Field staff at the federal agency that enforces civil rights laws in the workplace say they are under intense pressure from leadership to bring in cases that fit the Trump administration’s priorities, including charges of discrimination against white men and charges of antisemitism on college campuses.

That pressure has led investigators and lawyers at the agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to focus its thin resources on pursuing and fast-tracking cases that have little evidence and tenuous legal bases, according to more than a dozen current and former employees, both Republicans and Democrats.

They described a deeply demoralized and fearful work force, diminished by years of attrition and a surge of resignations and retirements during the second Trump administration. Current and recently departed employees, who requested anonymity because they feared professional repercussions, said the commission’s Republican chair, Andrea Lucas, had recast the agency to carry out President Trump’s executive orders. They said they felt compelled to speak because they were concerned about the future of the agency, where many saw their work enforcing the nation’s civil rights laws as a moral calling that has now been abandoned.

Ms. Lucas has provided regular updates on major cases to the White House, two current employees said. That is a departure from the past, when there was a firewall between the agency and the White House. The contact is in keeping with the Trump administration’s view — which Ms. Lucas has publicly supported, and which the Supreme Court is expected to rule on this year — that agencies like the commission are not independent but are subject to the president’s authority.

Two people said Ms. Lucas and her staff scoured case files in the agency’s internal database and became directly involved with cases. Current and former employees said that while leadership had been involved in high-profile cases in the past, the extent of her involvement was without precedent.

Ms. Lucas, whom Mr. Trump appointed to run the agency in 2025, has conveyed to staff that she is under pressure from the White House to produce cases the administration favors. Employees said they had been led to believe that bringing these cases was necessary to ensure the agency’s funding. This month, the White House released a budget recommending a $20 million funding increase for the commission — returning it to its 2025 level of $455 million, after a cut last year.

“Chair Lucas and the Trump administration are ensuring all Americans are treated fairly by rigorously enforcing civil rights laws, ending illegal D.E.I.-motivated race and sex discrimination and upholding the Constitution,” said Liz Huston, a White House spokeswoman.

Agency leaders have maintained an internal list of top cases, known as the “top 30” although the number has fluctuated in recent months, that are considered the most promising and likely to garner legal and media attention, people familiar with the list said. Cases on the list largely fit what Ms. Lucas has said are her priorities: prosecuting discrimination based on religion and national origin; rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and ending what she has described as the improper elevation of gender identity over biological sex.

Employment Agency Pushes Discrimination Cases That Match Trump’s Agenda