The Department of Education (DOE) is canceling more than $100 million in grants to fund diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sweep of "wasteful" spending. 

DOGE, the department led by Elon Musk to cut costs within the federal government, announced the termination of 89 DOE contracts totaling $881 million in a post on X Monday night.

Of the nearly $1 billion, DOGE identified $101 million that was being used for DEI training, including teaching educators to "help students understand/interrogate the complex histories involved in oppression, and help students recognize areas of privilege and power on an individual and collective basis."

"Your tax dollars were spent on this," Musk wrote of the DOE spending.

TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS

According to DOGE, the education department spent another $1.5 million on a contractor to "observe mailing and clerical operations" at a mail center, which was also terminated in the recent spending sweep.

"DEI was never about ‘equity’—it was about enforcing ideological conformity and institutionalizing discrimination. Shutting down these wasteful, divisive programs is a win for every student," Nicki Neily, founder and president of Parents Defending Education, said in response to the spending cut. 

"More states need to follow suit," Neily said.

TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES

Erika Donalds, wife of Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, also wrote in response that "the kids can’t read."

DOGE has been leading efforts to vacuum spending within the DOE, announcing in early February the termination of three grants including one funding an institution that had reportedly "previously hosted faculty workshops entitled 'Decolonizing the Curriculum.'"

In his first slew of executive orders, President Donald Trump launched a federal review of DEI teachings and practices in educational institutions receiving federal funding.

Amid the Trump-Vance crackdown on certain teachings, several colleges, such as Missouri State University and West Virginia University, have begun closing their DEI offices.

Fox News' Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

It appears many on the left will continue to push DEI initiatives under the guise of "pluralism" and downplay the word "diversity," a notable shift in language after the 2024 election.

The post MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Admits the Word ‘Diversity’ Politically Failed, Recommends New DEI Phrase: ‘Patriotic Pluralism’ appeared first on Breitbart.

West Point has disbanded a number of identity-based clubs at the military academy to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders and new Pentagon guidance, Fox News has confirmed. 

Some of the clubs no longer sanctioned by the university include the Asian-Pacific Forum, the Korean-American relations seminar, the Latin Cultural Club, the National Society of Black Engineers Club and the Society of Women Engineers Club. 

The U.S. Military Academy communications office said the clubs had been dissolved because they were affiliated with the DEI office. 

"In accordance with recent guidance, the U.S. Military Academy is reviewing programs and activities affiliated with our former office of diversity, equity and inclusion," the office told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The clubs disbanded yesterday were sponsored by that office."

'INCOMPETENCE': REP BANKS RIPS WEST POINT AS SCHOOL APOLOGIZES FOR 'ERROR' SAYING HEGSETH WASN'T ACCEPTED

Trump has instituted sweeping policies to eradicate DEI across the federal government since taking office. 

A dozen clubs were disbanded, according to the memo, while other clubs have had their activities paused until the directorate of cadet activities can review and revalidate their status. 

WEST POINT MILITARY ACADEMY DROPS 'DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY' FROM MISSION STATEMENT

"More than one hundred clubs remain at the U.S. Military Academy, and our leadership will continue to provide opportunities for cadets to pursue their academic, military, and physical fitness interests while following Army policy, directives, and guidance."

The memo, circulated around the university and verified by Fox News Digital, says such clubs are no longer permitted to "use government time, resources or facilities." 

Last year, the Supreme Court eliminated race- and gender-based admissions policies at universities but left a carve-out for military institutions like West Point. It later rejected a challenge to the exceptions for military academies, allowing their affirmative action programs to move forward. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote late last month in a memo that DEI practices are "incompatible" with the values of DOD and instructed the Pentagon to stop celebrating "identity" months like Black History Month and Pride Month. 

A former Costco executive is fed up with attacks on the grocery club’s DEI policies, saying that critics don’t understand the company’s culture. 

"The term DEI didn’t even exist to us, it was the way we ran our business… it’s who we are," former Costco International Division Senior Vice President Roger Campbell told Fox News Digital.

Campbell, 82, who retired from the company in 2015, began his career at Costco as a store manager trainee in 1986 and worked his way up the executive ranks. He spent 29 years at Costco and is fiercely defensive of it as the grocery chain faces an onslaught of attacks for its refusal to jettison its DEI initiatives. 

The former executive claims that Costco has always valued the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, even before the term "DEI" existed. Costco executives see the company’s culture as a key factor in its success and that, to his ears, DEI is synonymous with the way the company has always done business. 

While Campbell emphasized he does not speak for the company or any current executive or board member, he feels the reason Costco has been stalwart in defense of its DEI policies is because the board sees attacks on them as attacks on the business itself.

COSTCO SHOPPERS RESPOND AS COMPANY'S DEI PRACTICES FALL UNDER SCRUTINY

"Our whole idea was taking care of the employee. Our whole idea was a very simple thing — if you hire good people, pay them good wages and give them good benefits, then likely good things are going to happen," Campbell said.

Costco board members recently shot down a shareholder proposal to analyze the risks of its DEI policies. In response, 19 states’ attorneys general issued a letter to Costco CEO Ron Vachris demanding the company drop their DEI programs to conform with President Trump’s recent executive order banning DEI from the federal government. 

Trump’s executive order comes in the wake of numerous companies announcing that they’re terminating their DEI initiatives following intense public backlash, with Facebook, McDonald’s, Boeing, Harley-Davidson and others all rolling back or outright nixing the programs. 

But Costco, unlike other companies, has the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion hardwired into its DNA, Campbell claims, and feels no need to drop the programs despite the fact that they are no longer politically fashionable.

