By Reagan Reese
President Donald Trump’s Department of Transportation (DOT) has purged 3,200 grants, left behind by President Joe Biden, of various social justice and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, while clearing a backlog of funding to kickstart infrastructure projects.
The DOT is planning to announce Tuesday that they have awarded 180 of the 3,200 infrastructure grants that were previously backlogged under the Biden administration, according to materials shared with the Caller. The grants were previously under review by the department for social justice, DEI and Green New Deal initiatives, the Caller previously reported. With the Department’s Tuesday action, some of the 3,200 grants backlogged, totaling more than $3.2 billion, have been awarded for various projects but stripped of any social justice, DEI and Green New Deal elements, according to materials shared with the Caller. (RELATED: ‘Death Of The Green New Scam’: Zeldin Declares End To Left’s Climate ‘Grift’)
“America is building again. At the Department of Transportation, that means getting back to basics: Building More, Building Efficiently and Building Quickly. The last administration liked to grab the headlines but didn’t want to do the hard work of building,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement shared with the Caller.
“They also tied road construction up with red tape and leftist social requirements – adding millions in costs and months of delay – all while our outdated infrastructure sat in disrepair. This administration has a different vision: drain the swamp and make government work for the American people,” he continued.
One of the grants awarded fulfills a campaign promise Trump made while running for reelection in 2019. The largest package approved is $550 million towards breaking ground on Alabama’s I-10 Mobile River bridge, the Caller learned.
“So the I-10 bridge, and I say this, and I give you this commitment and I can’t play with these three: Steve, John, Bill, everybody sitting here … If we win this election, which is just sixteen months away, we’re giving you a brand new I-10 bridge,” Trump said in 2019.
Other fulfilled grants include 17 projects, $1.4 billion in total, for the Bridge Investment Program; 33 projects, $277 million in total, for the airport terminal program; six projects totaling $221 million for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements and 30 projects, totaling $494 million, for Low or No Emission (Bus) Grants.
Some grants needed to be stripped of initiatives which included a “racial equity impact analysis” or an “equity and inclusion program/plan” coupled with every project.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy greets United Auto Workers in the audience before U.S. President Donald Trump signs executive orders imposing tariffs on imported goods during a “Make America Wealthy Again” trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“All competitive grant and cooperative agreement award selections must comply with current Administration priorities and Executive Orders (EO) that address energy, climate change, diversity and gender, and economic analysis, and other priorities,” the earlier memo on reviewing the grants for such initiatives read.
A source familiar with the situation previously told the Caller that the department’s earlier review of the grants was to ensure that the grants are compliant with the law and the president’s priorities and to ensure they funded “safety and core infrastructure” in an effort to “allow projects to be completed more quickly and more affordably.”
