Trump Administration Moves To Dismantle $37 Billion Minority Business Program, Calling It Unconstitutional In New Filing

Trump Administration Moves To Dismantle $37 Billion Minority Business Program, Calling It Unconstitutional In New Filing

The Trump administration has aligned with two white-owned Indiana construction companies in a legal bid to dismantle a $37 billion federal program meant to aid minority- and women-owned businesses.

The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program, created in 1983, mandates that at least 10% of transportation infrastructure funding go to “disadvantaged” firms.

Mid-America Milling Company and Bagshaw Trucking Inc. sued the Department of Transportation in 2023, calling the DBE “the largest, and perhaps oldest affirmative action program in U.S. history.”

Their complaint argued that the program unfairly favors women and certain minorities, claiming, “Disfavored racial groups must compete with the preferred racial groups on an unequal footing.”

On Wednesday, the Justice Department, now under Trump appointees, proposed a settlement to dismantle the DBE, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling against race-conscious college admissions. “The program’s use of race- and sex-based presumptions is unconstitutional,” the filing stated.

What are your thoughts on this move?