The Trump administration has made a sweeping and contentious decision, directing federal agencies to remove or archive websites and resources related to climate change, gender diversity, and public health.
Released last week, the directive has made many government websites temporarily unavailable, disrupting useful tools and research employed by farmers, firefighters, and public health workers. The move is the latest in the administration’s campaign to rewrite federal policy in the realms of climate change, gender identity, and diversity programs, and it has been a source of concern and questions by experts and advocates.
MEMO released from USDA
One of the most significant impacts of the new directive is the removal of climate change resources from the United States Forest Service (USFS) website. By Friday, key landing pages providing vital information on wildfire vulnerability assessments, climate adaptation tools, and research had been taken down. Visitors to the site were met with error messages or a single line: “You are not authorized to access this page.”
The move followed a memo from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) instructing website managers to “identify and archive or unpublish any landing pages focused on climate change.”
The memo, reviewed by The Guardian, set a Friday deadline for compliance and required agencies to list the removed content in a spreadsheet for further review. While USDA officials clarified that the content should not be deleted, the directive has effectively barred public access to critical resources.
Among the affected sites were the USFS Climate Change Resource Center, the Climate Action Tracker, and the National Roadmap for Responding to Climate Change. These platforms provided essential tools and information to help communities mitigate the effects of the climate crisis. For example, the USDA’s Climate Hubs, which connect farmers and producers to local programs and research, remain live for now, but their future is uncertain.
The removal of these resources comes as the Trump administration continues to roll back environmental protections and prioritize fossil fuel extraction. In recent weeks, the administration has repealed climate policies implemented by the Biden administration, declared an energy emergency to expedite oil and gas drilling, and formally withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement. Critics argue that these actions undermine efforts to address the growing climate crisis and leave vulnerable communities without the tools they need to adapt.
Gender Diversity and Public Health Resources Targeted
The crackdown on climate change resources is just one part of a broader effort to reshape federal policies on gender identity and diversity. On Friday, other federal websites also underwent significant changes, signaling a major shift in the administration’s approach to these issues.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a directive on Wednesday ordering agency heads to terminate grants and contracts related to “gender ideology,” remove pronouns from government emails, and disband resource groups focused on gender diversity.
The directive aligns with an executive order signed by President Trump declaring that his administration would recognize only two genders and ending diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also removed a great deal of public health material from the site. Removed resources were the contraception information, an HIV and transgendered individuals factsheet, and lessons on creating supportive school environments for transgendered and non-binary students.
Facts regarding National Transgender HIV Testing Day and government surveys that emphasized the issues that transgender students face—like increased depression, drug use, and bullying—were removed as well.
Public health experts have condemned the removal of these resources, warning that it creates dangerous gaps in scientific information. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) issued a statement criticizing the deletion of HIV-related content, emphasizing that access to such information is “critical to efforts to end the HIV epidemic.”
Advocates for LGBTQ+ rights have also expressed concern, arguing that the administration’s actions erase the experiences and needs of transgender and non-binary individuals.
Chaos and Confusion Within Federal Agencies
The rapid implementation of these changes has caused chaos within federal agencies. In addition to the website removals, the Trump administration has halted hiring, paused ongoing projects, and offered widespread buyouts to federal employees.
The buyout program guarantees pay and benefits through September 2025 for workers who resign within the next week, raising concerns about a potential brain drain and the long-term impact on federal operations.
The administration’s approach has also created uncertainty about the future of the removed resources. While links to the landing pages remain active, the content itself has been archived or unpublished. It is unclear whether the information will be restored, revised, or permanently removed. Critics argue that the lack of transparency and the abrupt nature of the changes undermine public trust in federal agencies.
A Broader Pattern of Erasure
The Trump administration’s moves are part of a larger pattern of erasing or diminishing climate change, gender diversity, and public health issues. By stripping away access to vital resources, the administration is essentially silencing scientific research and disenfranchising marginalized communities.
Experts and advocates caution that these shifts will have long-lasting effects, from slowing climate adaptation to worsening health inequities among LGBTQ+ communities.
As the administration continues to remake federal policies, the effects of these shifts will be felt for years to come. For now, the elimination of these resources is a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle over the place of science, diversity, and equity in government.
