President Donald Trump has appointed Andrea Lucas as chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the nation’s top workplace civil rights agency, according to an announcement made Thursday. The decision marks a major endorsement of Lucas’s efforts to dismantle corporate diversity initiatives and reinforce protections for religious freedom in the workplace.
Lucas, first nominated to the EEOC in 2020 during Trump’s first term, was confirmed in July for a second five-year term. Her reappointment was met with fierce opposition from Democratic lawmakers, who accused her of politicizing the agency and undermining decades of progress on worker protections and anti-discrimination measures.
Republicans, however, have lauded her leadership—particularly her push to reverse Biden-era policies expanding transgender protections in the workplace, which Lucas has argued exceeded the EEOC’s legal authority.
“I’m honored to be designated Chair of the EEOC,” Lucas said in an emailed statement Thursday. “Under the Trump Administration, the Commission has made significant progress advancing its core mission to uphold our nation’s civil rights laws and protect American workers through consistent, effective enforcement. As Chair, I remain committed to enforcing the law evenhandedly, advancing equal opportunity, and upholding merit-based, colorblind equality in America’s workplaces.”
Trump had previously elevated Lucas to acting chair in January, then took the unprecedented step of firing two Democratic commissioners, securing a Republican majority within the agency. The Senate’s recent confirmation of Trump nominee Brittany Panuccio as commissioner restored the EEOC to full operating strength, granting the administration the leverage needed to continue reshaping federal civil rights enforcement.
Under Lucas’s leadership, the EEOC has notably shifted its priorities. The agency has pursued several religious discrimination cases, including one against the Mayo Clinic, which allegedly denied a security guard’s request for a religious exemption from a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. The hospital system declined to comment on the ongoing case.
At the same time, the EEOC has dropped a number of lawsuits involving self-identified transgender workers, imposed stricter scrutiny on gender identity-related complaints, and curtailed investigations into claims based on “disparate impact liability”—a key legal doctrine used to address systemic discrimination. Lucas has also directed the agency’s attention toward corporate DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs, aligning with the Trump administration’s broader effort to challenge race-based workplace policies.
The move has sparked outrage among progressive advocacy groups. The National Women’s Law Center, which is currently suing the EEOC over its handling of discrimination complaints from transgender workers, sharply criticized Lucas’s promotion.
“Andrea Lucas was handpicked by Trump to lead the EEOC and his mission of weaponizing the agency to attack hardworking people across the country,” said Lauren Khouri, senior director of workplace equality at the center. “As acting chair, she has made clear she is a Trump loyalist dedicated to carrying out his radical crusade against programs that encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Khouri further accused Lucas of “abandoning workers at every turn,” claiming her policies have left women, transgender, nonbinary, and minority employees without adequate protection. “People across the country are struggling to make ends meet and find stability at work, and we will fight to ensure they’re able to work safely, free from harassment and discrimination,” she added.
Conservative groups, however, have praised Lucas’s appointment as a pivotal victory for equality under the law.
“Andrea Lucas is a champion of equality and race-neutrality,” said Dan Lennington, vice president and deputy counsel of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL). “The EEOC will be pivotal in extinguishing race-conscious policies, like DEI, from the private sector. The agency’s investigative power can support the millions of Americans negatively impacted by racial preferences, goals, and quotas at work.”
As Lucas takes the helm, the EEOC stands at the center of a renewed national debate over civil rights, workplace fairness, and the boundaries of government power. Her tenure is expected to shape the future of employment law for years to come—potentially redefining what equality means in the modern American workplace.
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