Rescission of Executive Order 11246 Implementing Regulations
Key claim: The Labor Department is deleting the regulations that required most federal contractors to run affirmative-action programs and face OFCCP enforcement under Executive Order 11246.
Abstract
(Rule · Labor Department, Federal Contract Compliance Programs Office) On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” which revoked Executive Order 11246. Accordingly, the U.S. Department of Labor publishes this final rule to rescind the implementing regulations for Executive Order 11246.
Why this matters
EO 11246’s implementing regulations have for decades required federal contractors above certain size and dollar thresholds to maintain written affirmative action plans, analyze workforce composition, and submit to OFCCP audits. Deleting those rules removes a longstanding compliance regime affecting a substantial share of U.S. private employers that hold federal contracts, changing what workers, applicants, and civil rights enforcers can expect from contractor hiring and pay practices. Supporters frame the move as ending race- and sex-conscious mandates in government contracting; critics argue it eliminates a key structural tool for identifying and remedying workplace discrimination.