Although Democrats are melting down over Elon Musk and President Trump’s attempts to downsize the federal government and ending woke DEI programs, throwing tantrums will not stop what’s coming.
Just days after taking office, President Trump signed a Memorandum placing all federal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) employees on administrative leave, pending the termination of these programs under Trump’s “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions” Executive Order.
President Trump has also made it clear that the Department of Education (DOE) is set for major changes, if not complete closure.
The Gateway Pundit reported that Democrats, angry that an agency with an abysmal record for student achievement may actually have to face questions about its failures, attempted to barge their way into the DOE building in their latest publicity stunt.
Despite their petulant mewings, on Friday, the DOE announced it had canceled $15 million in federal grants that were used to fund diversity programs at three universities in order to align with the President’s Executive Order.
The universities—California State University, Los Angeles; Virginia Commonwealth University; and the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota—had received a series of grants for their education schools under the Biden administration. Ostensibly meant for teacher training and development, the grants were in fact used to support courses and workshops on DEI concepts—including “white privilege,” “systemic racism,” and “linguistic supremacy”—as well as the establishment of a “social justice” center.
The awards were part of the over $1 billion that the Biden Education Department spent on diversity programs in American schools, nearly half of which went to grants for race-based hiring.
At the University of St. Thomas, a “cultural assessment” quiz asked teachers whether they “understand how white privilege and racism affect me and others,” according to grant applications reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon. At Virginia Commonwealth University, the education school hosted workshops on “decolonizing the curriculum” and “becoming an antiracist educator.” And at California State University, the grants were used to fund the development of an “Equity and Social Justice Center” along with more general efforts to boost “educator diversity.” It is not clear exactly how much money went to each school.
In January, writer and activist Christopher Rufo foretold major shakeups at the DOE in order to align with President Trump’s Executive Order.
Rufo shared on X, “The Department of Education has terminated its DEI Council, withdrawn its Equity Action Plan, canceled $2.6 million in DEI training contracts, and placed all DEI staffers on leave, effective immediately. They are laying siege to the institution—with more to come.”
BREAKING: The Department of Education has terminated its DEI Council, withdrawn its Equity Action Plan, canceled $2.6 million in DEI training contracts, and placed all DEI staffers on leave, effective immediately. They are laying siege to the institution—with more to come. pic.twitter.com/GRfZQwRdR2
— Christopher F. Rufo
(@realchrisrufo) January 23, 2025
According to a 2023 report by the Office of Inspector General, e DOE spent approximately $1.5 billion on various educational programs that were later found to be ineffective or never implemented.
The Department of Education spent approximately $1.5 billion on various educational programs that were later found to be ineffective or never implemented, according to a 2023 report by the Office of Inspector General. pic.twitter.com/ZlLNQK5Cve
— Dave Bondy (@DaveBondyTV) February 4, 2025
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