By Sophie Lindqvist

Companies should prepare to restore credible diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs after the midterms, but should not treat a favorable election result as permission for a publicity-led reversal. Trump’s 22-month assault on DEI as a business practice has not produced a settled operating environment; the new balance of power remains uncertain.

Large Democratic congressional majorities could halt or roll back parts of the administration’s offensive, although President Donald Trump has threatened to veto initiatives he opposes. Employers therefore have reason to plan and document their options while limiting exposure from rapid, conspicuous U-turns.

A political opening, not a settled policy

Commentators pointed to the increased racial, gender and age plurality of elected candidates as evidence that the spirit of DEI remained alive among voters. That political opening may ease pressure, but it does not settle whether restored programs can survive the next change in political weather.

Other observers expect the more diverse composition of federal, state and local leadership to make DEI protection and promotion a priority. The Brookings Institution’s progressive post-election analysis went further, saying anti-DEI policies were unlikely to resurge in the same form and that a Democratic-controlled Congress could try to overturn policies it described as discriminatory and invasive.

Credibility is the harder constraint

The corporate retreat was not uniform. The report identifies six companies that watered down or dropped official inclusion objectives as political pressure built:

• Target
• Ford
• Harley-Davidson
• Boeing
• Amazon
• Meta

Some had altered policy language, removing terms and specific quotas that critics treated as warning signs while retaining underlying goals in less conspicuous form. Others publicly renounced equality and inclusion rules, making reversal harder to frame as continuity rather than capitulation to coercion.

Each approach carries a different risk. Quiet restoration could trigger renewed attack from Trump-aligned agencies; public restoration could invite scrutiny of what some observers called an unnecessary surrender to government pressure in 2024.

Regulatory uncertainty reinforces the caution. Three federal bodies remain dominated by Trump appointees:

• Department of Labor
• National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

With the EEOC making the removal of DEI from business a leading priority, congressional control may not translate quickly into a safer enforcement climate.

Lily Zheng, a fairness and inclusion strategist, told HR Brew: “Democrat control of Congress will likely result in increased oversight and conflict with Trump-aligned federal agencies, as well as increased direct scrutiny on corporate behavior in the form of subpoenas, hearings, and investigations.” That prospect makes a considered corporate timetable more defensible than an immediate announcement designed to signal political alignment.

Zheng also said corporate sentiment may have shifted from fear in 2024 to guilt now, particularly where fear prompted retreats from legally defensible activities. She warned that guilt could produce symbolic restorations from executives who remain resistant to genuine improvement, leaving DEI practitioners with a flood of shallow commitment.

Communications executive Shawn Smith told HR Brew: “The bigger question is whether corporate America will recognize that diversity, equity and inclusion aren’t simply political priorities—they’re business imperatives.” He said employers that abandoned commitments risk losing credibility with employees, consumers and communities, and that rebuilding trust requires more than reinstating programs or changing language.

Public support strengthens the operating case

Public opinion strengthens the operating case, although it does not settle management intent. A USA Today poll found 72% of Americans believe promoting diversity and inclusion should be a business priority.

The paper also reported that public confidence in the bottom-line benefits of diversity was rising. More Americans now link diverse workforces to increased profitability and innovation than at any point in the past two years.

Employee expectations are more direct. A Conference Board survey taken earlier this year found 63% of U.S. employees said they would not, or would only reluctantly, work for an organization that does not take DEI seriously.

The article says such reluctance is more widespread than at the end of 2025, but it provides no updated measurement. The claim therefore signals concern; it does not establish a quantified trend.

Observers nonetheless expect most employers that scaled back under political pressure to rebuild programs, citing public support and research into business benefits. That expectation describes a likely direction, not evidence that executives will implement durable programs.

Research cited in the article links diversity and equality practices to higher creativity, innovation, productivity and staff retention by hiring and promoting from the widest possible talent pool. No individual studies, sample sizes or effect estimates accompany the findings, so the strategic case remains directional rather than a promise of guaranteed returns.

What does this change for employers and employees?

For employers, the midterms change sequencing rather than the need for evidence. Political pressure may ease, but legal uncertainty and workforce trust remain binding constraints; a reversal must address both rather than optimize for one.

For employees and job candidates, a restored label changes nothing unless it alters hiring, promotion and retention practices in visible ways. The practical test is whether executives sustain implementation when political pressure eases, not whether they announce a reversal when it intensifies.

The defensible course is a credible operating plan, not a symbolic resurrection of policies abandoned under pressure. Democratic control can improve the political climate, but employers remain responsible for demonstrating that DEI serves the organization and earns workforce trust.