'Sorry, We Can't Find That Page': Over 8,000 DEI Web Pages From DFA, CDC, IRS And More Go Dark

Over 8,000 pages from several US federal websites have suddenly disappeared, leaving users with the simple message, 'Sorry, we can't find that page.'

This online 'purge' is a part of US President Donald Trump's ongoing campaign to remove programmes related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

According to reports, pages from well-known organisations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been removed from their websites since Friday.

Other removals include pages from the Department of Justice, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on disaster distress, and more.

A Swift Clean-Up of the Web

The pages that have gone dark covered various inclusive topics and offered guidance on transgender care, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate change initiatives.

Visitors trying to view these pages are greeted with error messages or notices that the websites are being 'modified to comply with President Trump's Executive Orders.'

According to reports, multiple US government web pages went dark on Friday and came back with bold changes. For instance, the National Park Service's site on historic sites related to Japanese Americans and LGBTQ+ rights has been revised. The State Department replaced 'sex' with 'gender' and removed the X gender marker from consular forms.

The Census Bureau's pages on gender identity and sexual orientation were removed, and the CDC expelled public health information, in particular, guidance on transgender health. The Department of Defence stopped celebrating various identity months, and government watchdog reports were removed from official sites.

The Motivation Behind the Scrub

The action was based on an executive order authorised by Trump just after his return to the White House in January 2025, 'Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programme And Preferencing.' With this order, the DEI programmes were effectively suspended, the staff placed on leave, and often, this was the prelude to layoffs.

For a long time, Trump has been saying that DEI programmes are 'dangerous, demeaning, and immoral' and that, indeed, they are so discriminatory and disintegrative by their nature.

According to Trump, this is all about his idea of a government that 'is race-blind and relies solely on abilities.' This attitude is his general policy. He believes that those related to diversity, inclusion, and equity should be excluded from the race for diversity and inclusion, and the only things that should matter are individuals' skills and talents.

Legal and Social Backlash

The sudden removal of certain government web pages caused a strong reaction from the civil rights groups and DEI advocates.

On Monday, the city of Maryland and three others filed a lawsuit in the US District Courts on behalf of President Donald Trump. The lawsuit declared the president's orders on 'ending diversity programme' unconstitutional and sought to halt them.

The suit, filed by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors, the Restaurant Opportunities Centres United, and the mayor and city council of Baltimore, states, 'In the United States, there is no king.'

Meanwhile, experts in the DEI field have emphasised the policy's true nature. Erica Foldy, a professor at NYU's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, argued, 'If you were from a dominant group—generally white people, generally men, straight, cisgender, fully abled—you had a huge leg up in terms of getting employment recommendations and higher pay promotions.'

The Backlash is not limited to the legal sphere. On Sunday, while accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the 67th Grammys, Alicia Keys said, 'This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices.'

The singer, producer, and songwriter aimed her speech at President Trump's criticism of DEI policies. 'DEI is not a threat, it's a gift,' Keys added.

The MEI Shift: Moving Away from DEI

Although the discussion of DEI has been going on for ages, there has been a rise of MEI (Merit, Excellence, and Intelligence). Unlike DEI, which centres on demographic variables such as race and gender, MEI is centred on the excellence of the self, the brain, and an individual's skills.

According to Trump, employees should be selected and promoted based on merit rather than identity.

Some well-known companies, such as Meta, McDonald's, and Amazon, have supported this notion. According to reports, they have initiated the undoing of DEI projects in favour of MEI.

Notably, it's not just Trump pushing this shift.

What Are the CEOs Saying About the Shift?

President Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that his administration is moving to 'abolish all discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion nonsense' and that the US will become a 'merit-based country.'

In contrast, several CEOs defended DEI. JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon said, 'We will continue to reach out to the Black and Hispanic community, LGBT community, and the veteran community.'

Meanwhile, Nasdaq's Adena Friedman said, 'Attitudes toward diversity come and go with different political cycles,' while Vista Equity Partners' Robert Smith said, 'Diversity is a great thing in business.'

However, Paradigm's CEO Joelle Emerson described the shift as 'an evolution to the next phase of this work.'

In June 2024, Scale AI Alexander Wang came forward with the announcement of the formalisation of his company's MEI hiring policy. 'Scale is a meritocracy, and we must always remain one. Hiring on merit will be a permanent policy at Scale,' he wrote on X. Tech giants like Elon Musk and Brian Armstrong showed their support for Wang and praised his move as well.

What's Next?

While one section of corporate America continues to advocate for DEI, the shifting discourse of government and business presents a rather complex picture.

Although Trump's actions have led to a regression of DEI programme, the tussle between these competing ideals of inclusion—DEI and MEI—will most certainly continue to affect workplace practices and legal decisions.

For now, the fate of these 8,000 lost web pages is only a small part of the larger story.