Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The U.S. Department of Education is considering changes to regulations governing college mergers and civil rights enforcement. Proposed agenda items include addressing culture war issues such as defining sex and reducing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Ohio's Senate Bill 1 (SB1) and House Bill 698 (HB 698) impose new restrictions on public universities, including mechanisms to penalize professors for political bias and tying state funding to anti-DEI evaluations. While SB1 allows for firing tenured faculty over classroom bias, HB 698 threatens universities with funding cuts based on unspecified criteria, potentially costing millions. No professors have been fired under SB1 yet, but institutions face compliance challenges and financial risks.

Stuart Bell was approved as the University of Florida president on July 1, 2026, ending a two-year interim period. The Florida Board of Governors approved former University of Alabama President Bell, with Governor Aubrey Edge casting the sole vote against him. Bell has committed to not endorsing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, closing DEI offices at Alabama to comply with state legislation.

Advocacy groups are suing to remove five of ten GOP-proposed ballot measures in Arizona, including ones targeting trans students and diversity initiatives. The lawsuits argue the measures are misleading and violate the state constitution's single-subject rule. The Will of the People PAC claims the proposals discriminate and mislead voters.

A woman identified as Angie Baez, a JPMorgan Chase DEI executive, was fired after dumping trash on a sidewalk during a New York Knicks parade. The incident highlighted contradictions in DEI practices, as Baez's actions were seen as entitlement rather than equity.

The Education Department is transferring oversight of special education and civil rights to the Justice Department and HHS, aligning with President Trump's goal to dismantle the department. These moves reduce the Education Department's responsibilities, with the Justice Department handling civil rights enforcement and student privacy, and HHS managing special education programs.

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction halting USDA's 2026 funding conditions requiring states to certify they do not support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, gender ideology, or fund undocumented immigrants. Virginia and 20 other states sued, calling the conditions unconstitutional and vague, as they impact programs like SNAP and WIC, which assist millions facing hunger.

California, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for discontinuing grants under the State Personnel Development Grant program, which funds special education staff development and services for children with disabilities. The states argue the 2025 cuts were politically motivated, citing the administration’s opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

US defense secretary Pete Hegseth removed nine navy officers, including women and Black service members, from a promotion list, resulting in an all-male, overwhelmingly white slate of 22 advancing to become one-star admirals. The action violated merit-based promotion rules and extended the Trump administration's push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the military.

The Department of Energy under Trump has restarted an energy rebate program but removed rebates for switching from fossil fuels to electricity and eliminated diversity, equity, and inclusion considerations. This follows legal challenges after Trump’s executive order halted funding from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which a coalition of states successfully contested, leading to a March 2025 injunction to restore funds.

Disney and ABC accused the Trump administration's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of attempting to suppress speech through an early license renewal order for WABC-TV in New York. The companies claimed the order was unconstitutional and aimed to stifle editorial voices, while FCC Chairman Brendan Carr defended it as part of an investigation into Disney's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.

Kimberly Yee criticized Tom Horne's school voucher program as 'complete chaos,' while Horne accused Yee of supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Both candidates, running in the Arizona Republican primary for Superintendent of Public Instruction, exchanged allegations during a debate, with Horne claiming Yee wanted to allow parents to use taxpayer funds for luxury purchases and Yee denying any DEI committee membership.

The FCC has ordered an early review of broadcast licenses for local TV stations owned by Disney, which operates ABC. The agency confirmed an ongoing investigation into Disney's diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

The Trump-era Department of Justice has intervened in a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk's xAI against Colorado, alleging the state's AI regulation law violates the First and 14th Amendments by mandating diversity, equity, and inclusion standards. The law, set to take effect in June, requires AI developers to prevent algorithmic discrimination based on protected classes like race and religion, which the DOJ and xAI argue compels unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.