Trump seeks to cut funding for racial sensitivity training in federal agencies

A Trump administration official has instructed agencies to compile a list on racial sensitivity trainings on critical race theory, white privilege and other topics

President Donald Trump is looking to revamp the federal government’s racial sensitivity training curriculum, deeming some sessions to be “un-American” and “divisive,” according to an unearthed White House memorandum.

The memo, issued by White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, says Trump wants to pull funding for the training sessions, labeling them “propaganda” and suggesting that the workplace programs “undercut our core values as Americans and drive division within our workforce.”

The Washington Post obtained the memo delivered to federal agencies on Friday that spells out the president’s stance on the matter and instructs federal agencies to expect more guidance in the near future.

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“The President has directed me to ensure that Federal agencies cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions,” the notice read.

The two-page memo states that federal agency should compile a list of contracts and spending on training that involves topics like critical race theory (CRT), white privilege and others that paint the country and people as “inherently racist or evil.”

Vought wrote that the Federal government was a pillar of racial unity as it employs people of all races, and states that the Trump administration feels that the training sessions will undermine unity and the president’s “proven track record of standing for those whose voice has long been ignored.”

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“We can be proud of our continued efforts to welcome all individuals who seek to serve their fellow Americans as Federal employees,” Vought wrote.

The memo said that the OMB will instructor these agencies and departments to “cancel any such contracts” and take away the money used for the sessions that propogate critical race theory.

CRT examines how systemic racism in society oppresses minority groups and communities.

Purdue University classifies CRT scholars as people who draw from the nation’s past practices of slavery, segregation and other prejudice practices to form an understanding how all minority and disenfranchised communities are treated and what can be done to circumvent white privilege.

Writer Jamil Smith reacted to the news in a tweet Saturday morning, saying that CRT “helps contextualize how systemic racism affects us” and that the move by Trump is “white supremacy trying to cover its tracks.”

“Trump, his party, and their supporters are attempting to place the burden of proof on people making the charge of systemic racism,” he wrote, adding that the “evidence is—quite literally—all around us. In housing. Education. Environmental policy.”

The White House condemns CRT as a method of falsely painting America and the government as agents of discrimination.

“The divisive, false, and demeaning propaganda of the critical race theory movement is contrary to all we stand for as Americans and should have no place in the Federal government,” the memo ended.

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