Trump Nominates Matt Zandi To EEOC After Firing Two Democratic Commissioners

US President Donald Trump has nominated Matthew (Matt) Zandi, a Justice Department lawyer and former federal prosecutor, to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), strengthening his administration's efforts to reshape the agency responsible for enforcing workplace anti-discrimination laws.

Announced on November 9, the nomination comes as the administration intensifies its campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes that it claims discriminate against white workers and others.

Zandi most recently served as chief of staff and special counsel to the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under former Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who resigned last week. Before joining the department in 2025, he worked as a managing director at consulting firm Guidepost Solutions, served as an assistant US attorney from 2002 to 2006 and practised law at Nixon Peabody and Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan. He earned his law degree from Pepperdine University in 1999.

Zandi's nomination is for the seat previously held by Jocelyn Samuels, one of two Democratic commissioners Trump controversially fired before their terms ended. The other was Charlotte Burrows. Both dismissals were part of Trump's unprecedented effort to gain control of the bipartisan agency established under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

If confirmed, Zandi would serve until July 1, 2031, giving Republicans a 3-1 majority on the commission alongside chair Andrea Lucas and commissioner Brittany Panuccio. Democrat Kalpana Kotagal is the remaining member.

Under Lucas, the EEOC has launched investigations into workplace diversity programmes and pursued the administration's civil rights priorities. It has also considered rolling back certain protections for pregnant workers and changing its approach to workplace discrimination cases.

The National Women's Law Center criticised Zandi's nomination, accusing him of helping Dhillon's division target DEI programmes through investigations under the False Claims Act.

Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin also called the appointment partisan, arguing that nominees from both parties should be paired for a bipartisan commission.

The political timing is crucial. Republicans control the Senate until January, when Democrats are expected to take over. Democratic senators have vowed to block Trump's nominees in protest against the commissioners' dismissals.

Trump's position received a boost after the US Supreme Court upheld his authority to fire leaders of independent agencies, prompting Samuels to abandon her legal challenge. Zandi's confirmation could therefore become a key test of Trump's efforts to reshape federal civil rights enforcement.