DoJ’s Big Spend: $100 Million on DEI Programs in 4 Years

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has spent a whopping $100 million over the past four years on programs focused on restorative justice, social-emotional learning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This spending was revealed in a new report by Parents Defending Education (PDE), a right-leaning group. The report shows the DOJ doled out funds to over 900 school districts across 36 states from 2021 to 2024. Breaking down the numbers, the DOJ allocated about $45 million for projects promoting restorative practices and social-emotional learning. Another $32 million went towards projects aiming to improve outcomes for specific demographic groups. Shockingly, almost $20 million was spent on certifications for consultants who push controversial theories like critical race theory and critical gender theory. The report also points out that an additional $10 million was used for hiring new administrators, such as restorative justice facilitators. One notable example is the nearly $2 million given to Minnesota's Department of Education to implement anti-racism and anti-oppression practices. In New Jersey, Ocean County received close to $1 million to reduce violence by equating teasing to oppression. A key program highlighted is the DOJ’s STOP School Violence Program, which PDE warns is shifting from disciplinary actions to social-emotional learning under the guise of improving school climate. PDE argues that exclusionary discipline, which removes disruptive students, is more effective than restorative practices that often disrupt class time. PDE believes the actual spending might be even higher since some counties received multiple grants. In a statement, PDE founder Nicole Neily criticized the Biden Administration for prioritizing ideological projects over student safety, raising concerns about the use of taxpayer dollars. Last month, PDE released a similar report indicating the Department of Education had spent over $1 billion on DEI in hiring, programming, and mental health training since 2021. This includes $489 million on race-based hiring, $343 million on general DEI programming, and $169 million on DEI-based mental health training.