President Donald Trump stated he is eliminating a broadband grant program that was licensed by Congress, declaring that the Digital Equity Act of 2021 is racist and unconstitutional.

“I have spoken with my wonderful Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, and we agree that the Biden/Harris so-called ‘Digital Equity Act’ is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL. No more woke handouts based on race! The Digital Equity Program is a RACIST and ILLEGAL $2.5 BILLION DOLLAR giveaway. I am ending this IMMEDIATELY, and saving Taxpayers BILLIONS OF DOLLARS!” Trump composed in a Truth Social post the other day.

The Digital Equity Act offered $2.75 billion for 3 grant programs. As a National Telecommunications and Information Administration web page states, the grants “aim to ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.”

The digital equity law, authorized as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, permits grants benefitting a wide variety of Americans who do not have trustworthy and cost effective Internet gain access to. The law covers low-income families, individuals who are at least 60 years of ages, individuals put behind bars in state or regional jails and prisons, veterans, individuals with impairments, individuals with language barriers, individuals who reside in backwoods, and individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group.

“President Trump’s move to end the Digital Equity Act is blatantly unconstitutional,” customer advocacy group Public Knowledge stated. While Trump is “labeling efforts to address racial inequity as discriminatory themselves,” his action “will also severely impact his voter base of white Americans who live in rural areas in red states, including veterans and the elderly,” the group stated.

Some states currently got financing in 2015. If Trump cancels grants that have not yet been dispersed, it will likely lead to claims versus the administration.

The law enables moneying to be utilized in a range of methods, consisting of “to make available equipment, instrumentation, networking capability, hardware and software, or digital network technology for broadband services to covered populations at low or no cost,” and “to construct, upgrade, expend, or operate new or existing public access computing centers for covered populations through community anchor institutions.” It can likewise cover training programs for utilizing innovation and labor force advancement programs.