Trump's DOJ rewrites inclusion rules for grant programs
Why it matters: The move follows the administration's dramatic change to the government's interpretation of Civil Rights-era laws to focus on " anti-white racism" rather than discrimination against people of color.
Driving the news: The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday released new guidelines for recipients of federal funding and directed them not to be involved in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ("DEI") programs.
The guidelines say that federal antidiscrimination laws apply to programs or initiatives like DEI since they involve "discriminatory practices."
The department said programs and activities must comply with federal law and not "discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or other protected characteristics — no matter the program's labels, objectives, or intentions."
State of play: The guidelines could have sweeping effects, possibly forcing universities to end ethnic studies programs, media companies to stop paying for staffers to attend journalists of color conferences or nonprofits to cease programs studying health disparities.
The new rules will almost certainly face legal challenges.
What they're saying: "This Department of Justice will not stand by while recipients of federal funds engage in illegal discrimination," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
"This guidance will ensure we are serving the American people and not ideological agendas."
Reality check: Companies, media outlets, universities and nonprofits have adopted various forms of DEI programs to combat systemic discrimination in hiring and services for decades.
The programs have been credited with diversifying those entities and fighting inequality.
However, conservatives on the far right have for years said those programs discriminate against white Americans.
Zoom out: Under the new guidelines, the DOJ says recipients can face "significant legal risks" if they're involved in DEI programs.
"The use of terms such as 'DEI,' 'Equity,' or other euphemistic terms does not excuse unlawful discrimination or absolve parties from scrutiny regarding potential violations," the department said.
The department also advised against using " race, sex, or other protected characteristics for employment, program participation, resource allocation, or other similar activities."
The DOJ also said terms like "cultural competence," "lived experience," and "geographic targeting" that function as proxies for protected characteristics violate federal law.
Context: Since taking office, Trump has attempted to reverse many of the gains made during the Civil Rights Movement and unravel the late President Lyndon B. Johnson's civil rights legacy from six decades ago.
Within hours of taking office, Trump revoked LBJ's 1965 executive order mandating "equal opportunity" for people of color and women in the recruitment, hiring and training of federal contractors.
Trump's new order triggered sweeping changes to anti-discrimination rules — including a little-noticed memo stating that the federal government no longer would unequivocally prohibit contractors from operating "segregated facilities."
The Trump administration has faced criticism after it purged — and then restored — articles on federal agency websites about Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman and WWII-era Navajo Code Talkers.
Between the lines: The new guideliness fulfill a promise that Trump campaign allies told Axios about before the election: that the president would push to eliminate or upend programs in government and corporate America that are designed to counter racism against Black Americans and other people of color.
A central vehicle for the effort has been America First Legal, founded by Trump aide Stephen Miller.
America First cited the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in a February 2024 in a lawsuit against CBS and Paramount Global for what the group argued was discrimination against a white, straight man who was a writer for the show "Seal Team" in 2017.
The Heritage Foundation's "Project 2025" outlined how Trump could reverse some of LBJ's initiatives, including his order ensuring equal opportunity in federal contracting.
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