09-05-2025
Trump Scraps Biden's Digital Equity Act, Calling It Illegal
President Donald Trump said on May 8 that he would end the Digital Equity Act as part of his administration's cost-cutting efforts, noting that the funding provided under the Biden-era law was illegal.
Trump said he discussed with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and they agreed that the law, which former President Joe Biden
In his Truth Social
'The Digital Equity Program is a racist and illegal $2.5 billion dollar giveaway,' he stated. 'I am ending this immediately, and saving Taxpayers billions of dollars!'
The Digital Equity Act provided $2.75 billion in funding to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish three grant programs that help to expand high-speed internet service
These grant programs include a state digital equity planning grant, digital equity capacity grant, and digital equity competitive grant, according to the NTIA's
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It remains unclear whether the Department of Commerce has taken any steps following Trump's decision. The department did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
The move to eliminate the law has drawn criticism from digital equity advocates. Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, has called on congressional leaders to reject Trump's decision.
'This decision has no policy rationale and makes no economic sense. Cutting this funding will deepen the divide and force greater costs down the road,' Siefer said in a
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who authored the Digital Equity Act in 2019, denounced Trump's move,
The Epoch Times reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
The decision to end the Digital Equity Act comes amid the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs from federal agencies and government initiatives.
Trump stated in a Jan. 20
'The public release of these plans demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination. That ends today,' Trump stated in his order.
