Bipartisan Commission on Civil Rights slams Trump administration for 'undoing decades of civil and human rights progress'


The Trump administration is "undoing decades of civil and human rights progress," especially regarding LGBTQ issues, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said in a report published last Thursday.
The study is the result of a two-year probe launched after several agencies announced budget and personnel cuts in departments that oversee civil rights. Stripping these divisions of resources, the commission found, left "allegations of civil rights violations unredressed."
The federal watchdog group also alleged that the administration's application of "religious liberty" guidance since 2017 has been marginalizing LGBTQ communities. The report cites the example of the DOJ supporting a Colorado-based baker who refused to sell cake to a same-sex couple in a discriminatory lawsuit, as well the "elimination of data collection on LGBTQ status."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a statement, the White House denounced the report as a product of the "radical left" to paint LGBTQ Americans as "threatened," reports NBC News.
While the independent, bipartisan commission will not be able to enforce their findings, the report will still be presented to Congress at the end of the year. "After that," notes NBC News, "it's up to legislators to act."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ramisa Rob is a web intern at The Week. She is also an investigative reporting fellow at Brian Ross Investigates, and has previously worked for the The Daily Star. A recent graduate of the University of Michigan, she is currently pursuing her Masters at NYU Tisch.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - deportation, Canadian politeness, and more
-
5 low approval cartoons about poll numbers
Cartoons Artists take on fake pollsters, shared disapproval, and more
-
Deepfakes and impostors: the brave new world of AI jobseeking
In The Spotlight More than 80% of large companies use AI in their hiring process, but increasingly job candidates are getting in on the act
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war
-
Trump's 100-day approval ratings at historic low
Speed Read Americans appear to be wary of Trump's sweeping tariffs and handling of the economy
-
Judge blocks key part of Trump's elections overhaul
Speed Read Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision temporarily bars federal officials from requiring Americans to prove they are citizens to register to vote
-
Hegseth's chief of staff joins Pentagon exodus
Speed Read Joe Kasper has stepped down, leaving the Defense Secretary 'increasingly isolated'