The Justice Department will use a law typically used to punish corrupt recipients of federal funding to pressure universities to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice cited what it views as universities’ inadequate responses to campus antisemitism and “divisive” DEI policies as justification for using the False Claims Act.
“Institutions that take federal money only to allow antisemitism and promote divisive D.E.I. policies are putting their access to federal funds at risk,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “This Department of Justice will not tolerate these violations of civil rights — inaction is not an option.”
Entities receiving federal funding must be compliant with civil rights laws in order to continue receiving the funding. The Trump administration has found numerous institutions, especially schools, in violation of civil rights statutes such as Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX due to race-based opportunities, scholarships, and hiring, a lack of enforcement of campus antisemitism, and allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.
On May 19, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a Memorandum creating the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative that will “utilize the False Claims Act to investigate and . . . pursue claims a...