Nonprofits Sue Trump Administration Over Anti-DEI Funding Restrictions 

The Trump administration clearly believes being elected for a second term gives them carte blanche to move however they please—laws and limits be damned. While Trump certainly moved fast and broke a lot of things in his early months, many of those moves are now being challenged in court. Over 20 nonprofits providing support for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over restrictions placed on federal funding tied to their ongoing crusade against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 

According to NBC News, the complaint was filed in Rhode Island by nonprofits such as Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and Violence Free Minnesota. The complaint argues that changes to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program aren’t designed to improve care for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, but instead “seek to advance the Administration’s wholly unrelated ideological goals—including to end ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility,’ deny transgender people’s identities, and cut off access to abortion resources and referrals.”

From NBC News:

In March, for example, HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced in a post on social media that the department would impose new conditions on funds distributed through its Continuum of Care program, which is designed to end homelessness. The conditions cite several executive orders President Donald Trump issued during the first weeks of his presidency, including that the government will only legally recognize two, unchangeable sexes; deem diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government “illegal”; and end “forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion.”

HHS and three of its divisions — the Administration for Children and Families, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration — were also named as defendants and have enacted similar conditions for grant recipients, affecting the CDC’s Rape Prevention and Education program, funding for families who have experienced domestic violence and grants intended to reduce infant and maternal mortality, among other programs.

“They can accept the conditions—and fundamentally change their programming, abandon outreach methods and programs designed to best serve their communities, and risk exposing themselves to ruinous liability. Or they can decline the funding and halt their funded programs—displacing domestic and sexual violence survivors from safe housing, ending programs designed to reduce and prevent domestic and sexual violence, and putting previously homeless families and children back on the streets,” the complaint states.

The suit is asking the court to permanently block the funding restrictions, arguing that the restrictions undermined Congress, which usually decides how federal funding is distributed. 

Like everything terrible in this country, Black women are disproportionately at risk of sexual assault and domestic violence. We live in an era where trash men are proudly caping for D-tier rapper Tory Lanez because he shot a woman and arguing that Diddy did nothing wrong, even after seeing that horrifying hotel video. It’s bad enough that Black women have to live in a country constantly reminding them at every turn how little their bodies are valued. Now, the federal government is straight up arguing that helping them in their lowest moments is “DEI” and must be banned. 

Skye Perryman, the president and CEO of Democracy Forward, one of the organizations representing the nonprofits, issued a statement decrying how these changes only hinder their ability to do meaningful work. 

“Organizations serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, LGBTQ+ youth, and people experiencing homelessness should not be forced to abandon their work, erase the identities of those they serve, or compromise their values just to keep their doors open,” Perryman’s statement read. “This unlawful and harmful policy puts extreme schemes ahead of people’s dignity and safety by restricting essential federal support.”

The Trump administration faced a similar lawsuit earlier this year from several nonprofits focused on LGBTQ health. A judge blocked parts of a Trump executive order withholding funding from the groups over DEI concerns. The judge’s ruling found the order infringed on their First Amendment rights and that Congress, not the president, had the authority to decide how congressionally approved funds are dispersed. 

Hopefully, we see a similar ruling play out here. 

SEE ALSO:

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