On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a memo instructing his team to prioritize “communities with marriage and birth rates exceeding the national average” while executing the policies and programs of the Department of Transportation.
Journalist Ken Klippenstein shared multiple screenshots of the memo on social media platform X.
With immediate effect, the memo stated that staff should aim to address the “specific impacts” of DOT initiatives on “families” and focus on “challenges unique to families,” such as ensuring “transportation accessibility for families with young children.”
In reaction to Duffy’s guidelines, various commentators suggested that the transportation secretary is essentially advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion—a stance that former President Donald Trump has promised to eliminate within federal agencies.
“Isn’t this DEI?” one commentator questioned.
The moderate conservative group The Lincoln Project commented, “So this is essentially DEI.”
The memo also stipulated that DOT staff must “prohibit” all recipients of DOT assistance from “enforcing vaccine and mask requirements.”
It further noted that recipients of DOT funds must adhere to “federal immigration enforcement” and comply with other objectives laid out by the President of the United States or the Secretary.
President Trump previously issued a series of executive orders aimed at eradicating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the federal government to restore a “merit-based opportunity” framework.
In an executive order intended to counter DEI practices in private sector entities collaborating with the government, he stated, “Hardworking Americans deserving of the American Dream should not face stigma, degradation, or exclusion from opportunities due to their race or gender.”
To further heighten his campaign against DEI, Trump linked DEI efforts to a tragic mid-air collision on Wednesday that resulted in the deaths of 67 individuals in Washington D.C.
