The Trump administration is cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for DEI initiatives and climate change programs in California.
In a crackdown on taxpayer waste, nearly $328 million in Department of Transportation funding to CA is being halted, along with more than $300 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to figures obtained by The California Post from the Office of Management and Budget.
Some of the funding that is being eliminated include $876,000 for research to address “reducing social isolation among older LGBTQ adults,” $1.1 million for the “National HIV Behavioral Surveillance of Los Angeles County,” and another $600K for Public Health Advocates, Inc. to fund “Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health.”
The state’s clean energy is also taking a substantial hit, with the Trump administration ending millions in funding for purchasing electric buses and charging stations.
The initiatives targeted include $14.3 million to the City of Santa Cruz for EV chargers at “equity-focused” local government sites, $77 million to purchase 75 electric buses and install charging infrastructure in West Hollywood, as well as $9.9 million for the city of Santa Rosa to purchase 6 electric buses to provide “quieter and safer” transit operations for the “Environmental Justice Community.”
The announcement comes just a few weeks after the Office of Management and Budget sent out a memo ordering a sweeping review of federal funding in 14 Democratic-led states, plus Washington D.C., to identify mismanaged and wasteful spending.
The memo at the time instructed agencies to provide a detailed report on all programs and projects, but added it was only a “data-gathering exercise,” and “does not involve withholding funds,” according to Politico.
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