Trump’s threat to punish Fresno over DEI wording is dumb, dangerous | Opinion

President Donald Trump and his attempts to bully public agencies, including the City of Fresno, have gone too far.

In May, the city received a letter from the U.S. Department of Transportation threatening to take away federal funding if Fresno did not drop Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) language and cooperate with immigration enforcement.

Monday, Fresno received an email from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development directing the city to remove all references to “equity,” “environmental justice” and all transgender references from its Community Development Block Grant plan or risk losing federal funding. Fresno cannot use federal grant money to “promote gender ideology” as defined in the president’s January executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”

In the city’s Housing and Community Development 2025-29 plan, the word “equity” shows up in a sentence about attracting and retaining industries that meet or exceed criteria like family-sustaining wages, investment impact, equity and resiliency.

Another sentence in the 231-page plan outlines goals to “improve housing affordability and stability, reduce racial and economic isolation and support environmental justice and sustainability.”

Those are hardly examples of a city hellbent on stamping DEI all over its planning.

The response was correct: Fresno joined several cities and counties in a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s threats.

“We are asking the courts to restore fairness, predictability, and the rule of law to the federal grants system,” said City Attorney Andrew Janz, according to Fresno Bee reporter Thaddeus Miller. “This lawsuit is not about partisan politics – it is about protecting essential federal funding that Congress previously authorized and intended for local communities.”

Mayor Jerry Dyer was understandably not happy with the email.

“Our city depends on these federal grants in order to meet our housing demand, provide reliable transportation and improve our roads,” said Dyer. “When Washington suddenly rewrites the rules, it’s our families, seniors and small businesses who suffer most and the impact is felt throughout our nation.”

Fresno stands to lose $50 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants to finish capital improvement projects at Fresno Yosemite International Airport, according to the lawsuit. The city is also relying on $100 million in federal grants for other airport improvements, including a new air traffic control tower.

The lawsuit indicates Fresno depends on more than $100 million in federal transportation grants, $11.7 million annually for housing and $2.2 million in environmental safety grants. The plaintiffs argue that Trump’s executive orders can’t override funding approved by Congress.

Fresno was joined in the lawsuit by Eureka, South Lake Tahoe, Sacramento County, St. Paul (Minnesota), Monroe County (New York) and the Monroe County Airport Authority (New York).

Why strongarm Fresno and others?

“My Administration will defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male,” Trump said in his January 20 executive order. The problem is the president is oversimplifying the two sexes.

The Washington Post reported in February that sex can be difficult to assign for about 2% of the population.

“While there are some areas of active debate, scientists are in wide agreement that biological sex in humans as well as the rest of life on earth is much more complicated than a simple binary,” University of Iowa professor Maurine Neiman told The Post.

Trump’s efforts to reject science is dangerous not only to those who identify outside the male or female sex, but could cause harm to them. Now, his wrongful thinking – along with his assault on anything DEI – is threatening federal funding intended to make airports safer.

Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi stressed that Congress has approved the money.

“Our responsibility is to make sure local services are never jeopardized by politics, and this lawsuit is one step in keeping that promise,” Karbassi said in a statement.

Trump needs to realize that mixing politics with sensible government spending is bad. Take a hint: more than 330 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration as of Aug. 20, according to lawfaremedia.org. Judges have ruled against the federal government in 23 of 31 cases that have been decided.