Trump

Dept of Ed Reduces Size, Scope; Grows Power to Cut DEI, Racism

Since taking office, the Trump Administration has undertaken significant actions to reduce the size and scope of the U.S. Department of Education including leadership changes, workforce reduction, office closures and policy shifts. New energy is being directed to root out DEI and racism from school programs nationwide.

After years of declining student outcomes and wasted money, many believe a change is not only warranted, but essential.

Leadership Appointment

On March 3, 2025, Linda McMahon was confirmed as the new secretary of education. Secretary McMahon’s primary objective, as outlined and supported by President Trump, is to dismantle the Department of Education.

In an email to agency staff, later shared on the agency’s website, McMahon told employees that the Department of Education is not working as intended and a review is long overdue. She asserted that in her professional experience “disruption leads to innovation and gets results.” She told staff that they must think about their work to overhaul the agency as the “final mission at the department.”

In the email, she very clearly laid out three convictions of the department:

  1. Parents are the primary decision makers in their children’s education. 
  2. Taxpayer-funded education should refocus on meaningful learning in math, reading, science, and history—not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology. 
  3. Postsecondary education should be a path to a well-paying career aligned with workforce needs. 

After spending over one trillion dollars since the department’s formation in 1980, with declining student outcomes, McMahon referred to the agency’s work under her leadership as “one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students.”

Workforce Reduction

Notably, this month the administration announced plans to reduce federal employees at the U.S. Department of Education by over 1,300 workers.  

This reduction, coupled with nearly 600 employees who accepted voluntary resignation and retirement packages, represents a nearly 50% reduction in the federal workforce at the Department of Education.

Secretary McMahon said that the reduction “reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers.”

The action is consistent with promises Trump made on the campaign trail to decrease the size of the agency.

According to the department’s press release, employees impacted by the reduction will be placed on administrative leave beginning Friday, March 21. They will receive full pay and benefits until June 9, 2025, in addition to “substantial severance pay or retirement benefits.”

Office Closures

Due to the reduction in workforce, seven of the 13 Offices of Civil Rights (OCR) will completely close by June 9, 2025, including offices in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. OCR offices in Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, Seattle and Washington, D.C. will remain open. There are about 550 OCR workers employed by the Department of Education. Approximately 243 of the OCR employees received termination letters, a majority of them lawyers.

Policy Shifts

Not only is the Department of Education hyper-focused on decentralizing education and giving more power to states, local education authorities and parents, but it is also committed to rooting out radical ideology and racism from primary, secondary and higher education.

Under Trump’s leadership, the U.S. Department of Education has ceased enforcement of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs that, among other things, allowed men to compete against women in women’s sports.

In February of this year, it created an “end-DEI” portal for the public to submit complaints about DEI programs in schools and warned schools that federal funding could be cut for non-compliance.

In late February, the Department of Education announced an investigation into apparent discrimination in Maine’s schools where males were allowed to compete in female sports. 

This week, the federal government froze $174 million in federal funding headed to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) due to its policies which force women to compete against men in sports. UPenn made headlines in 2022, when they allowed a mediocre biological male swimmer, Lia Thomas, to compete against women.

In March, the Department of Education sent letters to 60 colleges and universities warning them of enforcement actions that will be taken against their institutions if they permit antisemitism on campus.

The department also opened investigations into 52 higher education institutions who receive federal funding for alleged violations of federal law that prohibit the use of racial preferences and stereotypes as a factor in “hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and other programs and activities.” 

Legal Challenges

The effort to close offices and reduce the workforce at the U.S. Department of Education has been met with a legal challenge. A coalition of attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit attempting to block the administration’s efforts. The lawsuit argues that such actions would severely impair its ability to fulfill legally mandated functions.

In response, the Department of Education defended its actions claiming the executive branch has the authority to reorganize, enhance efficiency and reduce redundancy. The department also maintains that all their actions have been done in full compliance with existing federal laws. Finally, the agency argues that the restructure is essential to achieving the administration’s policy objective to decentralize education oversight and give more control to state and local authorities.

Further Executive Action to Dismantle Department of Education

An executive order to dismantle the Department of Education is still expected. A complete abolition of the department would require Congressional action because it was statutorily created by Congress.

At present, there appears to be much work for the Department of Education to do as it enforces federal law and makes sure radical ideology and DEI practices are cut from education programs across the country. In the future, enforcement actions could be carried out by the Department of Justice if an executive order were to limit the work of the Department of Education.

Related Articles and Resources:

Equipping Parents for Back to School 

Celebrate the Real NCAA Women’s 500-Freestyle Swimming Champions

Department of Education Blew $1 Billion on DEI – Here’s Why It Matters

Department of Education: Schools Embracing DEI Will Lose Funding

New Education Secretary Linda McMahon: ‘Send Education to the States’

Image from Getty.

