US Embassy demanded Stockholm officials comply with Trump's anti-DEI policies. They refused

Claim:

The U.S. Embassy in Sweden sent a letter to Stockholm’s city planning department stating that U.S. State Department contractors must comply with the Trump administration’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

Rating:

Claims circulating online in early May 2025 alleged the United States Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, sent a letter to Stockholm’s city planning department stating that all U.S. State Department contractors must comply with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive orders demanding a rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

Numerousposts onFacebook (archived,archived),X (archived) andReddit asserting the claim gained traction, leading to an influx of Snopes readers sending emails to ask if the claims were true.

Indeed, claims that the U.S. Embassy in Sweden’s capital city sent Stockholm’s city planning department a letter stating contractors must comply with the Trump administration’s anti-DEI policies are true.

Neither the State Department nor the U.S. Embassy in Sweden has responded to Snopes’ requests for comment, but this article will be updated if we receive a response.

A press officer for the city of Stockholm provided Snopes with a copy of the document in question along with a screenshot of the email in which the embassy delivered it to the city.

(City of Stockholm)

The email read:

CERTIFICATION REGARDING COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE FEDERAL ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW — 19SW8025P0594

Dear Stadsbyggnadskontoret [City Planning Office],

Due to updated U.S. acquisition policies under Executive Order 14173, we kindly ask you to review and sign the attached certification form.

This certification is required for all U.S. Government acquisitions, including purchase orders and all contracts for goods or services. Please return the signed form within 10 working days.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards,

U.S. Embassy Stockholm

The letter itself was addressed from the Embassy of the United States of America in Stockholm, Sweden, and it opened by repeating the email’s subject line.

It then read, “All Department of State contractors must certify that they do not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable anti-discrimination laws and agree that such certification is material for purposes of the government’s payment decision and therefore subject to the False Claims Act.“ It concludes with directions on how to submit the certification.

(City of Stockholm)

According to theU.S. Department of Justice, the False Claims Act “provides that any person who knowingly submits, or causes to submit, false claims to the government is liable for three times the government’s damages plus a penalty that is linked to inflation.“

The press official for the city of Stockholm told Snopes via email, “The city of Stockholm will not comply with the embassy’s demands or respond to the letter.“

In comments toThe Associated Press, Stockholm’s Vice Mayor for City Planning Jan Valeskog said of receiving the letter, “We were really surprised, of course. We will not sign this document at all, of course not.“

Valeskog also told Swedish newspaperDagens Nyheter, “If the U.S. terminates its relationship with the city planning office, the embassy will have difficulty obtaining a building permit if they want to rebuild, for example. That’s their headache, not ours.“

Trump signed Executive Order 14173 on Jan. 21, 2025. According to the text of the order, its purpose was “ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity.“ It reads in part:

Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system. Hardworking Americans who deserve a shot at the American Dream should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex.

The anti-DEI policies of the Trump administration have been widely criticized, withThe Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights stating, “These EOs will weaken our economy, endanger our national security, and threaten our multi-racial democracy.“

Sources