NEW YORK — A sweeping change will impact Amtrak customers and workers starting in March as the federally funded company is ditching DEI and forcing its employees back into the office.
Amtrak will no longer allocate resources to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and will require employees to work in the office four days a week starting March 3, a company spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
The announcement was made in an internal email to employees, formally revising the company’s work arrangement policy and immediately halting funding for DEI initiatives. The changes come as businesses across the country scale back diversity efforts following President Donald Trump’s push to eliminate DEI programs in both corporate and federal sectors.
Trump has urged federal agencies to identify companies and organizations for potential investigations into what he calls “illegal DEI” practices. As a federally chartered corporation that receives congressional appropriations, Amtrak is subject to federal oversight, with the U.S. government acting as its controlling shareholder.
The shift at Amtrak aligns with broader trends among corporations and public institutions reevaluating workplace policies in response to the administration’s stance on DEI. The company did not provide further details on how the decision will impact existing DEI initiatives or employees involved in those programs.
