WASHINGTON — The acting head of the Department of Veterans Affairs has instructed his team to report any attempts to mask diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that are meant to be eliminated by the Trump administration, as revealed in an email obtained by YSL News.

In the email, Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Todd Hunter informed his staff that he was “aware of attempts by some individuals in government to obscure these programs using vague or coded language.” He requested that anyone with information on changes to DEI contracts or job descriptions report it within 10 days, warning that failure to do so “may lead to negative consequences.”

Similar emails were dispatched to employees of other agencies, including the Social Security Administration, based on the documents reviewed by YSL News.

This initiative at the Veterans Department comes in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at dismantling DEI programs throughout the federal government.

One of Trump’s initial actions upon taking office was to close executive branch DEI offices and mandate that the employees be placed on leave.

“These programs have created divisions among Americans based on race, squandered taxpayer funds, and led to disgraceful discrimination,” Hunter stated in his email.

YSL News acquired the email from an anonymous source within the department.

A request for further comment from the department has not yet been answered.

Trump has nominated former Republican U.S. Representative Doug Collins from Georgia to be the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Collins previously served as a congressman in Georgia and is a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command.