By Jennifer Hansler, Katie Bo Lillis, Zachary Cohen, Sam Simpson and Kaanita Iyer

(CNN) — Multiple US government agencies have ordered employees “to remove gender identifying pronouns from email signature blocks by 5:00 PM” on Friday, according to internal emails seen by CNN.

Directives were sent out to employees at agencies including the State Department, Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). The emails said the move was to align with President Donald Trump’s “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth” executive order, which says it is US government policy “to recognize two sexes, male and female.” That executive order does not make any specific mention of pronouns, which commonly include “she” and “he” to refer to a woman and a man, respectively, and “they” as a gender-neutral descriptor.

Trump had long pledged to gut federal diversity and inclusion programs and protections, and within days of taking office, the president has ordered employees in federal DEI and accessibility offices to be placed on paid administrative leave and ended the use of DEI criteria in hiring and federal contracting.

One State Department employee said there is a sense of fear about what Friday’s directive signals for freedom of speech and expression at the agency.

An email from the State Department’s acting head of management noted that the agency “is reviewing all agency programs, contracts, and grants that inculcate gender ideology, and we are removing outward facing media that does the same.”

The email added that offices in the State Department “have already been alerted to review trainings, forms, and plans that involve gender ideology.”

The ODNI workforce also received a memo earlier this week notifying employees of allegations that some intelligence officers were attempting to “subvert” presidential directives to “terminate” DEI programs across the government and warning that all such reports would be referred to the inspector general for immediate investigation.

The memo says those allegations, if verified by the intelligence community inspector general, could result in “possible disciplinary action, including termination,” according to a copy reviewed by CNN.

“It is my understanding that these alleged actions go beyond unintentional missteps, which can happen when implementing a quick pivot to new priorities and cause harm to the reputation of our Community,” the memo adds.

In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for ODNI said, “The staff notification you’re referencing reflects that ODNI has established a channel for officers to report information, including classified information, for further evaluation in accordance with (Office of Personnel Management)’s message to the federal workforce regarding DEIA.”

Employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also received a similar directive that targets contracts with DEI provisions, and employees were told that it is in accordance with Trump’s executive order on gender identity, according to a memo seen by CNN.

HHS was tasked with identifying all contracts that include the terms “he/she/they/them,” all combined, along with “inclusivity” and variations of “nonbinary” by Friday so that they can be terminated.

CNN’s Kristen Holmes contributed reporting.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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