Bipartisan Commission on Civil Rights slams Trump administration for 'undoing decades of civil and human rights progress'
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
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."
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."
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.
-
The problem with diagnosing profound autismThe Explainer Experts are reconsidering the idea of autism as a spectrum, which could impact diagnoses and policy making for the condition
-
What to know before filing your own taxes for the first timethe explainer Tackle this financial milestone with confidence
-
The biggest box office flops of the 21st centuryin depth Unnecessary remakes and turgid, expensive CGI-fests highlight this list of these most notorious box-office losers
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
