By Gloria Ogbonna

The Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced Tuesday the cancellation of 25 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) grants, eliminating $13.6 million in planned federal spending.

Officials say the decision is part of a broader effort to streamline government initiatives and prioritize job programs rooted in merit-based advancement over what they describe as “ideologically driven” programs.

Among the canceled funds was $8.4 million earmarked specifically for domestic DEI initiatives designed to foster inclusive environments for so-called “gender-expansive” individuals, as well as others often championed by progressive advocacy groups.

The departments emphasized that these projects, while labeled as equity initiatives, often funded what they viewed as controversial social experiments rather than practical workforce solutions.

According to DOGE, the terminated grants included:

• $716,000 for the creation of “DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) materials, training modules, and support networks.”
• $398,000 for “gender equity awareness training” programs.
• $350,000 to support “migrant sending or receiving communities.”

A source familiar with the internal review of these grants told Breitbart News that several of the initiatives had sparked concern among government officials for promoting divisive or ideologically charged content. These included:

• An equity summit focused on building safe work environments for women and “gender-expansive people,” including people of color, individuals with disabilities, transgender individuals, and those underrepresented in the tech sector.
• A Greater Houston program aimed at underrepresented communities, especially immigrant women, justice-involved women, women with disabilities, and transgender women.
• A pre-apprenticeship and nontraditional job training program in Biloxi, Mississippi targeting women, transgender women, and non-binary individuals in the Gulf Coast.
• A recruitment initiative in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania to increase access for historically underrepresented groups including LGBTQI+ and immigrant women.
• A climate justice project seeking to address racial, social, and economic disparities in vulnerable communities impacted by environmental change.

“These grants were sold to the public as empowerment tools,” the source said, “but many lacked tangible outcomes, were duplicative, and in some cases prioritized ideological narratives over practical workforce training.”

Great work today by @USDOL, canceling $13.6M in wasteful DEI grants totaling $8.4M in savings, including:
– $716k for “DEIA materials, training modules, and support networks”
– $398k for “gender equity awareness training”
– $350k to “migrant sending or receiving communities”

— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) May 6, 2025

This isn’t the first time the Biden administration has trimmed controversial contracts. Back in March, the DOL canceled $577 million in what it labeled “America Last” contracts — a reference to U.S. tax dollars being used for overseas worker initiatives. These included:

• $12.2 million for “worker empowerment” programs in South America.
• $6.25 million to promote “respect for workers’ rights” in agricultural supply chains across Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
• $3 million for “inclusive work environments” in Lesotho.
• $3 million to improve social security access for internal migrant workers in Bangladesh.
• $4.3 million in assistance for foreign migrant workers in Malaysia.
• $5 million to support women’s workplace participation in West Africa.

Courtney Parella, a spokesperson for the Department of Labor, defended the move, stating, “We want to focus on getting more women into good-paying jobs based on merit — not funding discriminatory DEI experiments that elevate gender ideology over the real challenges women face in the workforce.”

Critics of DEI initiatives argue that the programs often impose ideological conformity, penalize dissent, and fail to deliver meaningful improvements in job readiness or access.

Supporters, on the other hand, warn that cutting such programs could disproportionately harm marginalized communities and roll back progress made in workforce equity.

For now, the administration says its priority is to invest in “evidence-based” workforce development programs that support all Americans—especially women—without relying on what it sees as divisive identity politics.

“This isn’t about ignoring discrimination,” one official explained. “It’s about ensuring federal dollars are used wisely to prepare people for real opportunities—not to fund niche projects that push ideology over impact.”

Source: Breitbart