Trump DOJ Drops Case Against Idaho’s Pro-Life Law, Still Faces Legal Challenge

Thankfully, Idaho no longer has to fight the federal government to defend its right to protect mothers and babies from abortion.

This week, the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped the Biden DOJ’s lawsuit targeting Idaho’s pro-life law. In the self-executing motion filed with the court on Wednesday, the Trump DOJ voluntarily dismissed the case with no further action required by the court.

Background

Following the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Idaho’s Defense of Life Act went into effect, prohibiting abortion unless it is necessary to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest.

In August 2022, the Biden DOJ sued the state of Idaho over its pro-life law. 

It argued that the state law conflicted with federal law because the state law only permitted abortion in life-saving situations and not all emergency situations.

Attorneys for the state of Idaho argued that the pro-life law allows doctors to provide care to women experiencing ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages and other life-threatening conditions, which is exactly what the federal law requires.

Many in the pro-life community believe the abortion industry is using the federal law to try to create a loophole for elective abortions in Idaho.

Supreme Court Action

The cases — Moyle v. United States and Idaho v. United States — were argued before the Supreme Court last year.

The question before the Court was whether a federal law, known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), overrode the Idaho law regarding when an abortion can be performed.

As reported by the Daily Citizen, the Court did not decide on the merits of the case but instead dismissed it and sent it back to the lower court for continued consideration. The justices held that dismissal was appropriate because the cases had shifted in theory and arguments.

Future of Idaho’s Pro-Life Law

Idaho’s pro-life law still faces a legal challenge from St. Luke’s hospital system. St. Luke’s filed a lawsuit against the state in anticipation of the Trump DOJ dropping the case.

The hospital system, like Biden’s DOJ, is claiming that women in medical emergencies won’t be able to get an abortion to save their lives.

The district court judge granted the hospital’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to allow for emergency abortions in the state.

So, for now, the TRO will remain in place and allow for emergency abortions in Idaho pending further litigation.

The Daily Citizen will continue to follow this case and provide additional updates.

Image from Getty.

First Lady Supports Bill Targeting Deepfakes, Sextortion and Revenge Porn

The House of Representatives is preparing to pass a bill targeting revenge porn, online sextortion and pornographic deepfakes, multiple sources report, following exhortations from America’s first family.

The bipartisan Take It Down Act (H.R. 633) makes it illegal to share, or threaten to share, nude images and videos without consent. It passed the Senate on February 13 in a rare unanimous vote.

First lady Melania Trump joined Speaker of the House Mike Johnson at a Congressional roundtable Monday to support the bill.

“I am here with you today with a common goal — to protect our youth from online harm,” Mrs. Trump began, continuing:

In today’s AI-driven world, the threat of privacy breaches is alarmingly high. As organizations harness the power of our data, the risk of unauthorized access and misuse of a person’s information escalates.
We must prioritize robust security measures and uphold strict ethical standards to protect individual privacy.

Johnson echoed the first lady, acknowledging “laws need to keep up” with the “unspeakable evils” spawned by the “dark side of tech.”

“We are anxious to put it on the floor in the House, to get it to President Trump’s desk for his signature, because we’ve got to do what we can to stop [nonconsensual sharing of explicit images],” he said.

The president highlighted Melania’s support for the bill in last night’s wide-ranging joint address to congress, calling it “so important.”

“Once it passes the house, I look forward to signing it into law,” he said, thanking Senate Majority Leader John Thune for shepherding it through the Senate.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce must approve the Take It Down Act before the House can vote on it. Chairman Brett Guthrie said Monday a committee hearing on the bill will occur “very, very soon.”

How It Works

The Take It Down Act addresses three of the most common ways bad actors weaponize nude images online.

Revenge Porn

The first, and perhaps most familiar, way people exploit nude photos is “revenge porn” — when explicit images are shared to harm someone mentally, financially or reputationally. It is most closely associated with aggrieved ex-boyfriends leaking once-private, sexual images of former girlfriends.

The Act makes it illegal to publish sexual images that were:

  • Created or shared with a reasonable expectation of privacy, like those sent to a romantic partner.
  • Shared to cause harm.

Violators would face up to two years in prison for sharing images of an adult, and up to three years for sharing a minor’s.

Deepfakes

The same penalties apply to what the Act calls “digital forgeries” —  images and videos edited to make it appear as though a person is performing a sexual act. They are more commonly known as deepfakes.

Elliston Berry (15), who attended the joint address to congress with the first lady, is one of the many victims of pornographic deepfakes. When she was just 14 years old, Berry discovered a peer edited one of her Instagram posts to make it look like she was posing nude.

