A federal judge has just ruled that the Trump administration can’t pull federal health grants simply because they’re tied to “gender ideology” or “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
That’s the word from U.S. District Judge William Young—a Reagan appointee, no less—who called the move unlawful and ordered the funds to start flowing again immediately.
In February, the NIH yanked grants connected to LGBTQ research, gender identity, and DEI initiatives. Naturally, groups like the ACLU, the American Public Health Association, and Ibis Reproductive Health ran straight to court—and got exactly the ruling they wanted.
“The ideologically motivated directives to terminate grants alleged to constitute DEI, ‘gender ideology,’ or other forbidden topics were, in fact, arbitrary and capricious, and have now been ruled unlawful,” said Peter G. Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, one of the plaintiffs in the case.
Georges Benjamin, executive director of the APHA, didn’t hold back either. “We’re certainly very pleased with the judge’s decision, and actually the way he portrayed it as, you know, discrimination. I think that’s pure and simple, that the administration was trying to undermine the health and well-being of these populations,” he said to “The Hill.”
So what now? The Biden appointees might be cheering, but the Trump administration isn’t done. The federal government says it’s planning to appeal the ruling, or stop it in its tracks.
“HHS stands by its decision to end funding for research that prioritized ideological agendas over scientific rigor and meaningful outcomes for the American people,” said HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon.
“Under the leadership of Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration, HHS is committed to ensuring that taxpayer dollars support programs rooted in evidence-based practices and gold standard science, not driven by divisive DEI mandates or gender ideology,” he added.
Still, even with the court’s order, critics say this administration knows how to play the long game—and slow-walk compliance when it wants to.
“Spigots have been turned back on, but this administration has tried to find ways to slow things down, kind of put barriers in the way of getting the dollars out the door,” said Benjamin. “Just watch what the administration does with their left hand when they’re doing something with their right. They’ve been pretty sneaky about trying to find ways to get around judges’ rules.”
In April, Attorney General Pam Bondi ended federal lawsuits that the Biden administration had filed against local police and fire departments over their merit-based hiring policies.
Under the Biden administration, the DOJ’s Office of Civil Rights sued local first responders for prioritizing merit in hiring rather than making race-based decisions.
“Despite no evidence of intentional discrimination—only statistical disparities—the prior administration branded the aptitude tests at issue in these cases as discriminatory to advance a DEI agenda,” the DOJ said in a news release.
“And it sought to coerce cities into conducting DEI-based hiring in response and spending millions of dollars in taxpayer funds for payouts to previous applicants who had scored lower on the tests, regardless of qualifications,” the news release added.
President Donald Trump signed executive orders ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies within the federal government. Bondi’s decision this week marks the latest development in the ongoing effort to roll back DEI initiatives under the new administration.
Bondi’s office stated that DEI policies pose a threat to public safety and indicated that dismissing the cases represents an “early step toward eradicating illegal DEI preferences across the government and in the private sector.”
“American communities deserve firefighters and police officers to be chosen for their skill and dedication to public safety – not to meet DEI quotas,” Bondi said.
