Senators to Press EEOC Acting Chief on Anti-DEI Agenda, Transgender Protections Rollback

Andrea Lucas, acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is expected to face tough questions from Senate Democrats on Wednesday over her efforts to dismantle diversity initiatives and roll back protections for transgender workers.

Lucas, first appointed to the EEOC in 2020, was elevated to acting chair in January after President Donald Trump abruptly fired two Democratic commissioners before their terms ended — a move that broke precedent and triggered a lawsuit. According to ABC News, her confirmation to serve another five-year term as commissioner will be considered during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing.

Since taking the helm, Lucas has prioritized investigations into corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs while dropping several agency lawsuits involving alleged discrimination against transgender and nonbinary workers. She has also ended cases tied to “disparate impact” liability, a legal theory used to challenge policies that unintentionally harm minority groups.

Lucas, a vocal critic of DEI programs, has embraced Trump’s executive orders requiring federal agencies and contractors to eliminate equity-related initiatives. In a memo to employers, she asserted that the EEOC “is an executive branch agency” that must follow White House directives.

More than 30 civil rights organizations have urged senators to scrutinize her record, arguing that the EEOC was designed to operate independently and enforce worker protections without political interference.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said she plans to oppose all EEOC nominations unless Trump reinstates the ousted Democratic commissioners. “Commissioner Lucas is a right-wing extremist who has aligned the EEOC with Trump’s anti-civil rights agenda,” Murray said.

Lucas has defended her shift in focus, saying she is upholding protections for women in single-sex spaces and religious employees facing anti-Christian bias. She launched a DEI whistleblower hotline and has encouraged workers to report reverse-discrimination claims.

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who chairs the committee, supports Lucas’s approach, accusing the Biden-era EEOC of pushing a “far-left” agenda.

The EEOC received more than 88,000 discrimination complaints in fiscal year 2024. Commissioners serve staggered five-year terms, with no more than three from the same party.