The second administration of Donald Trump is seeking to change the structure of government and make alterations to how federal money can be sent.
In late April, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to all recipients of grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation must comply with the administration’s interpretation of federal law.
“Whether or not described in neutral terms, any policy, program, or activity that is premised on a prohibited classification, including discriminatory policies or practices designed to achieve so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ or ‘DEI’ goals, presumptively violates federal law,” Duffy wrote.
Any perceived violation will result in a termination of funding. Additionally, grant recipients must cooperate with requests from the U.S. Immigration of Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other federal agencies seeking to enforce federal immigration law.
“Proactive engagement is strongly advised to prevent inadvertent noncompliance,” Duffy continues.
The members of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission received a briefing on the letter at their meeting on May 1.
“This is just an act of transparency to share with you all the communications that we’re receiving,” said TJPDC Executive Director Christine Jacobs. “There has not been any direct requests for us to do anything different, but we will be really diligent in reviewing the language of our agreements and the language of our plans to make sure that we are complying with federal law.”
The TJPDC is the agency that operates the federally-mandated Metropolitan Planning Organization which serves as a local body to sign off on federally-funded projects.
Before you go: This story originally went out in the May 7, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. To learn how to support the work, please visit this section of this website.
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