"It was the rules at some point in time. Somebody said ‘okay everybody has to get into DEI’ and you saw all these companies get into it and then get out of it because they never had one to start with," Campbell claims, "Call it what you want to call it, but we had something that worked."

O'LEARY RIPS COSTCO FOR BUCKING DEI TREND: 'BAD FOR BUSINESS'

Campbell said that when it came to hiring, Costco always sought to ensure the employees at their warehouses and stores reflected the communities they were located in demographically. He says that Costco had no trouble achieving this goal, and never had to consciously alter its hiring practices to meet a certain quota.

"Diversity was a word that was used, but it was never ‘My gosh, we need to get a program. We need to train diversity.’"

Costco based its promotions on merit, not race or gender, Campbell claimed, adding that he had never heard anyone complaining they lost an opportunity because they were a White man. However, he conceded that when he decided on promotions he would take race into account if both candidates were "equally qualified" for the job.

"If I absolutely was looking at a promotion, and there were two people where either one of those two could do this job, I think, internally, there could be a couple times where I said, ‘you know what, I need to give this diverse person an opportunity instead of holding them back,’" Campbell admitted.

COSTCO, TEAMSTERS, REACH 'TENTATIVE AGREEMENT' LIKELY AVERTING STRIKE AS COMPANY'S DEI CONTROVERSY RAGES ON

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS

Costco introduced its formal DEI initiatives as Campbell was leaving the company, but in practice he had not observed nor heard of any changes to the company’s core values.

"[The board is] associating DEI with the history of our company," he said. "If it's in our books or its in our program it’s just because it existed. We just never called it DEI, we just always thought of it as our culture."

Costco, which is facing a potential strike from unionized employees in some of its stores, has always had a pro-worker image. The grocery chain lays claim to an 8% turnover rate according to Harvard Business Review, and its average hourly rate is reportedly $31.

The grocery club’s Chairman of the Board, Hamilton E. James, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic-aligned PACs in the last election cycle, with several other board members following suit. 

Campbell, who identifies as a conservative, rejects the idea that the board forces its politics on the business.

Though Campbell maintains that Costco’s commitment to diversity has been longstanding, it has not seemed to translate to the highest ranks within the company. Of its top managers, 72% are men and 81% White, the Wall Street Journal reported.

"We need more diversity at the top levels," Campbell conceded. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

There was a heavy focus on systemic racism and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs during the final debate among the eight candidates vying to chair the Democratic National Committee (DNC), as the party aims to exit the political wilderness.

The forum, moderated and carried live on MSNBC and held at Georgetown University in the nation's capital city, develed into chaos early on as a wave of left-wing protesters repeatedly interrupted the primetime event, heckling over concerns of climate change and billionaires' influence in America's elections before they were forcibly removed by security.

Thanks in part to their repeated targeting of DEI efforts under former President Joe Biden's administration, President Donald Trump recaptured the White House in November's elections, with Republicans also retaking control of the Senate from the Democrats and the GOP holding onto its razor-thin majority in the House.

Jaime Harrison, the DNC chairman for the past four years, declined to seek another term steering the Democrats' national party committee. The DNC will vote for a new chair on Saturday, as they hold their annual winter meeting this year at National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.

FIRST ON FOX: AFTER 2024 ELECTION SETBACKS, DEMOCRATS EYE RURAL VOTERS

"Unlike the other party, that is demonizing diversity, we understand that diversity is our greatest strength," Harrison said at the start of the debate before bringing the candidates out.

Biden and many Democrats portrayed DEI efforts as a way to boost inclusion and representation for communities historically marginalized. However Trump and his supporters, on the 2024 campaign trail, repeatedly charged that such programs were discriminatory and called for restoring "merit-based" hiring.

DEMOCRATS' NEW SENATE CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS KEYS TO WINNING BACK MAJORITY IN 2026

Since his inauguration on Jan. 20 and his return to power in the White House, Trump has signed a slew of sweeping executive orders and actions to end the federal government's involvement in DEI programs, reversing in some cases decades of hiring practices by the federal government. Trump's actions are also pushing large corporations in the private sector to abandon their diversity efforts.

At Thursday's showdown, there was plenty of focus on diversity and racism.

At one point, the candidates were asked for a show of hands about how many believed that racism and misogyny played a role in former Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat in the 2024 election to Trump.

All eight candidates running for DNC, as well as many people in the audience, raised their hands.

"That's good. You all pass," MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart, one of the moderators of the forum, quipped.

However, far from everyone in the party wants to see such issues dominate the discussion without the added inclusion of economic concerns such as inflation, which were top of mind at the ballot box in November.

DEMOCRATS' HOUSE CAMPAIGN CHAIR TELLS FOX NEWS HER PLAN TO WIN BACK MAJORITY

"The Democrats pathway to power runs directly through kitchen table economics and the notion we can fight for economic opportunity and ensuring everyone is treated with dignity and respect," said Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, who is attending the party's winter meeting.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, considered one of the frontrunners in the DNC chair race, in speaking with reporters after the forum, pointed to the gains made by Trump and Republicans among diverse voters in the 2024 election and argued that the party did not spend enough time concentrating on "the kitchen table issues."

"Whether you're Hispanic, whether you're transgender, whether you're gay, whether you're straight, whether you're Black, whether you're White. Everybody needs to eat. And the people we lost in every segment were people who struggled the most to put food on their family's table. And they were the ones we lost across the board," O'Malley argued.

The protests, staged in waves, include calls for the DNC chair candidates to bring back the party's ban on corporate PAC and lobbyist donations that was in effect during former President Barack Obama's administration.

