Secretary's Order 08-2025 - To Lift the Abeyance on OFCCP’s Processing of the Section 503 and VEVRAA Components of Open Compliance Reviews or Complaint Investigations
On January 21, 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 14173, "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," which revoked E.O. 11246. E.O. 14173 ordered that the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) immediately cease holding federal contractors responsible for taking affirmative action or allowing workforce balancing on certain bases. Federal contractors were in turn told to wind down compliance with E.O. 11246’s regulatory scheme by April 21, 2025. In response to E.O. 14173, on January 24, 2025, then-Acting Secretary Vincent Micone issued Secretary’s Order 03-2025, which ordered that OFCCP cease and desist all investigative and enforcement activity under E.O. 11246. Order 03-2025 also placed OFCCP’s activity related to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. 793 (Section 503), and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act, 38 U.S.C. 4212 (VEVRAA), in abeyance (temporary suspension) pe...