Berry told Monday’s congressional roundtable how the violation affected her life:

Fear, shock, and disgust were just some of the many emotions I felt.
I felt responsible and began to blame myself. I was ashamed to tell my parents, despite doing nothing wrong.
As I attended school, I was scared of the reactions of [people] or [that] someone could recreate those photos.

The Take It Down Act imposes the same penalties on people who share deepfakes as on those who share real photos, consistent with the real damage doctored images do to victims like Berry.

Online Sextortion

Threatening to leak explicit photos can be just as harmful as actually exposing them. Since 2021, at least 20 teenage boys have reportedly committed suicide after falling victim to sextortion.

Online sextortionists create fake social media accounts to convince users to strike up a romantic exchange of nude images. Once they get their hands on a someone’s explicit photos, the scammers ask for money in exchange for keeping the images quiet.

In 2022, Gavin Guffey, a 17-year-old from South Carolina, ended his life less than two hours after being contacted by a sextortionist. His dad, Representative Brandon Guffy (SC), is one of the bill’s biggest supporters. He described his experience in an article for The Hill.

As a father, I believe it is my job to protect our kids. Since Gavin took his life, I have been focused on continuing to use my voice to advocate, help victims, fight child online sexual abuse and focus on teen mental health. Our children’s safety is an issue that transcends party lines.

Under the Take It Down Act, sextortionists would face up to 18 months in prison for targeting an adult, and up to 30 months for targeting minors like Gavin.

A Pathway to Take It Down

H.R. 633 would also require websites and social media companies to remove explicit images within 48 hours of a victim’s request.

Representative Maria Salazar (FL), who sponsored the bill in the House, said of this provision:

The act, finally, is sending a very big message to Big Tech that they have to bring down these images within 48 hours. No more time than that. No more excuses. If not, Big Tech will be just as guilty as the aggressor.
Why It Matters

The internet is not a safe place for kids. At the very least, the Take It Down Act demonstrates Congress’ desire to help parents protect their kids from exploitation.

That’s something to celebrate.

Additional Articles and Resources

Teen Boys Falling Prey to Financial Sextortion — Here’s What Parents Can Do

Meta Takes Steps to Prevent Kids From Sexting

Instagram’s Sextortion Safety Measures — Too Little, Too Late?

Zuckerberg Implicated in Meta’s Failures to Protect Children

Instagram Content Restrictions Don’t Work, Tests Show

‘The Dirty Dozen List’ — Corporations Enable and Profit from Sexual Exploitation

Taylor Swift Deepfakes Should Inspire Outrage — But X Isn’t to Blame

Department of Education: Schools Embracing DEI Will Lose Funding

The Department of Education sent a “Dear Colleague” letter warning states and schools that they must eliminate discriminatory “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) trainings and curriculums and end racial preferences in hiring and admissions – or lose federal education funds.

The letter was sent on February 14 by the DOE’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor and applies “to all preschool, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies, that receive financial assistance.”

The letter, from the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights, warned, “Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding.”

The letter began with a clear statement, “Discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is illegal and morally reprehensible.”

Trainor then went on to explain two ways schools have violated federal non-discrimination laws. First, they have done this through “race-based preferences” and second, in using DEI in teacher training and classroom instruction.

Regarding race-based preferences, Trainor’s letter explained:

In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and low-income families. These institutions’ embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia.
 
For example, colleges, universities, and K-12 schools have routinely used race as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, and other institutional programming.

The DOE also noted, “In a shameful echo of a darker period in this country’s history, many American schools and universities even encourage segregation by race at graduation ceremonies and in dormitories and other facilities.”

The letter explained that the U.S. Supreme Court, in its 2023 decision Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College, found race-based preferences in college admissions unconstitutional.

Trainor wrote that the test for this discrimination is simple:

If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person’s race, the educational institution violates the law. Federal law thus prohibits covered entities from using race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.

The civil rights letter also told state departments of education and schools that DEI programs violated students constitutional rights:

Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon “systemic and structural racism” and advanced discriminatory policies and practices. Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them – particularly during the last four years – under the banner of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI), smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline. 

DEI is based on radical concepts from critical race theory and radical feminist ideology, beliefs rooted in Marxist- and Freudian-based critical legal theory. When used in schools, DEI teaches staff and students:

  • Everyone is racist and misogynist.
  • People have overlapping identities which make them “oppressed” or an “oppressor.”
  • “Gender” is one of those identities, and it is a “social construct.”
  • “Anti-racism,” LGBT activism and radical feminist action must be employed to fight this systemic bigotry. 

