The Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have cut 25 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) grants, amounting to savings of $8.4 million. This funding was intended to support initiatives for “gender expansive individuals” and other related programs.
On Tuesday, DOL and DOGE revealed the cancellation of $13.6 million in DEI grants.
- $716K for “DEIA Materials, Training Modules, and Support Networks”
- $398K for “gender equity awareness training”
- $350,000 related to “Immigrant Send or Receiving Communities”
Sources familiar with the matter indicated that these grants encompassed funding for several contentious programs, which included:
- A neutral summit aimed at creating a work environment that is safe for women and “gender-expansive individuals,” focusing especially on people of color, those with disabilities, transgender individuals, and underrepresented tech groups.
- A program targeting underrepresented communities in the Houston area, including women of color, women with disabilities, women involved in the justice system, immigrant women, and transgender women.
- A similar initiative for “non-traditional vocational training” in Biloxi, Mississippi for women, transgender women, and non-binary individuals in the Gulf region.
- A DEI initiative designed to improve recruitment from historically underrepresented groups in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania, which includes women of color, women with disabilities, those facing justice issues, and LGBTQI+ immigrant women.
- Programs aimed at addressing climate change and mitigating its effects on vulnerable communities from a social and economic justice perspective.
In March, DOL also scrapped $577 million from its “Last America” initiative.
Another $12.2 million was earmarked for “Worker Empowerment in South America,” while $6.25 million was allocated to “improve respect for workers’ rights in the agricultural supply chain” in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
The cancelled grants extended to other countries as well, including $3 million to ensure a “safe and comprehensive work environment” in Lesotho, $3 million for “enhanced social security access and worker protection” for internal migrant workers in Bangladesh, $4.3 million supporting foreign migrant workers in Malaysia, and $5 million promoting “women’s participation in workplaces.”
“Our focus is on leading more women to good-paying jobs based on their merit rather than funding what some consider discriminatory DEI experiments that don’t address the real challenges women face in the workforce.”
