Trump, DOGE Score Court Win in $1 Billion DEI Grants Case

The Trump administration scored a victory over diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and a win in favor of the Department of Government Efficiency push to slash $1 billion in spending.

The win came from an unlikely source, a Joe Biden-appointed federal judge. 

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb of the District of Columbia denied the request for an injunction from a coalition of education, research, and union groups. The plaintiffs sought to require the National Science Foundation to pay grants it had previously pledged. 

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14151, titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” 

In response, as part of DOGE cost-cutting, the NSF terminated more than $1 billion in previously awarded grants. About 1,600 separate grants were terminated. 

In June, a coalition of groups receiving grants sued claiming the Trump administration violated their constitutional rights. Plaintiffs also asserted the Trump administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act.

“The court finds that it likely lacks jurisdiction over Plaintiffs’ retrospective [Administrative Procedure Act] claims, so it must deny plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary relief as to those claims,” Cobb wrote in 41-page opinion. 

“In analyzing Plaintiffs’ remaining claims, the Court concludes that Plaintiffs have failed to show irreparable harm flowing from their prospective [Administrative Procedure Act] claims and have not shown a likelihood of success on the merits of their constitutional claims,” Cobb continued.  “As a result, the Court will deny Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction without considering the other preliminary injunction factors.”

The plaintiffs in the case were the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Association of Colleges and Universities, Women in Engineering ProActive Network, American Educational Research Association, American Association of University Professors, and the United Auto Workers union. 

Democracy Forward, a liberal legal group chaired by Democrat election lawyer Marc Elias, represented the coalition, along with the Norton Law Firm.

This is still pending, and litigants pledge to move forward. 

“The Trump-Vance administration acted unlawfully when it terminated these crucial grants,” the plaintiffs coalition said in a public statement. “It attempted to usurp congressional authority by eliminating funding required by law. This case is not over and we are eager to defend the important role the NSF plays in the daily lives of Americans.”

A National Science Foundation spokesperson refused comment when contacted by The Daily Signal for this story. 

After Trump’s executive order to stop funding DEI initiatives, the NSF announced it would be “changing its priorities,” the lawsuit notes.

Plaintiffs argued this was “arbitrary and capricious.”

Yet, the judge noted that federal regulations give agencies wide latitude. 

“Such language explicitly gives the foundation unfettered discretion to terminate NSF grants, even if grantees have met all substantive requirements, if it concludes, in its own judgment, that the grants are no longer consistent with the Foundation’s goals or priorities,” Cobb wrote. 

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