DOGE hammer falls on more DEI programs, saving millions

The Trump administration is continuing to cut wasteful spending on museum and library diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, especially in blue states.

The administration announced it is canceling $15 million in grants for DEI-related programs in states from New York to California, Fox News reports.

On the chopping block are nearly $7 million for programs at the California State Library and $4 million for the Washington State Library.

Other cuts include $1.5 million for the Connecticut Library system to “integrate social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion” into its daily operations and $700,000 for a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., to study how America’s children’s museums can implement “enhanced equity-focused strategies” after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Smaller grants are not immune, as evidenced by the elimination of $265,000 for Queens College in New York City to research why “BIPOC” (Black, Indigenous and people of Color) teens read Japanese comic books. Also cut was a quarter million dollars for the “Gay Ohio History Initiative” to erect 10 “LGBTQ+ historical markers” in the state.

All of these funds were approved under the Biden administration, which spent millions on DEI across multiple levels of government.

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who is heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have cut federal grants and spending they call fraudulent, unnecessary and wasteful. 

Trump also signed an executive order banning DEI and promising to withhold money from states and schools that engage in the discriminatory practices. 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which announced the cuts, said the cuts were “in keeping with the vision of the President’s executive orders.” 

“(W)e are taking action to end taxpayer funding for discriminatory DEI initiatives in our nation’s museums and libraries,” Keith Sonderling, acting IMLS director, told Fox. “Our cultural institutions should bring Americans together – not promote divisive ideologies.  

“Moving forward, we must champion programs that uphold our founding ideals and reaffirm that the American Dream is within reach for all, through hard work and determination, not identity politics.” 

The agency has reportedly cut 80% of its staff as a result of Trump’s latest round of DOGE cuts. But whether museums and libraries will see staff reductions from the canceled grants remains to be seen. 

A recent study found federal funding accounts for just 0.3% of public library funding, Fox reported.