The youth-led, left-wing climate action organization known as the Sunrise Movement, said the first three protesters were affiliated with their group.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Another protester, who was not believed to be affiliated with the Sunrise Movement, as he was dragged out of the debate hall by security, yelled, "What will you do to get fossil fuel money out of Democratic politics? We are facing a climate emergency!"

Much of the audience, which consisted of many DNC voting members, appeared frustrated by the repeated interruptions.

"Protest the Republicans. Protest the people who are actually hurting you!" a member of the audience shouted out.

A group of moms in one Massachusetts public school district were condemned for questioning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion's (DEI) influence on local education, but now the district itself is changing course.

Carey Goldberg, a contributing writer for Globe Ideas, wrote an extensive opinion piece about how a trio of mothers in the tony Boston suburb braved public backlash to warn against far-left school policy changes. The three moms, all of whom were Democratic Party voters, began to question Newton public school district policies in 2022.

"At first we were just trying to understand the drastic changes that took place while no one was in school during COVID," Vanessa Calagna, one of the trio, told The Globe writer. "It was like we were trying to put a puzzle together. And then we were trying to ring the alarm."

Those changes, Goldberg wrote, "involved a heightened emphasis on racial equity and antiracism, including a district commitment to ‘dismantle structures rooted in racism’ and seek ‘more equitable outcomes for all students.’"

BOSTON UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR CALLS LAYOFFS AT IBRAM X. KENDI'S ANTIRACISM CENTER ‘EMPLOYMENT VIOLENCE’

One of the most controversial initiatives was combining students into "multilevel" classes, where, "Rather than students being divided into separate classes by level, students at varying levels would learn together — even in math, science, and languages." 

The purported goal was to "break the persistent pattern that white and Asian students predominated in ‘honors’ classes while Black and Hispanic students tended to be clustered in less-challenging ‘college-prep’ classes."

"[The mothers] wanted to know whether the multilevel classes and other new policies — such as denying advanced math students the chance to skip ahead a year — hurt students academically," the author summarized. "They also worried that the schools’ newer approaches to race and other identities emphasized differences rather than commonalities. And that equity was being defined as 'equal outcomes' rather than fairness."

School Committee member Paul Levy estimated that when he campaigned in 2021, 80% of more than 1,000 parents voiced concerns to him about these issues, but many would not dare speak about them in public for fear of being called "racist."

In 2022, the trio of mothers and their allies faced severe backlash after launching a petition to create an advisory panel that would give parents a voice on such academic issues. 

CONSERVATIVE EDUCATION ACTIVIST RUNNING FOR CONGRESS AFTER VICTORIES OVER DEI PROGRAMS: ‘SPEAKING TO FAIRNESS’

"The mothers and their allies found themselves portrayed online and in public as dog-whistling bigots doing the bidding of right-wing national groups," Goldberg wrote. She added further that "PTO newsletters opposed them, as did the teachers’ union and the robust local group Families Organizing for Racial Justice, which claimed in an email that some petitioners ‘challenge the need for any activities related to microaggressions, inclusion, respect, or belonging.’"

When the three mothers and other parents questioned these new policies, defenders would cite the district’s "statement of values and commitment to racial equity," which sought "more equitable outcomes" and "an antiracist future."

"And that was untouchable," Calagna told The Globe contributor. "That was the third rail until, all of a sudden, now."

Now many Newton teachers are reportedly "openly rebelling" against multilevel classes.

"Those teachers report that the classes do not tend to work well for anyone — not for teachers, not for students who need more support, not for those who need more challenges," Goldberg reported. "Many parents concur."

"I’ve heard about multilevel classes from many, many parents over the last three years, and the feedback has been consistently negative," School Committee member Rajeev Parlikar reportedly argued during a meeting in November. "I actually have not heard from a single parent who thought their child benefited from being in a multilevel class."

However, even with both teachers and parents openly calling to remove multilevel classes by next fall, Newton’s new superintendent, Anna Nolin, told Goldberg such reforms are a long process.

"When [Nolin} took office in mid-2023, she found that the prestigious district lacked basic infrastructure that is standard elsewhere, including systems for curriculum development and student assessments," Goldberg summarized. "Also absent: an agreed-upon system for the district to track the effects of the multilevel classes on student achievement."

Work is reportedly underway to create distinct levels, but Nolin warned, "you can’t fix the curriculum overnight."

The superintendent has also begun efforts to restore parents’ trust in the schools, such as by establishing a new Office of Family Engagement so parents "know exactly what we’re doing."

Nolin observed that after the COVID-19 pandemic, "parent attitudes toward the schools changed, and there was a skepticism about how effective our methods were. For whatever reason, they did not feel heard by the school system, and that is the cocktail that brought us this schism between ‘equity’ and ‘excellence’ groups."

The superintendent noted that the school’s motto "Equity & Excellence," is now seen as "divisive." 

It will soon be replaced by the phrase, "Where All Children Thrive."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to the school district and did not receive an immediate reply. 

A new casino slated to open in the heart of downtown Chicago is being accused of violating U.S. civil rights laws by allegedly preventing White men from investing in the project – a move that has prompted a lawsuit.

Bally’s Chicago is a $1.7-billion dollar casino and resort slated to open in the Windy City's River West neighborhood in 2026. The expansive complex is projected to be Illinois’ biggest casino, boasting a 500-room hotel tower with a rooftop bar, a riverwalk, thousands of slot machines and a 3,000-seat theater. Bally’s will be the city’s first casino; its bid was selected by then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2022. 

