The Trump Administration will leave in place an executive order signed by President Barack Obama, which bans sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination by federal contractors. President Obama signed the order in 2014. By doing so, he amended and expanded previous executive orders signed by Presidents Nixon and Clinton, which ban discrimination by federal contractors on the basis race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap, status as a parent, and age.
The recent action by President Trump comes despite his pronouncements that he plans to “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, including religious organizations, from endorsing or opposing political candidates. President Trump has also proposed an executive order that would grant religious freedom protection to organizations that oppose same-sex marriage. Thus, employers should keep abreast of President Trump’s orders and pronouncements as his administration’s policies take shape.