Statement of Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families
WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 19, 2025 – This week, Trump-appointed Acting EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas targeted 20 law firms, demanding information about their employment practices, with a focus on each firm’s diversity practices. Lucas released a statement, declaring her intent as chair to “root out” what she and the Trump administration label as discrimination. However, Lucas’ action seems designed to be an intimidation tactic, without sufficient legal authority.
“The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was established with a mission to eliminate unlawful employment discrimination for workers. Acting Chair Andrea Lucas’ attempt to leverage the power of the federal government to try to bully and intimidate law firms by sending inflammatory letters about their diversity practices only deepens the growing mistrust of the current administration’s commitment to robust enforcement of employment discrimination laws.
“The Acting EEOC Chair is authorized to take certain actions, as derived from the statutes and regulations that the Commission enforces. Her authority is not unlimited, nor is it determined by the political whims of a particular administration. The Chair is not authorized to unilaterally issue demand letters to any employer and publicly announce them to the world just because she wants to do so.
“Undertaking fishing expeditions and publicity stunts in order to feed an anti-diversity narrative is an insufficient rationale to use the important power of the Commission. She has invoked no clear authority, either pursuant to the rules governing directed investigations or those regarding commissioners’ charges, to explain the rationale for the information that she is requesting. In fact, her letters appear to violate normal Commission investigation procedures.
“Individuals who rely on the Commission to investigate charges of discrimination must be able to trust that the Commission is committed to enforcing anti-discrimination laws for everyone, regardless of personal or ideological preferences. Performative statements to advance a political agenda send precisely the opposite message. Charging parties, and all of us, deserve better.”
# # #
Media Contact:
Gail Zuagar
Email
202-986-2600
