The Department of Education (DOED) has announced the termination of $600 million in grants funding programs that promote “divisive ideologies,” including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, as well as instruction on “White privilege and White supremacy.” The decision, made on Monday, is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to eliminate what it deems “wasteful” spending within the federal government.
According to the DOED, many of the canceled grants included teacher recruitment strategies that were “implicitly and explicitly based on race.” The terminated programs also funded training that required educators to “take personal and institutional responsibility for systemic inequities (e.g., racism)” and critically reassess their practices.
This move follows recent actions by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, which slashed over $370 million in DEI training programs from the Education Department. Among the programs affected was one that provided “spaces for critical reflection to help educators confront biases and have transformative conversations about equity,” and another focused on “building historical and sociopolitical understandings of race and racism to interrupt racial marginalization and oppression of students.”
The decision has garnered support from some lawmakers and advocacy groups. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, expressed her approval on social media. Similarly, Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice praised the cuts, stating, “Less money on DEI nonsense means more money to make sure teachers know how to teach students to read! #MakeAmericaLiterateAgain.”
Chris Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, also applauded the move, calling the grants “left-wing race and gender ideologies” and stating, “It’s time to shut it all down.”
The Trump administration has made eliminating DEI programs in education a priority, recently ordering all 50 state education departments to remove DEI policies within 14 days or risk losing federal funding. President Trump has also signaled his intention to eventually abolish the Department of Education, allowing states to manage their own education systems.
The announcement underscores the administration’s ongoing efforts to reshape federal education policies and reduce spending on programs it considers divisive or unnecessary.
