After four years of embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into nearly every aspect of government, the Biden administration will fulfill President-elect Donald Trump's promise to eradicate “woke” ideology. Therefore, many issues remain.
Legal experts and DEI opponents told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the Trump administration needs to address everything from agency hiring practices to internal training for funding decisions. That's what it means.
Gail Herriot, a law professor at the University of San Diego, told DCNF that the Trump administration needs to start by “reversing the Biden executive order that embeds DEI into every nook and cranny of the executive branch of government.”
President Joe Biden's first day executive order Developed a “Government-wide Equity Agenda” and directed all government agencies to conduct equity assessments. His Officers in June 2021 order Regarding DEI in the federal workforce, agencies were required to implement training programs to inform employees about systemic racism and implement DEI principles in hiring and promotion practices.
I can play cards too recover His September 2020 executive order: reversed Biden said he would “fight racial and gender stereotypes.”
Ideas promoted through DEI training “may be popular in the academy, but they have no place in programs and activities supported by federal taxpayer dollars,” the order states.
Another early goal could be the elimination of DEI employment policies within federal agencies. DEI opponents also say President Trump needs to cut programs and grants that provide funding based on status. (Related: 5 government programs where Musk's Office of Government Efficiency could run into trouble)
“First and foremost, the Trump administration is leveraging its authority over federal agencies and programs to protect against existing discrimination in funding, grants, and contracts,” said William Jacobson, a professor at Cornell Law School and founder of the Equal Protection Project. We need to enforce the rules,” he told DCNF. . “Many DEI practices violate existing anti-discrimination laws and regulations.”
Some programs, such as those run by the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), are already facing legal hurdles as a result of lawsuits brought by conservative groups. In March, a federal judge ruled that the MBDA's mission to help minority-owned businesses access capital and government contracts was unconstitutional, requiring it to screen applicants “on the basis of race.” He said he could not.
A recent report released by Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz revealed More than 10% of National Science Foundation (NSF) grant spending during the Biden-Harris administration went to research projects promoting DEI.
DEI: President Trump's new Secretary of Education will be busy. By threatening to withhold accreditation and student loan funding, the administration could eliminate DEI and racist admissions policies at U.S. universities. This process will take at least 8 months if: pic.twitter.com/7NA2xaMVvv
— @amuse (@amuse) November 11, 2024
continue the attack
While the Trump administration is eradicating internal DEI programs, it could also target similar programs in U.S. education and businesses. (Related: Exclusive: Investment advisers warn top companies that diversity efforts are 'now a responsibility' under Trump administration)
“As the Trump administration considers eliminating or reorganizing the Department of Education, it should insist that DOE’s Office of Civil Rights respond swiftly and forcefully to complaints of DEI discrimination,” Jacobson said. “Our Equal Protection Project (EPP, EqualProtect.org) has filed approximately 50 OCR complaints against universities over the past 18 months, and in many cases OCR has been slow to respond.”
Since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in higher education last year, EPP has been suing universities for tuition reduction programs, scholarships and fellowships that include race in eligibility criteria.
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division should target “schools, employers, and nonprofit programs that provide resources on the basis of race,” said a senior attorney at the Heritage Foundation's Edwin Meese III Center for Law and Justice Research. researcher Giancarlo Canaparo told DCNF.
“There are many positive outcomes that can be achieved by prosecuting high-profile targets, but smaller targets should also be prosecuted. “No,” he said, because the signaling effect is powerful.
Under the Biden administration, OCR sued police and fire departments over hiring standards it deemed discriminatory based on results. The Maryland State Police has agreed to a settlement of more than $2 million after finding that women performed worse than men on physical exams and that black applicants passed written exams at a lower rate than white applicants.
Congressional action
The most lasting changes must be made by Congress.
“At some point in the future, Democrats will again be in control of all of these government agencies, and if these tools are on the table, they're going to use them,” Canaparo said. It will happen,” he said. (Related: Exclusive: New document sheds light on Air Force's 'goal' to reduce 'white male population' in enlisted officer ranks)
Canaparo said Congress should repeal the 1991 law that he claims helped create DEI. correction to Title VII.
Amendment bill make It is illegal to implement a policy that disparately affects minorities, even if the policy is seemingly neutral.
Federal DEI policies have created divisive and wasteful programs that undermine the principles of merit and equity that Americans have fought for for generations.
The DEI Dismantling Act would abolish the DEI Office and restore accountability by removing its authority to the federal government. pic.twitter.com/0oIlhmL2iT
— Congressman Michael Cloud (@RepCloudTX) November 20, 2024
Herriot argued that Congress should remove the incentives that universities have to offer preferential treatment based on race. like that These include stripping accrediting institutions of their authority to determine the racial makeup of their student bodies and ending federal programs that provide funding to institutions with high minority populations.
Universities seek to circumvent the Supreme Court's affirmative action rulings by considering “adversity” scores and implementing admissions essay questions about aspects of a potential student's “identity.” I've been trying.
June, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance introduced The DEI Repeal Act of 2024, with Representative Michael Cloud, would eliminate all federal DEI programs and prohibit federal grant funding and contracts to promote DEI. law passed He will be removed from the House Oversight Committee on Thursday.
“If Trump is successful in his campaign to end woke discrimination, he will go down in history as one of the greatest presidents to commit to racial neutrality in the United States,” Canaparo said.
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