As part of the Host Community Agreement Bally’s signed with the city of Chicago, the casino committed to 25% minority ownership. The HCA was drafted in accordance with a 2019 state law expanding gambling in Illinois. Currently, in order to take part in the casino’s $250 million initial public offering, one must meet its "Class A Qualification Criteria," part of which states that an investor must be a "minority or woman."

RECORDS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER SHOW COLLEGE PURSUED RACE-BASED HIRING

A minority is defined as "African-Americans, American Indians, Asian-Americans, Hispanics" and other groups deemed by the city to be "socially disadvantaged" including Arab Americans, per the Municipal Code of Chicago. 

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is suing Bally’s Casino and members of the Illinois gaming commission for what they allege is racial discrimination. WILL is representing two would-be investors who say they were denied the ability to take part in the project because of their race – Richard Fisher and Phillip Aronoff – who are part of the American Alliance for Equal Rights, which is also a plaintiff in the case.

The lawsuit alleges that Bally’s is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the first Ku Klux Klan Act and years of Supreme Court precedent by preventing White men from buying stock in their company. The suit also alleges that Bally’s is preventing shareholders from transferring shares to people who do not meet "Class A" criteria. 

"Making a contract is essential to the rights of citizenship. What Bally’s is doing here is absolutely illegal and has been for decades and decades," Dan Lennington of the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty told Fox News Digital.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS SLAPPED WITH LAWSUITS FOR ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WHITE MEN

Chicago attorney Patrick Callahan is not a party to the lawsuit, but he told Fox News Digital he was unable to invest in the project because he is a White man.

"It’s so blatantly discriminatory, I can’t imagine how that could possibly be permissible," Callahan said.

Callahan, 39, said he first heard about the casino from a realtor he follows on Instagram. He thought it was an exciting investment opportunity and attempted to buy shares in the project. After filling out his personal information on the Bally’s investment portal, he was asked if he met the "Class A" criteria. When Callahan input that he did not, due to his race and gender, he said the portal stated that he could not proceed with his investment.  

"This offering is only available to entities who satisfy Class A Qualification Criteria in accordance with the Host Community Agreement with the city of Chicago," the portal displayed in red text. 

"I assumed that it was more of a guideline than a hard rule… this can’t actually be… but sure enough this is exclusively available to women and certain minorities," Callahan told Fox News Digital.

Callahan said that the alleged racial discrimination was far from shocking given how the city has been run under Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, but he was still alarmed.

"It didn’t surprise me as much as it was kind of startling because it was just so blatant… Chicago is a mess so it doesn’t surprise me," he said.

WILL’s lawsuit could lead to legal consequences for Bally’s that may even put its casino license in jeopardy, Lennington said.

Bally’s SEC filing stated the terms they agreed to in the HCA could leave them vulnerable to lawsuits from people who don’t meet "Class A" criteria, which would incur "substantial costs" from the casino and "could adversely affect our ability to operate our casinos and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations," should the HCA be found invalid or unconstitutional. 

"The Bally’s Chicago IPO complies with our obligations under the Host Community Agreement with the City of Chicago," a Bally's spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.

The Chicago Mayor's Office and Illinois Gaming Commission did not respond to Fox News Digital's request to comment. 

Washington state's attorney general is standing by Costco as the retail giant resists conservative pressure to ditch its diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

This week, 19 Republican attorneys general sent a letter to Costco, urging the retail giant to end "all unlawful discrimination imposed by the company" through its "divisive" DEI policies. 

The attorney general for Washington state, where Costco's headquarters are located, defended the company and fired back at the Republican effort.

"I’m surprised by my Republican colleagues’ eagerness to weaponize the government against business," Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, a Democrat, told Fox News Digital. "We don’t believe in punishing private companies for making decisions that protect and enhance their workforce."

COSTCO SHAREHOLDERS REJECT ANTI-DEI MEASURE

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who led the 19-state effort against Costco alongside Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, vowed to "look at all available options" to ensure the business is following federal and state laws regarding race-based or gender identity-based hiring practices.

"Costco needs to show us the proof that they are following the law because they have public statements that cause us great concern," Bird said Wednesday to Fox News. "Many other big retailers have changed their policies and are now following federal law, just like President Trump is doing with his executive orders rooting out DEI, so they need to show us they're following the law."

Attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska and North Dakota also signed the letter, which gives Costco 30 days to respond.

The letter comes on the heels of Trump signing an executive order targeting DEI in the federal government and encouraging the private sector to end these "illegal" practices.

TRUMP'S DISMANTLING OF DEI IS DEEPER AND BIGGER THAN YOU KNOW

COSTCO BOARD MEMBERS DONATED HEAVILY TO DEMOCRATS IN 2024 ELECTION CYCLE

The order tasks the attorneys general with rooting out sectors and organizations that allegedly engage in discriminatory DEI practices. Recommendations will be made for potential lawsuits against violators.

Major companies like Target, McDonald's and Walmart have backed off from their DEI policies in recent months amid growing scrutiny over these policies. 

Costco has thus far resisted these challenges and defended DEI values as critical to the success of its business. 

"We owe our success to the more than 300,000 employees who serve our members every day. It is important that they all feel included and appreciated and that they transmit these values to our customers," Costco board chair Hamilton "Tony" E. James said at the shareholder meeting Thursday.

At that meeting, Costco shareholders overwhelmingly rejected an anti-DEI proposal brought by a conservative shareholder group to evaluate the risks posed by its DEI practices to the company's bottom line.

James said that the company's "commitment to inclusion" neither compromises merit nor includes quotas or systematic preferences.

