Trump Admin Cites D.E.I. as an Excuse to Cut $783 Million in Research Funding

In the Trump Administration's latest pursuit of rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, the unfortunate victim is research funding. Back in June, William Young, a judge for the U.S. District Court, ruled that the cutting of nearly 800 grants was based on discrimination, not a legal one. Therefore, he ruled that the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) must continue making payments towards the research grants. Our current administration, dismayed with the District Court's decision, immediately went to work on getting their order up and running. Solicitor General D. John Sauer pleaded to the Supreme Court Justices to evaluate the lower courts' ruling. The pleading worked as a 5-4 decision from the Supreme Court granted a path forward for Trump and his allies. Crucially, the money cut was not going to D.E.I. programs; instead, the money was going towards research on areas like racial health disparities and transgender health.

Why is "D.E.I." a target?

D.E.I. has been a long-standing point of attack for Trump's second administration. Indeed, his dangerous rhetoric on the topic has sewn seeds of division for years now. That's because D.E.I. is an easy target. Following the racial movements of 2020, D.E.I. was instituted in many corporations, organizations, and schools as a reaction to the exposure of systemic oppression. Yet, the implementation of these programs has always drawn criticism. So, the Trump administration capitalized on a negative public perception and expanded it much further. If Trump can convince working-class Americans that their financial status, opportunities, and jobs are directly stolen by the "other", then progress is unlikely to occur. A clear goal of an administration backed by the oligarchy is to root out any sentiment of working-class solidarity. Dividing the working class based on racial lines feeds into the future that Trump wants for America. Moreover, it's easy to spread misinformation about D.E.I. In today's example, scientific research on the intersection between health, gender, and race is labeled as "D.E.I." instead of what it truly is, life-saving work.

Although the Trump administration's actions can be seen as misinformed and chaotic, everything is purposeful. $783 million is a lot of money going to a cause that officials at the White House couldn't care less about. Instead, that same 783 million dollars could be spent on policy that better aligns with the Trump Administration's goals, such as building detention centers, strengthening ICE, and funding Israel. Indeed, D.E.I. is just an example of a wider trend in which the Trump Administration slashes federal funds towards anything they don't like, excusing their recklessness by crying "woke" over and over again. Crucially, the programs that are continually targeted are meant for the people. Research on health inequalities has the potential to ameliorate the conditions of many marginalized groups across the world. Reversal of grants for scientific innovation only stifles progress, nothing else. Once again, the Trump administration's blatant, discriminatory actions come at the cost of Americans. As the Supreme Court paves the way for 783 million dollars in research funding for public health to be cut, remember that "D.E.I." is just an excuse, not the problem.