Trump Administration's Move to Temporarily Shut Down Government Websites Sparks Controversy

The Trump administration planned to temporarily take down certain U.S. government websites, reportedly to remove diversity-related content. Officials were unclear on the duration of the shutdown. The decision attracted criticism for potentially undermining civil rights protections, though some supporters favored it. Treasury and State Department sites remained online.

On Friday, most U.S. government websites remained accessible amid plans by the Trump administration to temporarily shut some down after 5 p.m. ET. The motive, as reported by CBS News, was to purge diversity-related content, aligning with Trump's agenda.

Shortly after the specified time, users faced downtime on the U.S. Census website, with the full extent of affected websites remaining unclear. The Treasury and State Department websites continued functioning.

President Trump, questioned about the shutdowns intended to erase Diversity, Equity and Inclusion content, dismissively stated that he was unconcerned by the prospect, having previously acted to dismantle federal diversity initiatives, a move drawing criticism from rights advocates.

(With inputs from agencies.)