The Trump administration has urged government employees to inform on each other and their departments in order to root out any attempts to hide diversity programs.
The latest escalation in US President Donald Trump's campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) comes a day after he pressured the private sector to join the initiative and told government employees in offices administering such programs they would be placed on paid leave.
Trump also issued a series of executive orders to dismantle DEI programs on his first day in office on Monday, marking a complete reversal from his predecessor Democrat Joe Biden, who prioritised DEI programs and initiatives across the federal government.
DEI programs attempt to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other traditionally under-represented groups.
Civil rights advocates have argued such programs are necessary to address longstanding inequities and structural racism. Trump and his supporters say DEI programs end up unfairly discriminating against other Americans and weaken the importance of candidates' merit in job hiring or promotion.
In a new message distributed on Wednesday, government employees were warned they would face "adverse consequences" if they failed to promptly report any hidden DEI programs.
"We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language," said the memo, which set a 10-day deadline for information.
It was not immediately clear what evidence the administration has of any efforts to conceal diversity programs.
"There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information. However, failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences," the memo said.
The same language was sent to employees of several departments and attributed to different members of Trump's cabinet - for example it came from Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department and from Acting Attorney General James McHenry at the Justice Department.
Trump's latest attack on DEI drew widespread criticism from civil rights advocates.
Psyche Williams-Forson, a professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland, said long-standing resentments among white men were resurfacing and helped enable Trump's political comeback despite his felony convictions and the civil judgments against him for fraud and sexual abuse.
"This country is fundamentally founded on racist principles. It always has been and it continues to be. There was no way in the world that America was going to allow another Black person to succeed. Obama just totally defied the odds," Williams-Forson said.
US Representative Hank Johnson, a Democrat from Georgia, accused Trump of "turning back the clock and dismantling decades of progress made by black people".
Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), a nonprofit group promoting gender equality, said Trump's executive orders would also impede American competitiveness.
"The message is clear: this administration is willing to sacrifice both civil rights and economic growth to advance an extremist agenda," Farrell said in a statement.
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