Microsoft wants to double the number of Black people who work in managerial or senior-level positions by 2025, but the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is dead set against it, according to a statement published by Microsoft on October 6.

To combat racism, Microsoft made a commitment on June 23 to invest $150 million over five years to expand its diversity and inclusion programs and to reach more Black talent. Though Microsoft’s commitment letter didn’t include names, it came less than a month after George Floyd’s May 25 killing by a Minneapolis police officer. The company wrote that it “unequivocally believe[d] that Black lives matter.” Yet the letter Microsoft said it received from OFCCP questioned whether the company’s desire for racial equity “could constitute unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, which would violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.”

And the computing company isn’t alone. Wells Fargo received the same kind of letter from the OFCCP, Bloomberg reported. In a statement on October 6, the financial institution reportedly said, “Wells Fargo is committed to and taking action to become a more diverse and inclusive company,” and that “numerous efforts are underway to implement changes at all levels of the company, and we are confident that they comply with U.S. employment laws.”

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