Trump administration proposes rule requiring federal fund recipients to certify absence of DEI programmes

The administration of Donald Trump has proposed a new federal rule that could require institutions receiving government funding — including schools and universities — to certify that they do not run diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) programmes that the government considers discriminatory.

According to a report by education news outlet K-12 Dive, the proposal is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to curb diversity initiatives across sectors that rely on federal funding.

The proposal has been issued by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), an independent federal agency responsible for managing government property and procurement systems and supporting other federal agencies.

Certification tied to federal funding

Under the proposed rule, organisations that receive federal funding would be required to certify that they do not maintain certain programmes or policies that the administration categorises as discriminatory.

As reported by K-12 Dive, the certification would cover practices such as race-based scholarships, diversity statements used in hiring processes, “cultural competence” requirements, and narratives that ask applicants to describe how they have overcome social or economic obstacles.

Training programmes that the administration believes could create a “hostile environment” would also be barred for entities receiving federal funding.

In addition, organisations would have to certify that they are not knowingly hiring or recruiting undocumented workers — a provision aligned with the administration’s wider crackdown on illegal immigration.

The GSA estimates that the proposal could affect around 222,760 entities that receive federal funds across the United States, according to the K-12 Dive report.

Part of wider anti-DEI policy push

The proposal continues the Trump administration’s broader push against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in education and other sectors.

Earlier efforts faced legal hurdles when federal courts blocked the U.S. Department of Education from enforcing a similar policy that required school districts receiving federal funds to certify that they had removed DEI-related programmes.

That earlier directive was issued through a “Dear Colleague” letter dated February 14, 2025. The guidance warned that schools maintaining race-based programming could risk losing federal funding.

However, the directive created confusion among school administrators about which programmes might fall under the restrictions. Questions arose about whether race-aligned student affinity groups, ethnicity-based celebrations, diversity-focused hiring policies, and race-based considerations in school choice admissions could be affected.

Multiple federal judges eventually blocked the directive, and the Education Department dropped its appeal in January, signalling that it would no longer attempt to enforce that certification requirement.

Legal developments around DEI policies

Despite those setbacks, the administration recently secured a legal win in its broader effort to eliminate DEI programmes. In February, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit lifted a temporary pause on key provisions in two executive orders targeting diversity initiatives across education and other sectors.

The GSA proposal relies on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, a federal law that prohibits discrimination in programmes receiving federal funding. Historically, Title VI has been used to protect minority and underserved students.

However, as noted by K-12 Dive, the Trump administration has increasingly invoked the law to argue that diversity programmes may discriminate against Asian and White students.

The GSA has invited public feedback on the proposal and will accept comments until March 30.

If implemented, the rule could significantly reshape diversity-related programming and hiring practices at thousands of schools, universities and other organisations that depend on federal funding in the United States.
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