Multiple federal agencies end LinkedIn contracts over DEI

FIRST ON FOX - Multiple federal agencies told Fox News Digital they have dropped millions of dollars in contracts for LinkedIn services over the business social network’s embrace of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). 

LinkedIn, which boasts of being the world’s largest professional network with over 1 billion users worldwide, has been dropped by the Departments of Treasury, Interior and Veterans Affairs after the Trump administration issued executive orders banning federal agencies from contracting with companies that embrace DEI policies.

"Every American taxpayer should be angry that the Biden administration wasted so much money on contracts like these. Under the leadership of President Trump, we have been combing through hundreds of thousands of contracts here at the Department alone and are canceling wasteful, woke, and downright ridiculous contracts that do not align with the will of the American people. This contract is being terminated as we speak," an Interior Department spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital about a $1 million contract for LinkedIn services.  

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The Treasury Department has ceased doing business with the networking site to be in compliance with Trump's executive orders, a senior Treasury official told Fox News Digital. 

According to USASpending.gov, Treasury had over $1.5 million in contracts for LinkedIn services during Trump's second term, with two that ended in Jan. and Feb., and another two set to end next week and in Sept.

"The VA is not doing any business with LinkedIn. In February, the department terminated two contracts with LinkedIn in order to comply with the White House’s executive orders on Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Cost Efficiency Initiative," a spokesperson for the VA told Fox News Digital. 

Veterans Affairs had nearly $2 million in contracts for LinkedIn services on USASpending.gov, one of which was terminated on February 20 and the other is set to end in 2026.

Federal agencies often contract with middlemen known as "value-added resellers" who purchase technology products, such as LinkedIn, instead of going directly to each company.

LinkedIn hosts a "DEI Hub" that provides companies with tools and products that promote DEI in their organizations. Among the services offered is a page devoted to getting "organizational buy-in" for DEI, a recruiting page which offers employers tips on signaling their commitment to DEI in job postings, resources for more equitable hiring and tips on achieving gender equity in the workplace. 

LinkedIn also provides products to achieve DEI objectives on their job boards. One such product is "LinkedIn Talent Insights," which allows employers to "leverage real-time insights to inform hiring goals, make a business case for diversity-focused initiatives, and identify and compare binary gender balance in talent pools." 

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Companies can also use "LinkedIn Recruiter" to achieve DEI objectives. The program allows companies to modify their settings in order to achieve diversity outcomes in hiring. The program can allow an employer to "fix gender imbalances with ‘diversity nudges’" and hide applicants' pictures and names to reduce bias. A diversity nudge appears when "less than 45% of a talent pool is male or female" and provides recommendations to achieve gender parity in applicants. 

The federal agencies said they were no longer using LinkedIn products in order to be in compliance with Trump's executive order not to do business with companies that engage in DEI, but made clear that they were not using LinkedIn's DEI products. Representatives for the agencies said they had no knowledge of whether the Biden administration used LinkedIn's DEI products or not. 

LinkedIn, however, said this wasn't accurate. When pressed for specifics about factual inaccuracies, LinkedIn provided only the following comment. 

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"Like every business, the organizations that use our products change, often driven by shifts in their budgets and priorities. We’re keeping our focus on helping our customers achieve the objectives they’ve set," a LinkedIn spokesperson told Fox News Digital.