As the letter explained, “DEI programs … frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not.” As a result, the letter stated, these programs “deny students the ability to participate fully in the life of a school.”

The Dear Colleague letter followed an executive order from President Donald Trump, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.” The order indicted false, divisive ideologies like critical race theory and gender ideology, explaining their negative effects on students.

Another executive order directed different agency heads to “coordinate the termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”

While most K-12 education is funded by state and local governments, the DOE provides support for a variety of areas, including personnel, curriculums, technology and special education programs. According to the Education Data Initiative, “K-12 schools nationwide receive $119.1 billion total or $2,400 per pupil from the federal government.”

The DOE also offers grants for college students, such as Pell Grants, to the tune of $44.3 billion in 2023-2024.

The letter offered a link to the DOE Office of Civil Rights where individuals can file complaints against schools that continue to discriminate through racial preferences and DEI training, programs and curriculums.

Related articles and resources:

Focus on the Family’s free parenting resource Equipping Parents for Back to School explains issues like educational freedom, parental rights in education, critical race theory, sexual education, and religious freedom and free speech in schools. It’s a terrific resource for parents who want to advocate for their children and guide them toward academic success.

BLM at School Week – Indoctrinating and Training Radical Activist Children

Department of Education Blew $1 Billion on DEI – Here’s Why It Matters

Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Dear Colleague Letter

Is ‘Critical Race Theory’ Being Taught in Public Schools? CRT Deniers Claim it Isn’t

President Trump Ends Radical DEI Programs, Fires All DEI Personnel

Trump Ends Radical Indoctrination, Promotes Education Freedom

What’s Happening in Schools? Why We Need Educational Freedom

RFK, Jr. is Right: ‘We’re in a Spiritual Crisis’

Speaking at the White House following his confirmation and swearing-in as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. struck a powerful and poignant note as he looked both back and then ahead to his tenure at the agency. 

“For 20 years, I’ve gotten up every morning on my knees and prayed that God would put me in a position where I can end the childhood chronic disease epidemic in this country,” Kennedy said. 

The new secretary of HHS was referencing a turning point in his life, a spiritual transformation where he tackled various addictions threatening to spiral out-of-control.

Previously describing these eye-opening events in his life at a “Socrates in the City” event hosted by Eric Metaxas, RFK, Jr. said he “had to change at a deep, fundamental way [and] … I knew that was going to require a spiritual awakening.”

But he added, “After you have a spiritual awakening — you can’t live off the laurels of the spiritual awakening. You have to renew it every day. … You have to renew it by staying in that posture of surrender.”

At times, that “posture” has placed. Kennedy at odds with prevailing wisdom and societal norms. During the campaign, he pledged to “Make America Healthy Again” by examining and evaluating the safety of our food supply and even challenging those who believe pharmaceuticals should serve as our first line of defense against disease.

But talking with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham after Thursday’s events, RFK, Jr. suggested that food and exercise are only part of the problem and solution. 

“We’re not just in a health crisis, but we’re in a spiritual crisis. And those things are connected. We have a whole generation of kids that feel alienated, dispossessed. They are in an existential crisis, and not only because of their health. There’s a purposelessness in their lives, and sense of uselessness and ineffectiveness.”

Kennedy’s concerns and observations are confirmed by the devastating data surrounding mental health in America.

Over 36% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 and nearly 30% of those between ages 26 and 49 report having some form of mental illness. Rates of depression and suicide have skyrocketed across the nation.

It would be an easy fix if all that were needed would be a better diet with fewer chemicals, preservatives and food dyes. If only the listlessness could be solved by drinking more water and exercising on a daily basis.

To be sure, our physical health has a significant impact on our emotional and spiritual wellness or lack thereof. Speaking from the Oval Office, Kennedy made an insightful observation when he said, “A healthy person has 1,000 dreams. A sick person only has one.”

But by delving into the spiritual, Kennedy is drilling down to a foundational truth. Our spiritual disciplines are critical to enjoying a happy, fulfilling, and meaningful existence.

Classic Christian disciplines include prayer, Bible reading, study, personal and corporate worship, fellowship, giving back and serving others.

It was the apostle Paul who warned, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness, for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:7).

Recognizing that we weren’t built for this world but rather for the next is a truth that helps us endure and manage whatever challenges that come our way.

To be sure, Kennedy holds some personal positions that do not square with the beliefs of many evangelical Christians. He has pledged to carry out the pro-life policies of the Trump Administration yet has previously expressed support for abortion. It’s not entirely clear where he lands on some other theological questions

America is in a spiritual crisis because so few people are believing and accepting the liberating truth and peace that comes with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Kennedy seems to recognize that no political, economic or even health related solution will cure our spiritual woes. He is right.

Image from Getty.