WALMART FACING BACKLASH OVER DEI POLICY REVERSAL AS SHAREHOLDERS AND DEM OFFICIALS URGE THEM TO RECONSIDER

Constitutional law attorney and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that, "absent an unlawful policy, businesses have the right to make their own employment decisions within the parameters of the law."

"That includes mandatory training on DEI. Customers obviously have the right to make their own judgment in purchases, as shown by the response to Bud Light and Disney. However, state AGs need to be mindful of the countervailing speech and other rights afforded to corporations and organizations," he added in an emailed statement.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of the remaining 30 state attorneys general that did not sign off on the letter to Costco to ask if they would be taking any action, for or against the business, after Trump's executive order. 

A spokesperson for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita told Fox News Digital, "Attorney General Rokita stands firmly against unlawful DEI practices and supports President Trump’s actions to end them in corporate America."

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown's office referred Fox News Digital to his letter, co-signed by 13 Democratic attorneys general earlier this month, urging Walmart to keep its commitment to DEI. The letter was also signed by the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Iowa AG Bird did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment by publication time.

Fox News' Jamie Joseph and Taylor Penley contributed to this article.

President Trump is waging war on the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) philosophy entrenched in various U.S. entities, signing an executive order scaling back the practice as he encourages companies in the public and private sectors to prioritize merit in the workplace.

"It's just enormous, and I think the president is really, really going to make healthcare great again," Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of the "Do No Harm" nonprofit, told Fox News while addressing the potential changes to the medical industry.

"I think it's going to do three things. It's going to have a huge impact on medical school admissions. First of all, it's going to demand that medical schools now comply with… the Students for Fair Admission, the famous case in the Supreme Court against Harvard and [the University of] North Carolina," he added, referencing the landmark 2023 ruling that barred race-based "affirmative action" admissions practices for most institutions of higher education. 

TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS

"The second thing… it's going to have a huge impact on the private sector issues of DEI, so it's going to make medical schools and private medical societies and so on have to comply with the fact that there's going to be no more DEI…," he continued.

"And I think, even as important as it's going to be in medical school admissions, it's going to be issuing changes in the contracting and grant-making that the federal government does. Most medical schools and health care systems are incredibly dependent on the federal government for their grants and contracts and this executive order says [there will be] no more of that activity going on in these grant-making activities."

Goldfarb has sounded the alarm over DEI in medicine for some time, leading "Do No Harm," which, in the group's words, protects healthcare professionals from the "disastrous consequences" of identity politics.

TRUMP VOWS 'NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SUCCESS,' SAYS AMERICA'S 'DECLINE IS OVER' IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

Trump's onslaught against DEI mandates also saw all federal DEI workers placed on paid administrative leave with their offices shuttered on Wednesday. 

The change comes as a swath of private companies like Walmart, McDonald's, Ford and Meta have announced their own plans to scale back or eliminate DEI initiatives. 

Fox News' Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been accused of allegedly quietly changing the job title of its former diversity officer as President Donald Trump ordered all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) employees be placed on paid leave. 

"The ATF defied @realDonaldTrump’s order to place DEI workers on leave, instead giving their DEI officer a new title. They attack citizens’ rights, ignore leadership, and act as though they’re above the law. Enough is enough. Time to abolish the ATF!" Republican Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison posted to X. 

The ATF, a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice’s umbrella, previously employed Lisa T. Boykin as its chief diversity officer before her title was changed on the ATF’s website this week to "senior executive" with the ATF. An archived link of the ATF’s website reviewed by Fox Digital shows Boykin was listed as the chief diversity officer as recently as Tuesday — Trump’s second day in the Oval Office — and now shows her as working as the agency's "senior executive." 

Trump had railed against DEI programs and offices at the federal level, as well as in the education system, throughout his campaign. Upon taking office on Monday, he inked an executive order terminating ​​"illegal DEI and 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear."

TRUMP REVOKES BIDEN ORDER ALLOWING TRANSGENDER TROOPS IN BID TO RID DEI FROM MILITARY

The following day, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) told agency and department leaders to begin shutting down DEI offices and to place DEI employees on paid leave. 

TRUMP'S DISMANTLING OF DEI IS DEEPER AND BIGGER THAN YOU EVEN KNOW

"Send a notification to all employees of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs," the OPM directive, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, read. 

A biography for Boykin from 2023 detailed that she began working as ATF’s Human Resources Operations Division in 2016 and "as a collateral duty, in 2021, Mrs. Boykin also began serving as the Bureau’s Chief Diversity Officer," the New York Post reported. 

"With the Bureau’s continued focus on enhancing DEIA, Mrs. Boykin currently assumes the work of the CDO in a fulltime capacity, leading and implementing departmental programs and mandates, while bringing renewed vision and effective strategies to maintain an informed DEIA culture for the Bureau," Boykin’s bio added.

WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY

When asked about the title change and subsequent criticism on social media, an ATF spokesman responded that the agency has followed DEI directives from the Trump administration. 

"ATF began implementing OPM’s Initial Guidance on DEIA immediately after its issuance on January 21, 2025, in response to the President’s Executive Orders. We have proactively taken the necessary steps to ensure compliance with this guidance, including by placing impacted personnel on administrative leave," an ATF spokesman told Fox News Digital. 

Fox News Digital asked for clarification on whether Boykin's new title protects her from administrative leave but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Fox News Digital also reached out to Boykin on her ATF email and received an automatic response noting she was unavailable to reply. 

"I am currently unavailable and unable to return e-mails at this time," the email read. 

Social media commenters and critics of the Biden administration’s diversity initiatives slammed the ATF employee’s title change on social media, clamming the agency is "circumventing" the Trump administration's orders. 

