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Corporate DEI index sees 65% drop in participation from Fortune 500 companies
People hold flags outside the US Supreme Court on December 4, 2024 in Washington, DC, during oral argument on whether states can ban certain gender transition medical treatments for young people.
Roberto Schmidt | AFP | Getty Images
New research from the LGBTQ+ group Human Rights Campaign showed a drastic drop in Fortune 500 companies willing to publicly disclose their diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
The HRC’s 2026 Corporate Equality Index saw a 65% drop in participation this year, falling from 377 Fortune 500 companies in 2025 to just 131 companies in 2026. HRC noted many of the companies that dropped out hold federal contracts.
“Our research shows the strength and the strain of this moment on LGBTQ+ workers, consumers and the companies that count on us,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.
Of the 1,450 companies that participated, 534 earned a score of 100, representing nearly 6 million U.S. employees, according to HRC.
HRC’s index launched in 2002 and rates companies based on their social responsibility and equity in the workplace.
Over the past two years, the anti-DEI movement, championed by the White House, began to reframe the index, making it a conservative target.
The Corporate Equality Index has increasingly seen more companies exiting its orbit, beginning with Tractor Supply and including big names like Walmart, Ford and Lowe’s. Walmart, the largest U.S. retailer and grocer, said it had conversations with conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who has publicly advocated for a shift away from DEI, before the company pulled out.
It was a significant change from years prior, when companies like Ford and Walmart issued public statements supporting DEI and touting their achievements in their workplaces.
President Donald Trump said he’s considering sending the National Guard to U.S. airports, two days after the administration deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to several major U.S. airports following hourslong waits for travelers because of the partial government shutdown.
In a Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown, which began Feb. 14.
“Thank you to our great ICE Patriots for helping. It makes a big difference,” he wrote in his post. “I may call up the National Guard for more help.”
Travelers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty Images
More than 11% of TSA officers called out on Wednesday and over 450 have quit since the shutdown started, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Elevated absences of Transportation Security Administration officers, who are required to work though they’re not getting paid during the shutdown, have contributed to long lines at major U.S. airports, including in Atlanta, Houston and New York.
The DHS, which oversees both ICE and and the TSA, said the ICE agents will “support airports facing the greatest strain” but the department didn’t respond to requests for comment on what the ICE agents’ duties are. ICE agents are getting paid in the shutdown.
Airlines have been warning customers about potentially long security lines, while executives grow increasingly frustrated with lawmakers about the impasse. On Tuesday, Delta Air Lines said it suspended its airport escorts and other special services for members of Congress and their staff because of the ongoing partial shutdown of the DHS.
The shutdown comes as Democrats in Congress have demanded changes to how federal immigration enforcement operates in exchange for releasing DHS funding after two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by ICE officers in Minneapolis.
Low-income families are being offered help with the cost of food during the Easter holidays.
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