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Russell Vought’s Budget Blueprint: Defunding DEI, Slashing Education, and Redefining Federal Priorities

He wants to reshape federal budget, reduce non-defense discretionary spending, eliminate or defund programs associated with progressive social policies, centralize spending around "America First".

Author

Pascal Hetzscholdt
May 05, 2025


Russell Vought’s Budget Blueprint: Defunding DEI, Slashing Education, and Redefining Federal Priorities

by ChatGPT-4o

Russell Vought, as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), wants to reshape the federal budget to dramatically reduce non-defense discretionary spending, eliminate or defund programs associated with progressive social policies, and centralize spending around “America First” priorities—all in line with Donald Trump’s political and ideological goals.

Specifically, Vought's letter to Congress and the FY 2026 budget proposal indicate that he:

  1. Seeks deep cuts to education and social programs:
    He proposes a 22.6% reduction in non-defense discretionary spending, including billions in cuts to Department of Education programs such as TRIO, GEAR UP, adult education, and English language acquisition. Programs labeled as promoting “DEI,” “woke ideology,” or aiding “non-citizens” are especially targeted for elimination.

  2. Preserves Title I funding—but only narrowly:
    While the administration seeks to preserve Title I funding (support for low-income students), it aims to consolidate and eliminate 18 other K–12 education programs under a new simplified structure that explicitly avoids DEI-related goals and reduces federal oversight.

  3. Wants to shift federal responsibilities to states:
    Vought frames many cuts as a return of power to “states and local communities” to reduce what he views as federal overreach. This includes defunding programs like Federal Work-Study and Special Education programs under the guise of “simplification” or “state flexibility.”

  4. Targets ideological opponents:
    His budget language is loaded with culture war rhetoric—frequent references to ending “radical,” “woke,” “DEI,” and “transgender ideology” programs. There are pointed attacks on institutions perceived as liberal or internationalist (e.g., the UN, NIH, certain NGOs, and universities).

  5. Prioritizes military and border security spending:
    In contrast to the cuts, the budget proposes significant increases to defense and homeland security, including $1.01 trillion for defense and $175 billion for border enforcement, emphasizing mass deportations and wall construction.

  6. Promotes a vision of reduced federal civil rights enforcement:
    The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the Department of Education is to be reduced by 35%, especially refocusing away from DEI and transgender cases, signaling a rollback of federal civil rights protections in education.

In summary, Vought wants to reengineer the federal government to enforce a socially conservative, nationalist agenda—cutting or defunding any programs that promote diversity, equity, or progressive causes, while heavily boosting defense and law enforcement spending.

Here are some of the most surprising and controversial statements made in the Trump administration’s FY2026 budget proposal, authored by OMB Director Russell Vought:

🔥 1. "Woke" and "Radical" Language in a Formal Budget Document

“The Budget proposes to eliminate contributions to the Global Environment Facility and the Climate Investment Funds, which promote woke Green New Deal policies…”
— p. 3

“The Budget eliminates this woke, ill-structured account…”
— re: Complex Crisis Fund, p. 2

“Funds have been weaponized to force local districts to implement Washington-directed DEI practices against their will.”
— p. 7

Why it's controversial: Budget proposals typically maintain a formal tone. This one uses partisan, ideological terms (“woke,” “radical,” “weaponized”) repeatedly, injecting culture war rhetoric into fiscal planning.

🚨 2. Explicit Targeting of DEI, LGBTQ+, and Transgender Programs

“The Budget ends funding for teacher training programs that promote critical race theory, DEI, white privilege, and abolitionist pedagogies.”
— p. 7

“[The Office for Civil Rights] would continue to ensure compliance with civil rights laws… while removing their ability to push DEI programs and promote radical transgender ideology.”
— p. 8

“Equity Assistance Centers... have indoctrinated children.”
— p. 7

Why it's controversial: The proposal frames DEI and civil rights work as ideological “indoctrination” rather than educational or civil obligations, and actively seeks to defund or dismantle these efforts.

🧪 3. NIH Criticized for Supporting Transgender Youth

“The NIH funded a study titled ‘Psychosocial Functioning in Transgender Youth after 2 Years of Hormones,’ in which two participants tragically committed suicide.”
— p. 11

Why it's controversial: This citation is used as justification to slash $17.9 billion from the NIH and eliminate research into minority health, transgender care, and climate-related public health issues. Many would see this as a misuse of a complex mental health situation to justify sweeping policy changes.

🛑 4. Elimination of International Peacekeeping and Refugee Support

“UN peacekeepers have been accused of narcotics trafficking... smuggled gold, diamonds, and drugs.”
— p. 2

“Those who do arrive [as refugees] should not expect American taxpayers to support them.”
— p. 10

Why it's controversial: These justifications for cutting refugee, peacekeeping, and international aid programs are highly aggressive and break with long-standing bipartisan support for humanitarian assistance.

🔒 5. Suggesting Civil Rights Enforcement Was "Weaponized"

“The previous administration used the ATF to attack gun-owning Americans...”
— p. 19
“CISA was more focused on censorship than protecting the Nation’s critical systems...”
— p. 17
“The Civil Rights Division… was weaponized against States implementing election integrity measures.”
— p. 19

Why it's controversial: These claims suggest that multiple federal agencies were being used as political tools. That framing is typically the subject of political campaigning—not budget planning.

🧠 6. Abolishing Health Equity Programs as a Matter of Policy

“Eliminates health equity-focused activities and… DEI support contracts.”
— p. 12
“The Budget eliminates the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities…”
— p. 11

Why it's controversial: It proposes dismantling national efforts to address long-documented disparities in health outcomes, particularly affecting racial minorities, LGBTQ+ communities, and women.

⚖️ 7. Claiming Censorship and Partisan Bias in FEMA and DOJ Grants

“FEMA… discriminated against Americans who voted for the President...”
— p. 17
DOJ grants were “weaponized against the American people… to manipulate the legal system on ideological grounds.”
— p. 18

Why it's controversial: These claims accuse federal agencies of political bias without presenting evidence in a policy document, which could erode public trust in neutral civil institutions.

🇺🇸 8. Radical Shift in Education Philosophy

“Federal control has replaced local decision-making, creating a one-size-fits-all system that is decimating student achievement.”
— p. 4
“[Programs] encourage ineligible non-citizens to access U.S. IHEs, stripping resources from American students.”
— p. 6

Why it's controversial: This represents a dismantling of decades of federal education support, including programs for low-income, migrant, and special education students—framed as promoting ideological or demographic favoritism.

·

27 APR

Russell Vought: Ideology, Influence, and the Remaking of American Governance