Talking Tax

President Donald Trump's early executive order to end federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs upended at least one team in the Treasury Department. The Treasury Equity Hub, formed in 2021, evaluated how effective the department's policies and programs were at reaching all types of Americans. Removing this team could hurt further research into racial disparities in IRS enforcement, Treasury Equity Hub Director Diane Lim said. A 2023 high-profile study showed that Black taxpayers were disproportionately audited, a finding that led the IRS on a campaign to fix the problem, though the future of that work is unclear. Trump has launched a war on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts both in the federal government and the private sector, with mixed success. A federal judge blocked portions of his orders to end DEI programs because they could threaten free speech. Still, the corporate world has started rolling back diversity efforts in response to the administration's efforts. Lim and her team have been