In a major legal win for President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court has backed his administration’s decision to cancel $600 million in federal grants intended for teacher training programs — all under the guise of eliminating “DEI influence” in education.
Friday’s 5-4 ruling overruled a lower court’s order and allowed Trump to pull the plug on 104 grants, many of which were geared toward uplifting educators and students from historically marginalized communities. The ruling marks Trump’s first Supreme Court victory of his second term and a devastating blow to diversity programs in public education.
The programs, funded under the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development, were designed to equip teachers to better serve diverse classrooms — a goal the Trump administration now calls discriminatory. In February, Trump’s Department of Education labeled the programs “unlawfully discriminatory” for promoting DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), despite having previously passed federal review standards.
Justice Elena Kagan, in a scathing dissent, made clear just how severe the impact would be. “The grant recipients had said they would be forced to cancel some of their programs,” she wrote. Her colleague Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson called the decision to fast-track the case an “emergency” only in the minds of those pushing a political agenda.
The Department of Education’s rationale? That these programs include “objectionable DEI material” — code for any content acknowledging systemic inequalities or supporting inclusive practices. Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris argued that the administration is merely enforcing federal laws that prohibit discrimination. Ironically, the programs they’re canceling were intended to prevent discrimination in schools and expand opportunity to all.
Who Pays the Price? Marginalized Students, Again
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about grants. It’s about priorities. By gutting funding from DEI-minded educational programs, the administration has chosen ideology over equity — and put teachers and students of color, queer youth, and other marginalized groups in the crosshairs.
Programs that once empowered schools to understand and uplift students of all backgrounds are now being tossed aside as “divisive.” The losers? Young people who need mentors who see and support them — especially LGBTQ students in underrepresented communities. These grants helped train teachers in cultural competency and inclusive practices, often in rural and underserved areas where support for queer youth is already fragile.
This isn’t just bureaucratic bookkeeping. It’s a political message: that the fight for inclusivity has no place in public education — and that queer students, students of color, and anyone who doesn’t fit a certain mold should fend for themselves.
Despite a patchwork of lawsuits from liberal states like California, Massachusetts, and New York, the administration prevailed — at least for now. But the battle over America’s classrooms is far from over, and the LGBTQ community has every reason to remain vigilant.
Because when DEI falls, we all feel the collapse.