Public Health Improvements Stall Amid Trump’s DEI Crackdown

Eighty communities across the country are losing federal funding for environmental health projects after the Trump administration cancelled a Biden-era program aimed at helping disadvantaged neighborhoods. In Thomasville, Georgia, that means a nineteen point eight million dollar EPA grant is gone—money that was supposed to fix contaminated water, repair aging sewage systems, and open a health clinic in a historic Black neighborhood called Dewey City. Per KFF Health News, the cancellation came weeks after the administration issued an executive order targeting diversity and inclusion programs, which the EPA said conflicted with its new priorities. Environmental health advocates argue the decision isn't rooted in science, but in politics—and that it leaves already-marginalized communities without the resources to address real public health risks. The city has filed an appeal.

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