Trump is making it easier for employers to discriminate. This stifles equity and hurts economic growth.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has long been a cornerstone in upholding the civil rights of U.S. workers. Established under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC is a five-member, bipartisan commission appointed by the president to enforce federal laws against employment discrimination. The Trump administration, however, has taken actions that undermine the effectiveness of the EEOC through legally questionable firings and proposed changes to data collection that are key to the EEOC’s enforcement processes.
The long-term consequences of weakening the agency threaten not only economic equity and worker protections but also economic growth. In fact—after extrapolating from widely cited research on the impacts of reduced discrimination on GDP per capita growth—we estimate that reduced discrimination boosted average living standards by $4,932 per person since 1960. If we assume the EEOC’s role in reducing discrimination accounts for 10–25% of that growth, then the agency has helped to boost average living standards by $493 to $1,233 per person since 1960.
What does the EEOC do?
The EEOC enforces against discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, and disability. In the years since the EEOC first opened its doors in 1965, the definition of sex discrimination has been expanded to include pregnancy, childbirth, transgender status, and sexual orientation. The law prohibits discrimination in areas of employment including in recruitment, hiring, wages, job assignments, promotions, benefits, discipline, discharge, and layoffs.
The commission has the authority to investigate charges of discrimination against private employers with at least 15 employees as well as state and local government employers. While most of these investigations are initiated by charges filed by individuals, EEOC commissioners may also initiate charges on their own initiative or based on the recommendation of any of the EEOC field offices throughout the country. If the EEOC finds that discrimination has occurred, they look to settle the charge. If a settlement can’t be reached, they have the authority to file a lawsuit to protect the rights of victims of discrimination, although very few cases are litigated.
https://www.epi.org/blog/trump-is-making-it-easier-for-employers-to-discriminate-this-stifles-equity-and-hurts-economic-growth/
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