Pam Bondi Rewrites DOJ Funding Rules to Benefit White People

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday issued a memo ordering recipients of federal funding to scrap a stunning array of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives—including antidiscrimination protections.

It’s the latest move by the Trump administration to eliminate DEI programs meant to address inequities stemming from historical injustices such as discrimination, on the grounds that they themselves amount to discrimination.

The new guidance, per Bondi, applies to all federally funded entities or those “otherwise subject to federal antidiscrimination laws, including educational institutions, state and local governments, and public and private employers.” It describes various practices they must do away with in order to comply with the administration’s interpretation of civil rights law and maintain federal funding.

The memo offers specific examples. To give a taste: A state agency that prioritizes awarding contracts to women-owned or minority-owned businesses will be engaged in unlawful practices. As will institutions that mandate or “implicitly prioritize” “diverse slate” hiring or selection practices.

Also to be eliminated are scholarships, internships, and other programs limiting eligibility to certain protected groups (the memo offers the example of a “Black Student Excellence Scholarship”), as well as employee training programs that “single out, demean, or stereotype individuals” (for example, by including phrases like “toxic masculinity”).

According to the memo, college lounges or other facilities designated for students belonging to certain identity groups, “even if access is technically open for all,” can constitute unlawful segregation. But “while compelled segregation is generally impermissible,” Bondi adds, allowing transgender people to use bathrooms or participate on sports teams according to their gender identity “can also violate federal law.”