Key figures in the next Trump administration have spotted a ripe target for their federal waste-cutting mandate: the $1 billion spent by the Department of Education on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
An investigation by Parents Defending Education found that the department sunk more than $1 billion into grants to K-12 school districts and universities from 2021 to 2024 for DEI hires, programs and “mental health/social emotional learning.”
“You reap what you sow, and it is very clear that this administration’s Department of Education has been incentivizing the advancement of far-left ideologies into American schools in place of rigorous, proven methods of instruction,” said PDE researcher Rhyen Staley, who authored the report released Thursday.
Needless to say, the findings caught the attention of the two business honchos tapped to head the proposed Department of Government Efficiency in the second Trump administration: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
“Merit is a precondition for efficiency,” said Mr. Ramaswamy, who linked to the report on social media. “So it’s entirely unsurprising that anti-meritocratic programs are a source of waste & inefficiency.”
Mr. Musk, who has said he wants to cut as much as $2 trillion from the federal government, had a one-word response: “Insane.”
The proposed presidential advisory commission known as DOGE highlighted the report on its X account, which already has 2.3 million followers.
“The Department of Education spent over $1 Billion promoting DEI in America’s schools,” said the DOGE account.
The PDE report found that the department under President Biden doled out 229 DEI-related grants to schools in 42 states and the District of Columbia totaling just over $1 billion. At least 296 K-12 schools received funding.
The breakdown came to $489 million for DEI recruiting, training and hiring; $343 million for programs including “restorative practices” and “youth activism,” and $169 million for mental health and social/emotional learning.
“Some grants covered two or all of the above categories, in those cases, the grant was counted only towards the most dominant category,” said PDE.
Examples included a $4 million grant to the MK Level Playing Field Institute in Oakland, California, for a three-week residential “culturally responsive computer science summer camp for 600 “historically underrepresented” high school juniors and seniors.
“Student identities underrepresented in the computing field will be prioritized in the selection process (e.g., Black, Latine, Native, low-income, girls, non-binary),” according to the grant application.
Other examples included a $1.26 million grant to the University of Iowa to train 40 elementary school teachers to “enact equity-centered education” in K-12 school districts, and a $3.97 million grant to the School District of Philadelphia for a “restorative justice program.”
Those fuming over the disclosures included Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican.
“President Trump will end this woke BS on day one of his term,” Mr. Cruz said on social media. “America’s kids will learn the subjects they’re supposed to be taught, rather than being indoctrinated.”
Rep. Tim Walberg, newly elected chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, also made it clear that he’s watching.
“The mission drifted from education to indoctrination. But those days are numbered and change is coming,” he said on X. “Thanks @DefendingEd for your work uncovering this.”
The Washington Times has reached out to the Department of Education for comment.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.