DOJ warns against using proxies for DEI in federally funded programs
By 
Aly McDevitt2025-08-01T20:07:00
“Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. Access. Belonging.” Scrubbing these terms and their acronyms from a federally funded organization’s wordbook won’t protect it from legal scrutiny, the Department of Justice (DOJ) warns in newly released guidance.
The DOJ also calls out terms like “cultural competence,” “lived experience,” and “geographic targeting”—while these phrases may seem neutral, they are potentially loaded and legally risky. The agency says entities can still run afoul of federal anti-discrimination laws if these words are used as stand-ins to favor or disadvantage people based on race, sex, color, national origin, or religion.
“This Department of Justice will not stand by while recipients of federal funds engage in illegal discrimination,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This guidance will ensure we are serving the American people and not ideological agendas.”
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