office of Community Services. Harris considered the work a continuation of efforts to help people in need, but he was later fired.
Since Trump returned to office, about 426,000 of the nation’s 2.2 million civilian federal employees had left government, including 32,000 full-time workers who were fired. The administration said DEI initiatives were divisive and destructive, and moved to end them across government.
After his dismissal, Harris worked part time at a supermarket, held another part-time job and received help from his mother. He also tapped retirement savings to cover his mortgage and credit card bills. His case shows the personal strain of losing a job, while also underscoring the administration’s decision to replace DEI-focused roles with a different approach to federal work.
Reported by The Daily Caller, Hot Air.
