The Department of Transportation has released a memo ordering that programs supported or assisted by the agency prioritize funding projects for communities that have above-average marriage and birth rates.
Newly-confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy buried the oddly specific requirement by describing the Wednesday memo as focused on economic growth, rather than population growth, and echoed President Donald Trump’s criticism of programs to improve diversity, equity and inclusion.
“The American people deserve an efficient, safe and pro-growth transportation system based on sound decision-making, not political ideologies,” Duffy said of the memo, which was signed just hours before a military helicopter crashed into a passenger plane near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing everyone on both aircraft and sending Duffy and other transportation officials scrambling.
According to the memo, programs and activities supported by the Transportation Department should prioritize projects that improve transportation for “families with young children” and “give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.” This memo applies to DOT and DOT-supported grants, loans and contracts, including existing agreements.
A spokesperson for the Transportation Department did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
States with both marriage and birth rates higher than the national average include Utah and South Dakota, according to 2022 data from the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention. In those predominantly white states, cultural or religious norms may encourage marriage and family-building.
In addition to the language around marriage and birth rates, the memo also blocks recipients of DOT funding from implementing “mask mandates,” a reference to requirements transit agencies followed to limit the spread of infection during the height of COVID-19.
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The memo also requires recipients to comply with federal immigration enforcement in order to receive funding — the latest effort by the administration to target undocumented immigrants, conduct mass arrests and deportations, and deny federal transportation funds to so-called sanctuary cities.
Jen Bendery contributed to reporting.