USDA Blocks Funds to States Pushing DEI, Gender Ideology

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is attempting to withhold funding from states that violate the Trump administration’s policies of dropping initiatives on gender ideology and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

However, Democrat attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia are suing in federal court to restore what they say is a cumulative $74 billion for food stamps, fighting wildfires, and school nutrition.

Democrat AGs have led numerous lawsuits to block actions by the Trump administration in the president’s second term. They claim that requiring compliance to certain administration policies for funding is a violation of the Spending Clause and the Administrative Procedure Act.

The strings attached to federal funding didn’t come without warning. In December, the USDA issued new terms and conditions for federal funding. These cited President Donald Trump’s executive orders from January and February of 2025 that restricted federal funds to states promoting gender ideology, unlawful DEI initiatives, and biological males playing in female sports. 

The lawsuit calls for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to block the USDA from imposing the funding conditions.

The complaint says this would affect several federal programs: the Women, Infants and Children, or WIC program; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps; the Emergency Food Assistance Program; and the Volunteer Fire Capacity Program.

“These federal grant programs are a lifeline for families across Massachusetts. I know that firsthand, as my own family relied on these programs when I was growing up,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said in a public statement.

“They ensure that children have access to meals at school, families can cover basic necessities, seniors can stretch limited incomes, and rural communities have critical support,” Campbell continued.

A USDA spokesperson told The Daily Signal the department does not comment on pending litigation.

States joining Massachusetts and D.C. in the litigation are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. 

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