Although the first eleven days of the Trump Administration have been full of activity and controversy, federal government contractors have been waiting to see if President Trump will undo or modify the compliance obligations imposed on them through the numerous Executive Orders issued by President Obama.

This morning (January 31, 2017) the White House announced plans with respect to one of those Executive Orders: Executive Order 11478 (the “Order”), which added sexual orientation and gender identity to the classes protected by Executive Order 11246.  According to the statement, the Order “will remain intact at the direction of President Trump.”  The announcement came the day after the press reported that the Trump Administration was contemplating overturning the Order or adding religious-freedom provisions.  The statement made today is silent on the latter point.