Trump Orders Schools, Colleges to End DEI or Lose Federal Funding

The measure would affect a range of programs, from special education to university research.
Trump Orders Schools, Colleges to End DEI or Lose Federal Funding
President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, on Jan. 20, 2025. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Aaron Gifford
Updated:
0:00

President Donald Trump’s latest executive action will cut off federal funding to any learning institutions that mandate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) provisions or hire contractors that engage in such practices.

According to the Jan. 21 order, titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” any schools that receive federal money, including funds for special education programs and low-income student populations in K-12 schools or federal student loan programs (Pell grants) in colleges and universities, will be issued guidance for complying with this mandate within 120 days.
Aaron Gifford
Aaron Gifford
Author
Aaron Gifford has written for several daily newspapers, magazines, and specialty publications and also served as a federal background investigator and Medicare fraud analyst. He graduated from the University at Buffalo and is based in Upstate New York.