Judge Blocks Trump's $600 Million Cut to Teacher Training Funds Over DEI

A federal judge blocks Trump's $600M cut to DEI-linked teacher training funds as "arbitrary and capricious" — while DOJ gives UC San Francisco's med school an Oct. 2 deadline over alleged race-based admissions discrimination. Teacher training funding cuts blocked: In February 2025, the Trump administration eliminated over $600 million in federal funding for two Obama-era programs — Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development — citing "divisive ideology" tied to DEI. Eight Democratic-led states sued, and a Massachusetts federal judge ruled the directive provided no clear criteria for what counts as DEI-related, making it "arbitrary and capricious." The Education Department's press secretary maintains the goal is quality education and training, not politics; it's unclear whether the department will appeal. UCSF Title VI investigation: DOJ alleges UC San Francisco's medical school discriminated against white and Asian applicants under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, citing test-score disparities between admitted students of different racial backgrounds. The school has until Oct. 2 to address the findings and denies any discriminatory admissions process. The school and university receive roughly $1 billion in federal funding; DOJ hasn't explicitly threatened to cut it, though similar investigations elsewhere have included that threat. Why it matters: Both cases test how far the Trump administration can go in unwinding DEI-related policy through funding actions and civil rights enforcement, with prior Supreme Court precedent on race-conscious admissions likely to factor into how UCSF responds. The Center Square's Esther Wickham reports. What's your take — should race play any role in university admissions, and where should the line be on federal funding tied to DEI? Leave a comment below. #Education #DEI #TitleVI #CenterSquare #TheStates