The Functional Government Initiative (FGI) has announced the release of internal emails from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), revealing discussions among public affairs staff about efforts to preserve and restore diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) stories.
According to reporting by AP News, Executive Order 14151, signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025, directed federal agencies to dismantle all DEI programs, eliminate related content, and disband associated offices. This directive applied to departments such as the Department of the Interior, which oversees the BLM. Despite this directive, internal BLM emails from May 2025 include discussions about preserving DEI stories on its internal platforms.
A nationwide injunction issued on February 21, 2025, temporarily blocked enforcement of key provisions of Executive Orders 14151 and 14173, including bans on DEI training and content. However, legal experts noted that the injunction did not permit the reinstatement of paused DEI initiatives. BLM staff emails during this injunction period include discussions of maintaining or restoring DEI stories.
On March 14, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit lifted a prior injunction, reinstating enforcement of federal executive orders restricting DEI activities. Despite this policy shift, internal BLM emails dated May 2025 reveal that staff continued discussing Pride Month initiatives and asked for ideas to support a DEI storytelling campaign. These communications are documented in the records released by FGI.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior, administers one in every ten acres of land in the United States. This amounts to approximately 245 million surface acres and 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate. Its responsibilities include managing public lands for uses such as energy development, livestock grazing, recreation, and conservation.
