The Department of Justice (DOJ) will reallocate funds previously granted to groups supporting transgenderism and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, shifting the money instead toward law enforcement efforts.
When reports surfaced that the DOJ plans to cut $811 million in grants, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting details about the DOJ’s grant review and appeals process. According to a report by the Daily Wire, the DOJ responded that most of the affected grants were awarded to non-governmental entities, “not to states or local jurisdictions that directly serve our communities.”
Among such grants previously issued by the DOJ was a $200,000 award to the Diversity Center of Oklahoma for programs aimed at “Black and Brown women, including Black transgender women,” including funding for “gender affirming medical care.” The DOJ also awarded $250,000 to the Washington State Department of Corrections during the Biden administration to promote transgenderism within the state prisons.
In a response to Grassley, the DOJ explained that future grants will align more closely with the Trump administration’s goals, which include “supporting law enforcement operations, combatting violent crime, protecting American children, supporting American victims of trafficking and sexual assault, and enhancing coordination among law enforcement at all levels of government.”
Organizations that received termination notices will not be required to return already disbursed funds, but will not receive further funding. They have 30 days to appeal the decision.
According to a report by Fox News, a DOJ official stated that Attorney General Bondi’s department “will not waste” funds on DEI.
“The Department of Justice under Pam Bondi will not waste discretionary funds on DEI passion projects that do not make Americans safer,” the official explained. “We will use our money to get criminals off the streets, seize drugs, and in some cases, fund programs that deliver a tangible impact for victims of crime.”
After taking office, Bondi ordered the termination of all DEI programs within the department. She also directed that any DEI-related content be removed from DOJ training programs, especially those emphasizing race or sex-based criteria, and instead instructed officials to focus on standards based “solely on merit.”
Last month, Bondi announced cuts to “millions of dollars in wasteful grants.” This included cutting so-called “gender affirming care” for inmates identifying as transgender, as well as ending a program aimed at assessing the “efficacy of police departments’ LGBTQ liaison services.”
The DOJ, under Bondi’s leadership, has maintained that its priority is to protect public institutions from “toxic DEI” initiatives.
