EEOC Moves To Rescind 1979 Affirmative Action Interpretive Guidance

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has asked OMB to approve a measure that would rescind the agency’s 1979 guidance on when Title VII permits voluntary affirmative action. The guidance, codified at 29 CFR Part 1608, outlines when employers may adopt voluntary affirmative action plans for women and minorities. Most employers that adopted affirmative action plans for women and minorities did so...

House Appropriators Seek Nearly 13 Percent Cut From EEOC’s Budget

The House subcommittee responsible for funding the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has recommended steep cuts in the agency’s budget, a sharp contrast from the more than $20 million increase sought by the Administration. The panel has advanced spending legislation for fiscal year 2027 that would slash $55.8 million from the EEOC’s budget, a 12.9 percent cut from its current funding of...

EEOC Budget Request Points To Bigger, Data-Driven Enforcement

The EEOC’s FY 2027 Congressional Budget Justification signals the agency’s desire to enhance its enforcement capacity for complex, systemic discrimination matters. Notably, the request asks for (1) a 15.6% increase to expand data analytics, digital case management, and large-scale reviews of employer practices; and (2) an 8.1% increase in private-sector enforcement litigation. The CBJ frames these investments as support for...

OMB Delays Agencies’ Race And Ethnicity “Action Plans” To March 2027

The White House Office of Management and Budget has again extended the deadline for the EEOC and other federal agencies to submit their Agency Action Plans on Race and Ethnicity Data. Agency Action Plans are now due March 28, 2027. The deadline for agencies to bring data collections into compliance is September 28, 2029. The agency’s submission of their Agency Action...

EEOC Voting Records Show Most Votes Bipartisan Since Quorum Restored

EEOC Commissioners have voted in a bipartisan manner in most substantive matters since the Commission regained a quorum in late October, new EEOC vote disclosures show. Through February 2026, the Commission has cast 35 votes, with only nine of their 27 substantive votes split along party lines. Media coverage has focused on policy differences among the Commissioners, but the voting record...