3 IN 10 VOTERS THINK ENDING DEI PROGRAMS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, POLL SHOWS, AS FEDERAL DEADLINE LOOMS

Biden championed diversity initiatives under his administration, rolling back the first Trump administration's policies that banned diversity training in government agencies during his first week in office in 2021. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

"In the weeks ahead, I will be reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and accessibility, building on the work we started in the Obama-Biden administration. That’s why I’m rescinding the previous administration’s harmful ban on diversity and sensitivity training," Biden said in January 2021. "Unity and healing must begin with understanding and truth, not ignorance and lies."

MSNBC’s Rev. Al Sharpton called on all Americans to boycott companies eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, claiming they are trying to send Black people to the "back of the bus."

Sharpton made the announcement at Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, D.C., during a rally in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday. He said this call to action would be done in the spirit of King’s legacy as a civil rights activist.

"Why do we have DEI? We have DEI because you denied us diversity, you denied us equity, you denied us inclusion. DEI was a remedy to the racial institutionalized bigotry practice in academia and in these corporations. Now, if you want to put us back in the back of the bus, we going to do the Dr. King-Rosa Parks on you," Sharpton said. 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION WORKERS FRET COMPANIES AREN'T HIRING THEM ANYMORE: 'INSANE,' 'PATHETIC'

"You must have forgot who we are," he added. "We are the ones that you took everything and we still here."

Sharpton announced that his organization, the National Action Network, will take part in a months-long study to investigate companies moving away from DEI policies and their profit margins. After the study is completed, they will begin to target two companies for boycott.

"In 90 days, we are going to announce the two companies that we’re going after, and we’re going to ask everybody in this country — Black, white, brown, gay, straight woman, trans — don’t buy where you are not respected," Sharpton said.

Sharpton's announcement comes after multiple companies like Walmart, McDonald's, Ford, Meta, and others announced they would be scaling back or eliminating DEI initiatives.

Sharpton encouraged his supporters to rally around companies that are maintaining their DEI policies like Costco. 

As Sharpton made his announcement, President Trump was being inaugurated as the 47th president. Shortly after being sworn into office, Trump signed an executive order to end DEI programs across the federal government.

ZUCKERBERG, OTHER MOGULS SAY THEY'RE BACKING OFF ESG AND DEI BUT ARE THEY FOR REAL?

"We want people to see the tale of two cities in one district," Sharpton said. "On this side of town, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life to open up America for everybody: Blacks, whites, gays, straights, it didn’t matter. We are with Dr. King."

Fox News Digital has reached out to MSNBC and Sharpton for comment.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Incoming President Trump is planning to target federal diversity and pro-transgender initiatives among his early slate of executive orders, officials said on Monday.

The latter order will be aimed at "defending women from gender, ideology, extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government," officials told reporters in a phone call.

The order would clarify that it is U.S. government policy to recognize just two sexes, male and female. Those would be classified based on reproductive function rather than chromosomes, officials said.

References of "gender" for federal employees will be switched to "sex."

TRUMP WINS 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Trump officials also signaled that the Biden administration's decision to offer an "X" gender passport option would be rescinded, telling reporters, "the Secretary of State, Homeland Security and all other agencies are going to ensure that official government documents, including passports and visas, reflect sex accurately." 

Other aspects of the order would include making sure taxpayer funds do not go toward gender-transition surgeries and stripping Biden administration guidance on preferred pronoun use in schools.

The other order mentioned would roll back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives by the federal government.

It's aimed at ending taxpayer funding to diversity initiatives, with Trump officials holding up examples like the U.S. Department of Agriculture's environmental justice program, Treasury Department diversity training and diversity recruiting efforts by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

The order would direct the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management to coordinate with various agencies to terminate all similar programs.

Trump has promised to sign more than 200 executive orders within his first 24 hours as president — many targeting culture war issues and border security, two cornerstones of his White House campaign. 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP'S 1ST INAUGURATION DAY; WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MONDAY

Signaling his intent to waste no time after being sworn in, Trump aides have already briefed both members of Congress and members of the media on what many of those orders will entail.

On a separate press call held on Monday, Trump officials said he would sign executive actions ending birthright citizenship and renaming the "Gulf of Mexico" as the "Gulf of America."

Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report

The conservative government of Sweden announced plans to further tighten citizenship requirements this year as the Nordic nation continues to reverse course on the previous open borders policies that radically transformed the country.

The post Sweden to Step Up Restrictions for Citizenship, as Approved Asylum Permits Fall to 40-Year Low appeared first on Breitbart.

While Los Angeles officials were stripping millions in funding from their fire department ahead of one of the most destructive wildfires in state history, hundreds of thousands of dollars were allocated to fund programs such as a "Gay Men’s Chorus" and housing for the transgender homeless.

Deadly fires erupted across Southern California this week, which were amplified by fierce winds that resulted in about 10,000 homes and businesses being destroyed. After fire hydrants weren't producing water and homes burned to the ground, residents began calling out Democratic-led leadership in the state, who cut the Los Angeles Fire Department's (LAFD) funding by $17.6 million just months prior.

But even as the department funding was being pulled back, a Fox News Digital review of the L.A. County budget uncovered thousands of taxpayer dollars that were allocated to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and programs giving syringes to the homeless.

For example, the budget allocated $14,010 to the "Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles" this year, a group that seeks to "create musical experiences that strengthen our role as a leader among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and performing arts organizations."

DESANTIS CALLS FOR MEDIA TO HOLD DEMOCRATIC CALIFORNIA LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR WILDFIRES: ‘HAVE NOT SEEN THAT’

Another $190,000 was allocated to the Homeless and HIV Program, which includes a "syringe exchange" program that gives sterile syringes to homeless drug addicts.

