FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 26, 2026
Contact: media@iwpr.org
IWPR Statement on the Trump Administration’s Rescission of Executive Order 11246, Undermining 60 Years of Workplace Civil Rights Protections for Federal Contractors
Today, as the Department of Labor’s final rule rescinding EO 11246 goes into effect, we are witnessing another sad occasion in our nation’s history. The deliberate undoing of the antidiscrimination protections signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 is a direct dismantling of the work continued by countless Americans since to achieve fairer workplaces and a more perfect union.
Kate Bahn, PhD, chief economist and senior vice president of research of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), released the following statement in response:
“While the administration continues to deny the prevalence of workplace discrimination, decades of research consistently show that systemic bias and racism remain a persistent and structural reality. This moment underscores why organizations like the Institute for Women’s Policy Research exist: to evaluate, expose, and eliminate the structural barriers that limit the full participation of women and gender-expansive people in the workplace and throughout our society.”
Kate Miceli, senior manager, policy and government relations, added the following:
“Even on difficult days like this, we know we will do what we’ve done throughout IWPR’s nearly 40-year history: use facts and truth to amplify the experiences of workers and inform evidence-based policies to strengthen the economic security of women and those who live on the margins.”
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The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is the nation’s leading think tank working to win economic equity for all women. Through evidence-based research, policy solutions, and advocacy, IWPR is advancing the power and well-being of women across the US. Learn more at IWPR.org.