Federal health workers are expressing fear and alarm after a website called \u201cDEI Watch List\u201d published the photos, names and public information of a number of workers across health agencies, describing them at one point as \u201ctargets.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s unclear when the website, which lists mostly Black employees who work in agencies primarily within the Department of Health and Human Services, first appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOffenses\u201d for the workers listed on the website include working on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives<\/a>, donating to Democrats and using pronouns<\/a> in their bios. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The website, a government worker said, is being circulated among multiple private group chats of federal health workers across agencies, as well as through social media links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The site also reached Dr. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, who learned about it Tuesday evening when a federal health worker sent it to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a scare tactic to try to intimidate people who are trying to do their work and do it admirably,\u201d Benjamin said. \u201cIt\u2019s clear racism.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n A government worker said they found out theirs was among the names on the website Tuesday afternoon after a former co-worker sent them the link on social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s unnerving,\u201d said the person, who requested anonymity because of safety concerns. \u201cMy name and my picture is there, and in 2025, it\u2019s very simple to Google and look up someone\u2019s home address and all kinds of things that potentially put me at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what the intention of the list is for,\u201d the person said. \u201cIt\u2019s just kind of a scary place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Tuesday evening, the site listed photos of employees and linked to further information about them under the headline \u201cTargets.\u201d Later Tuesday night, the headline on each page had been changed to \u201cDossiers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The site lists workers\u2019 salaries along with what it describes as \u201cDEI offenses,\u201d including political donations, screenshots of social media posts, snippets from websites describing their work, or being a part of a DEI initiative<\/a> that has been scrubbed from a federal website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Benjamin suggested the acts of online harassment are criminal. \u201cLaw enforcement should look into them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A person who isn\u2019t on the list but works at a federal health agency called the website \u201cpsychological warfare.\u201d The link, this person said, is being circulated in their private group chat of federal health workers, causing some to \u201cfreak out.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s hard to gauge, the worker said, whether it\u2019s a legitimate threat. \u201cI don\u2019t know anything about the organization doing this or their parent association. People are just paranoid right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A note at the bottom of the website says, \u201cA project of the American Accountability Foundation.\u201d That group is a conservative watchdog group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not the first time the group has created such a list. In December, it sent Pete Hegseth, then the nominee for defense secretary, a list of names of people in the military whom it deemed too focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, the New York Post reported<\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neither the American Accountability Foundation nor HHS immediately responded to requests for comment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The website comes after a bruising two weeks for public health workers. Employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say they have received \u201cthreatening\u201d<\/a>\u2002<\/strong><\/a>memos from the Department of Health and Human Services<\/a> directing them to terminate any activities, jobs and research with any connection to diversity, equity and inclusion<\/a> \u2014 and turn in co-workers who don\u2019t adhere to the orders. HHS oversees federal health agencies, including the CDC and the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe tone is aggressive. It\u2019s threatening consequences if we are not obedient. It\u2019s asking us to report co-workers who aren\u2019t complying,\u201d said a CDC physician who wasn\u2019t authorized to speak to reporters. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of fear and panic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NBC News reviewed one of the memos, which directed employees to \u201creview all agency position descriptions and send a notification to all employees whose position description involves inculcating or promoting gender ideology that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The result, staffers said, is paranoia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know of people who have been put on administrative leave for perceived infractions related to these ambiguous memos. People are thinking if I put one foot wrong, I\u2019m just going to be fired,\u201d another CDC physician said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In one case, a potluck luncheon among co-workers was hastily canceled for fear it would be seen as a way to promote cultural diversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the harassment, public health employees said they remain committed to their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf I leave, who\u2019s going to replace me?\u201d a CDC physician said. \u201cIf nobody replaces me and enough of us leave, then who\u2019s going to be doing the public health work?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n