An additional $100,000 of county funds was put aside to pay for Juneteenth celebrations, while $13,000 was allocated to "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Heritage Month Programs."

ADAM CAROLLA RIPS CALIFORNIA LEADERS FOR RUNNING STATE ‘INTO THE GROUND’ AS FIRES RAGE: ‘LUNATIC NUTJOBS’

The Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department was also granted $100,000 for a "Midnight Stroll Transgender Cafe" to fund housing for homeless transgender individuals in Hollywood.

The county also granted $13,000 to "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Heritage Month Programs" and $4.5 million to the infrastructure of electric vehicle (EV) chargers. Appropriations for the General City Purposes saw $250,000 set aside for "equity and inclusion."

According to the report, homelessness funding was larger than the LAFD budget for the second year in a row.

Amid the Los Angeles-area fires, celebrities, such as actress Sara Foster, called out state officials for their legislative focus over the years.

"We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, brush not cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish. Our fire department budget was cut by our mayor. But thank god drug addicts are getting their drug kits," Foster wrote in a post on X. "@MayorOfLA @GavinNewsom RESIGN. Your far left policies have ruined our state. And also our party."

Following the funding cut, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone on Wednesday said that "there are not enough firefighters in L.A. County to address four separate fires of this magnitude."

FIRST ON FOX: Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Friday demanding answers regarding the top federal law enforcement agency’s "radical" DEI practices following the shocking New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans.

"While the facts surrounding this unconscionable attack continue to emerge, what we know is deeply troubling: the suspect was in possession of weapons, improvised explosive devices, and an ISIS flag. This horrific incident constitutes a blatant act of terror on the American homeland, and the people of our country deserve to know whether federal law enforcement agencies can sufficiently prevent and respond to such incidents," Blackburn wrote in her letter to Wray on Friday, which was exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"To that end, I am deeply concerned that—under your leadership—the Bureau has prioritized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives over its core mission of protecting the American people," the Tennessee senator continued. 

Chaos broke out on New Orleans's famed Bourbon Street just after 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day, when a truck plowed through crowds of revelers celebrating the holiday. At least 14 people were killed and 30 others injured. 

FLASHBACK: BIDEN DOWNPLAYS ISIS THREAT TO US, REPEATEDLY SAYS WHITE SUPREMACY 'MOST LETHAL' DANGER

The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a twice-divorced Army veteran from Texas, was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle during the attack. He was killed after opening fire on police. 

After the attack unfolded on Wednesday morning, Blackburn took to social media to call for the confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, and to admonish current leadership at the agency for allegedly putting a greater focus on DEI practices than "fighting criminals and terrorists."

In her letter to Wray on Friday, Blackburn cited a recent report from a group of retired FBI agents who found "law enforcement and intelligence capabilities of the FBI are degrading because the FBI is no longer hiring ‘the best and the brightest’ candidates," as well as the hiring of a Chief Diversity Officer at the FBI in 2021, as well as the New Orleans field office hosting a "Diversity Agent Recruiting Event" in July as evidence of the agency’s heightened focus on DEI. 

"Most recently, in a striking example of tone deafness, the New Orleans FBI Field office thought it important to brag on X about how many bracelets its agents had collected. Your decision to prioritize politics, pop culture, or almost anything else over your mission to protect the public has put Americans in harm’s way, and the January 1 terror attack was the inevitable consequence," Blackburn wrote in her letter. 

THE 6 BIGGEST FBI SCANDALS UNDER THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

"Put simply, your focus on woke DEI initiatives at the FBI has endangered our national security and the lives of all Americans. Americans now feel increasingly unsafe because of incidents like the January 1 terror attack, and the FBI’s prioritization of diversity over competence shows that their concerns are well founded. Fortunately, the American people have spoken, and President Trump will soon bring law and order back to our nation," Blackburn continued. 

'WHEN THEY FAIL, AMERICANS DIE': TRUMP SOURCE BLASTS FBI, URGES SWIFT CONFIRMATION OF KASH PATEL AS DIRECTOR

The FBI took the lead on the case Wednesday, first landing in hot water with Trump allies and voters, including for initially reporting to the public that the attack was not an instance of terrorism.

"We'll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event," said New Orleans field office FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan during a Wednesday morning press conference. 

During that same press conference, however, the Democratic mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan’s comment and minced no words in detailing that the city faced an act of terror. 

When asked about Duncan's comment, the FBI directed Fox News Digital on Thursday to three press releases published the day before, detailing that the attack was being investigated as a terror incident. The press releases also detailed that an ISIS flag was found in the suspect’s truck. 

"This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism," the FBI said in one of its three statements provided to Fox Digital. 

BIDEN BLASTED FOR CALLING ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’ ‘MOST DANGEROUS TERRORIST THREAT’ AT COLLEGE SPEECH: ‘PURE EVIL’

Blackburn continued in her letter to Wray with five questions surrounding the FBI’s DEI hiring practices, including: How many FBI employees have been hired based on the Bureau’s DEI initiatives; how the DEI initiatives are funded and if any of the FBI’s funds were reallocated to such initiatives; as well as how many individuals were hired during the New Orleans field office’s Diversity Agent Recruiting Event in July. 

NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES FOR POTENTIAL LINKS BETWEEN BOURBON STREET AND TRUMP HOTEL BOMBING

"Has the Bureau recently terminated the employment of any FBI agents who assist the FBI’s National Security Branch counterterrorism and intelligence components?" Blackburn asked in her final questions. "In the online posting about the July 17 event, FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil is quoted as stating that "the diversity of our staff is the most valuable resource we have in . . . keeping Americans safe." Do you agree with that statement?"

