The Department of Health and Human Services directed recipients of grant funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to immediately halt all programs, personnel and activities related to "gender ideology," according to an email obtained by ABC News.

“You must immediately terminate, to the maximum extent, all programs, personnel, activities, or contracts promoting or inculcating gender ideology at every level and activity, regardless of your location or the citizenship of employees or contractors, that are supported with funds from this award,” the email stated.

“Any vestige, remnant, or re-named piece of any gender ideology programs funded by the U.S. government under this award are immediately, completely, and permanently terminated," it continued.

The latest directive from the HHS impacts any entity that receives CDC funds, such as local health departments and clinics, and it affects any programs supported by the nearly $4.5 billion spent by the CDC last year to aid health departments across all 50 states.

-ABC News' Will T. Steakin and Anne Flaherty

Dozens of Department of Education employees received letters on Friday night placing them on “administrative leave," effective immediately.

While no specific reason was given, employees told ABC News on Sunday that they believe the only common thread between them is that they attended a voluntary diversity training program in 2019, during President Donald Trump's first term.

ABC News has obtained the letter which states that the administrative leave notice is not for disciplinary purposes; rather, the letter said it's related to Trump’s executive order on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Employees were told to await “further guidance from OPM,” according to the letter, referencing the Office of Personnel Management.

Per the letter, employees will receive full pay and benefits through the end of the administrative leave, but they are not required to do work-related tasks during this time or come into the office. At the same time, the impacted employees had their government email access suspended.

Sheria Smith, the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252 president, told ABC News that over 50 employees in “extremely diverse roles” within the department had received the emails after regular business hours this weekend.

Smith said she fears more letters will be sent in the coming days.

ABC News did not receive an immediate response to a request for comment from the DOE.

-ABC News' Arthur Jones II

In an interview that aired on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was openly critical of recent decisions by President Donald Trump and said he planned to be more outspoken about their differences of opinion now that he was no longer in a leadership role in the Senate.

McConnell sharply criticized the president imposing tariffs, especially on allied countries.

"It'll drive the cost of everything up. In other words, it'll be paid for by American consumers. I mean why would you want to get in a fight with your allies over this?" McConnell questioned.

McConnell often found himself at odds with Trump during his first term in the White House, he said, but claimed their relationship was all but severed after Jan. 6, 2021.

The former Senate leader reacted to Trump's sweeping pardons for the convicted rioters, saying, "I think pardoning people who have been convicted is a mistake."

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

President Donald Trump plans to speak with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday morning, he told to reporters during a stopover at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday evening.

The calls are scheduled two days after he imposed 25% tariffs on both of the United States' neighboring countries.

Sheinbaum is also expected to deliver Mexico’s response to the tariffs in the morning, according to sources familiar with the situation.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

In the wake of President Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 rioters, Democrats joined with two men who were assaulted by the mob -- retired U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Washington Metro Police Department officer Daniel Hodges -- to denounce the president’s actions.

“On Monday, Donald Trump decided that he wants to whitewash history, pretend that the riot of January 6 never happened, and that it was simply a peaceful walk through the Capitol. Unfortunately for him, video and photographs don't lie,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said. “You cannot say you back the blue if you are going to let out of jail violent criminals who assaulted the blue.”

California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell added, “Nothing erases what they did, but we should erase this concept that Donald Trump and the Republican Party have the backs of law enforcement officers. “Donald Trump does not back the blue. He backs the coup, and this action makes that absolutely clear.”

Dunn, who retired from the USCP and ran an unsuccessful bid for Congress, denounced Trump’s actions.

“The Republican Party has long claimed to be the party of law and order, back the blue, however many lawmakers’ silence and refusal to push back against Donald Trump's actions make it incredibly hard to take that claim serious,” he said. “The winner writes history. He didn’t win. He's not going to. I'm not going away. That's it.”

After Republicans launched their own select subcommittee to investigate the events surrounding Jan. 6, Rep. Jason Crow, a member of the January 6 select committee who received a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden in the final moments of his presidency, called the newly minted panel “a farce that is intended to try to cover up their abuse of process.”

“It's another diversion. It's another distraction in an attempt to rewrite history, but also to confuse folks,” Crow, D-Colorado, said. “But you heard pretty clearly today that we're not confused and we're not distracted, nor will we be. We're going to continue to tell the story loudly, clearly, repeatedly, about the criminality, about the abuse, not just of power, but of our law enforcement of the blue and we're not going to stop.”

-ABC News’ John Parkinson