New DOT chief announces takedown of DEI programs

Newly confirmed U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has signed memoranda directing DOT officers and heads of operations to identify and eliminate all Biden-era programs, policies, activities, rules and orders that promote climate change activism, DEI initiatives, racial equity, gender identity policies and environmental justice. 

The DOT said the action aligns with several of President Trump’s executive orders and ensures that DOT policies align with the administration’s priorities. 

“Today’s actions mark an important step in restoring common-sense governance and merit-based policies at U.S. DOT,” Duffy said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are focused on eliminating excessive regulations that have hindered economic growth, increased costs for American families and prioritized far-left agendas over practical solutions.”

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Duffy approved a notice to rescind the Biden administration’s rule requiring state transportation departments to measure and establish declining targets for carbon-dioxide emissions on federally supported highways. The DOT said the rescission “reflects the administration’s commitment to unleashing American energy and eliminating unlawful regulatory burdens.” 

Duffy also signed an order ensuring that all DOT policies, grants, loans and actions are based on “sound economic principles, positive cost-benefit analyses and pro-economic growth priorities.”

On Trump’s first day in office, the president signed an executive order terminating all DEI, DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility) and environmental justice offices and positions; all equity plans, actions, initiatives, programs, grants and contracts; and all DEI or DEIA performance requirements for employees, contractors or grantees.