By Steven Allen Adams for The Journal
CHARLESTON – The top transportation official in West Virginia said the state will comply with a directive sent out to states and local government recipients of federal transportation grants to cooperate with the Trump administration’s new policies regarding immigration enforcement and DEI.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter on April 24 to all recipients of federal DOT funding to remind state and local governments to follow all legal requirements, including “prohibiting discrimination” and “enforcing controls on illegal immigration.”
“I write to clarify and reaffirm pertinent legal requirements, to outline the Department’s expectations, and to provide a reminder of your responsibilities and the consequences of noncompliance with Federal Law and the terms of your financial assistance agreements,” Duffy wrote.
Duffy said federal transportation grant recipients are required to ensure their personnel practices — such as hiring, promotions, and terminations – be merit-based and not based on policies connected to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office on Jan. 20 ending DEI programs in the federal government.
