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Chicago is joining forces with eight other cities in challenging President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to use tens of millions of dollars in federal anti-terrorism and public safety grants as leverage in his battle against what he calls \u201cwokeness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has vowed to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools and college admissions, and in corporate and governmental hiring.<\/p>\n
In May, the U.S. Justice Department launched a federal civil rights investigation<\/a> into Chicago\u2019s hiring practices \u2014 days after Mayor Brandon Johnson<\/a> boasted about the record number of African Americans he has hired for top city jobs.<\/p>\n The target of the new lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Chicago is Trump\u2019s decision to condition U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants on a city\u2019s opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring and contracting.<\/p>\n The Trump administration\u2019s conditions to tens of millions of dollars in federal funding would require Chicago and other cities to certify in advance that they do not have \u201cprograms that advance or promote DEI, DEIA, or discriminatory equity ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n Those requirements are \u201carbitrary and capricious,\u201d irrelevant to the purpose of the grants, and violate the separation of powers that puts Congress in control of federal spending, the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n Federal funds hanging in the balance are used to help cities \u201ctrain first responders, modernize emergency options centers, build public alert systems and purchase hazmat suits\u201d and other \u201clife-saving equipment\u201d used by bomb squads, according to city officials.<\/p>\n \u201cThe federal government cannot demand that cities dismantle DEI programs in exchange for disaster relief,\u201d Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry said in a press release.<\/p>\n Johnson said in the release that he would not \u201cstand by while the federal government weaponizes emergency funding\u201d to attack diversity and \u201cvalues\u201d vital to Chicago. <\/p>\n \u201cEnsuring that all Chicagoans have an opportunity to succeed is not discrimination. It\u2019s just basic fairness,\u201d Johnson said in the release. \u201cWe will fight to ensure our first responders have the tools they need, that our commitment to equity and inclusion remains strong and that we receive every federal dollar intended for public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n Last spring, Chicago filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security\u2019s freeze on counter-terrorism funding. Boston, San Francisco, Seattle and Denver later joined the suit. <\/p>\n A month afterward, the Trump administration released $1.2 million in anti-terrorism funds to Chicago. Richardson-Lowry said then she believed the funds were unfrozen because of the heightened risk of terrorism on U.S. soil stemming from the U.S. bombing of Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities.<\/p>\n Johnson has responded to the federal investigation of Chicago\u2019s hiring practices by demanding that the Justice Department investigate Trump\u2019s hiring practices, claiming the president is \u201cusing his power to divide people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs my administration reflects the country, it reflects the city \u2014 his administration reflects the country club,\u201d Johnson told reporters at the time. \u201cThat is the biggest difference between what we\u2019re doing in Chicago and what is coming from the federal government.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n