Wray announced that he would step down from the FBI at the end of President Biden’s term this month, after Trump nominated Kash Patel to the role. Wray was first nominated under the first Trump administration and was in the midst of a 10-year term that would not have ended until 2027. 

"Until the President-Elect’s nominee to lead the FBI is confirmed, the American people deserve to know the full extent to which your radical DEI agenda has compromised our national security," Blackburn wrote to Wray, calling on him to answer her questions by Jan. 10.

Six states, including one with a Democratic governor, have either banned or prohibited the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in public colleges and universities this year.

The practice of DEI in higher educational institutions has been controversial for several years, most frequently opposed by Republicans and described by critics, such as civil rights attorney Devon Westhill, as an "industry that pushes a left-wing, far-left ideological orthodoxy in essentially every area of American life."

In 2024 alone, Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas and Utah either banned or limited the use of such teaching or use in the application process in their state's education system.

In January, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, signed legislation to prohibit institutions from engaging in "discriminatory practices" such as "that an individual, by virtue of the individual’s personal identity characteristics, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other individuals with the same personal identity characteristics." 

INDIANA UNIVERSITY COURSE TEACHES PEOPLE ARE INHERENTLY ‘OPPRESSORS’ BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE, SEX, RELIGION

The anti-DEI law also banned schools from having any policy, procedure, practice, program, office, initiative, or required training that is referred to or called "diversity, equity and inclusion."

In March, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama signed SB 129 into law. It prohibits certain DEI offices, as well as the "promotion, endorsement, and affirmation of certain divisive concepts in certain public settings."

The bill bans "divisive concepts," such as "that any individual should accept, acknowledge, affirm, or assent to a sense of guilt, complicity, or a need to apologize on the basis of his or her race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin" and "that meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist."

The legislation also required that restrooms be used on the basis of biological sex rather than gender identity, and that public institutions of higher education "authorize certain penalties for violation."

Also in March, Indiana adopted legislation to amend the duties of state educational institutions' diversity committees and increase "intellectual diversity." Additionally, the Indiana House introduced legislation to further prohibit DEI teachings in schools by mandating that educators "shall not promote in any course certain concepts related to race or sex."

BIDEN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SPENT OVER $1 BILLION ON DEI GRANTS: REPORT

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, allowed legislation prohibiting postsecondary educational institutions from engaging in certain DEI-related actions to become law without her signature. The bill, passed in April, imposes a $10,000 fine on any public institution that employs DEI practices in faculty hiring or student enrollment processes.

"While I have concerns about this legislation, I don’t believe that the conduct targeted in this legislation occurs in our universities," Kelly wrote in her passage of the bill.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, another Republican, signed an education-funding bill in May that contained provisions to limit DEI in schools, just months after the state's board of education began to scale back on such practices in higher education.

The bill prohibits "any effort to promote, as the official position of the public institution of higher education, a particular, widely contested opinion referencing unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, antiracism, systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality, nee-pronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, racial privilege, sexual privilege, or any related formulation of these concepts." 

Idaho became the latest state to determine that institutions may not "require specific structures or activities related to DEI."

In December, the Idaho Board of Education unanimously agreed on a resolution requiring that institutions "ensure that no central offices, policies, procedures, or initiatives are dedicated to DEI ideology" and "ensure that no employee or student is required to declare gender identity or preferred pronouns."

Other states, such as Florida, Texas and Tennessee, have all previously banned the practice of DEI in higher education.

The University of Iowa announced that it would close its Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies department as public universities in the state continue to respond to a changing DEI landscape. 

"Under the proposed plan, the college would close the departments of American Studies and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, as well as the current majors in American Studies and in Social Justice, which have fewer than 60 students combined, and create a new major in Social and Cultural Analysis," the University of Iowa announced in a press release on Dec. 17.

The decision comes after Iowa's state Board of regents approved 10 recommendations to scale back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the Hawkeye State. 

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS PREVALENCE OF DEI AT IVY LEAGUE INSTITUTIONS: 'DOMINANT IDEOLOGY'

"We are excited to reposition these programs for the future," dean of the University of Iowa's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), Sara Sanders, said. "The creation of a School of Social and Cultural Analysis would allow us to build on our considerable legacy in areas that are essential to our mission, while creating more sustainable structures and room for innovative new curricula." 

"Right now, these programs are administered by multiple department chairs and multiple directors," CLAS associate dean for the arts and humanities, Roland Racevskis, said. "Under this proposed plan, the school would have a single leadership team dedicated to overseeing the operations of the programs." 

STATE LAWMAKERS, COMPANIES PREPARE TO PUSH BACK AGAINST DEI, 'WOKE' INITIATIVES: EXPERTS

"Students in this major would be able to connect their individual experiences and ideas to larger social contexts," CLAS associate dean for undergraduate education, Cornelia Lang, said. "This would prepare them well for potential careers or graduate work in cultural studies and related fields through highly adaptable skills like analytical thinking, effective communication, and research."

The announcement revealed that the proposal would go into effect on July 1, 2025, if it is successfully approved at the February Board of Regents meeting.

The University of Iowa is not the only academic institution that is changing its stance on DEI programs in recent months. 

The University of Michigan ended its requirement for DEI statements on faculty hiring, promotion and tenure this month. The University of Austin (UATX), a private liberal arts university, also replaced DEI with merit-based initiatives this year. 

Some states, including Florida, have restricted or banned funding for DEI in state institutions. 

The University of Iowa did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Fox News' Taylor Penley contributed to this report.